Athens police put a man behind bars Tuesday who's accused of kidnapping a sleeping 1-year-old from an apartment complex.
According to the Athens Police Department, officers responded to a call of a window being smashed at an apartment at Westwood Heights Apartments on Van Dyke Street.
When officers arrived they spoke to witnesses who said the suspect, Dillon Clayton, had smashed the window and then went across the street to hit a parked vehicle with a rock. Police said Clayton then went into a neighboring apartment where a young man and his 1-year-old child were sleeping and took the child from her bed.
Police said Clayton told witnesses it was not safe for the child to be in the apartment, and that he was going to take her to the helicopter landing pad at Starr Regional Medical Center in Athens.
Police went to the hospital's landing pad, but did not find the child or Clayton. After searching the area, they were notified the suspect had delivered the child to a nurse at the hospital.
Officers found the child safely and then tracked down Clayton after he flagged down an officer and asked for a ride.
Police arrested Clayton and took him to the McMinn County Jail.
“It should go without saying that this type of behavior can’t be tolerated in our community. We are all thankful that this child was able to be located quickly," Police Chief Cliff Couch said. "I applaud our officers and the staff at the hospital for handling this situation so professionally.”