Accused kidnapper, car thief who duped mother airing up tires is charged with 3 felonies
A Wichita man who allegedly offered to help a 26-year-old mother air up her tires then stole her car with her two young children inside was charged Thursday with two counts of aggravated child endangerment and one count of felony theft, according to Sedgwick County District Court records.
Wichita police say instead of being a Good Samaritan after approaching the woman, Tyler Michael Kirkhart got into her 2015 Chevy Cruze and drove off while her 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son were inside. The abduction and theft happened around 3:50 p.m. Monday in the 1000 block of West 31st Street South, near Seneca. There’s a QuikTrip gas station in that area.
Police quickly found the car abandoned nearby, in the 3500 block of South Saint Francis, with the children still inside and unharmed.
Kirkhart, 30, of Wichita, was arrested within a few hours at an address about 3 1/2 miles away. He was already on probation for other crimes at the time of his arrest.
Kirkhart made a first appearance in court on the three felony charges Thursday afternoon. He is being held in the Sedgwick County Jail on bonds totaling $1.05 million probation violation and the abduction case.
His next court date, a preliminary hearing, is scheduled for Nov. 23, court records show.
This story was originally published November 10, 2022 at 2:13 PM.
