A woman in Harris County, Texas, saw in horror that her vehicle was nowhere around shortly after parking at a gas station. The vehicle had her three young daughters inside, so panic began to surge, but eventually transformed into action as she managed to track her daughter’s phone, leading authorities to arrest the man accused of carjacking her.
As reported by KHOU, citing Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, the incident occurred on Sunday, June 5. At around 1 a.m., the Harris County Sheriff’s Office was informed of a carjacking at a gas station located on Aldine Mail Route near Hard Toll Road.
However, the carjacking aspect of the incident took a backseat. The caller, a mother, told the authorities that her three girls, ages 1, 3, and 10, were also missing. They were inside the vehicle when it was stolen, having left them alone in the car while she went inside the gas station.
Therefore, responding HCSO deputies knew that time was of the essence. Thankfully for them, the horrified mother had an ace up her sleeve.
Tracking the Girls
Reportedly, the mother was able to track her eldest daughter’s cellphone, which was riding along with her in the now carjacked vehicle. The HCSO would then use this information to track the vehicle’s whereabouts.
However, as reported by KTRK citing HCSO’s Sgt. Jeff Thomas, the suspect appeared to have noticed the girl’s cellphone while driving the car. He would then throw it out the window, making tracking no longer a viable option, Sgt. Thomas said.
Sheriff Gonzalez detailed that the suspect stopped momentarily along the way. At that time, the woman’s 10-year-old daughter was allowed to exit the car and was found walking along Aldine Bender Road, but her two younger sisters were still inside the vehicle.
Vehicle Found
Shortly after, officers with the Humble Police Department (HPD) came across the vehicle near the intersection of North Park and I-59. As per KHOU, that is approximately 14 miles away from the aforementioned gas station.
The HPD detailed that the suspect initially refused to stop. However, a traffic stop was eventually conducted, and the driver complied.
The man, then identified as 22-year-old Xavion Starks, was placed under arrest. Meanwhile, the two young girls were found inside the car. Thankfully, they were unharmed.
Suspect Charged
Starks is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and two counts of aggravated kidnapping. His first charge could land him in jail for up to two years, while the kidnapping charges each carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The 10-year-old girl who was reportedly released by Starks was transported to a local hospital. KHOU detailed that the girl had suffered minor injuries, but, just like her sisters, is expected to be just fine.
Starks was booked into the Harris County Jail.