Man who stole car with baby and toddler inside from Wichita gas station is sentenced
A Wichita man has been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison for stealing a mother’s car with her kids inside after helping her air up a tire — and for parole violations — said Dan Dillon, a spokesman for the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.
Tyler Michael Kirkhart, 32, pleaded guilty in June to the Nov. 7, 2022, theft and abduction that left the mother and police frantically searching for the baby boy and 3-year-old girl. Police have said the 26-year-old mother was at the QuikTrip gas station at 31st and Seneca shortly before 4 p.m., when she asked Kirkhart to help her remove a stuck valve stem cap on her 2015 Chevy Cruze. Kirkhart, a stranger, loosened the cap then jumped into the driver’s seat and took off, according to a probable cause affidavit released by the court.
Police quickly tracked the Chevy Cruze to the 3500 block of South St. Francis, a couple of miles from the gas station. It was parked and running, and the kids were safe in the back seat.
Officers later arrested Kirkhart in the 700 block of West Lockwood, about 3 1/2 miles from the abandoned car. He initially denied involvement even though police showed him security photos of him at the QuikTrip, the affidavit says.
Sedgwick County District Judge Christopher Magana handed down the 83-month sentence on Monday. He ordered Kirkhart to serve 15 months for one count of aggravated child endangerment, seven months for a second count of aggravated child endangerment and seven months for felony theft, plus additional time for the parole violations, Dillon said.
