Shortly after noon May 4, Douglas County sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call in reference to a vehicle, with two children inside, being stolen in the area of Anasazi Indian Way in Highlands Ranch.

The area was flooded immediately with deputies and the vehicle was located soon after in the area of Highlands Ranch Parkway and Broadway. The children, ages 1 and 3, were unharmed and reunited with their parents.

According to reports stemming from the preliminary investigation, one of the parents had stopped at a garage sale, leaving the children unattended in the vehicle while it was still running.  At that point, the suspect got into the vehicle and drove away.

The suspect, identified as Robert C. Orr of Littleton, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of second-degree kidnapping, two counts of child abuse and one count each of motor vehicle theft and first degree criminal trespass.

The family, which requested to remain anonymous, issued the following statement through the sheriff’s office the following day.

“We are thankful that our family, although traumatized, is all safe and sound and here with us today. This situation occurred in a matter of seconds and we would never put our children in harm's way. This was a circumstance of turning our back for a moment and a person that was intent on causing harm to others, crossed our path. This entire experience has been a learning experience for us and we hope that others can learn from what we have gone through.”

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, which confirmed that Orr did not know the family beforehand, wants to remind everyone to be cautious and not to leave children unattended in a vehicle.