PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Washington County jury on Friday found a 25-year-old man guilty of multiple crimes, including kidnapping, after he stole a minivan with a baby seated inside in July.
Marcus Paul, 25, was convicted of second degree kidnapping, three counts of first degree criminal mistreatment and unauthorized use of a vehicle for the July 27 incident that happened outside Oregon Dog Rescue on Southwest Nyberg Street in Tualatin.
Tualatin police said a man was dropping off his dog when Paul stole his van and kidnapped his 9-month-old son inside. Paul drove onto Interstate 205 before exiting off to Oregon City where officials say he abandoned the child.
Paul dropped the child off behind a guardrail near a steep slope in a residential area before taking off again, according to Washington County District Attorney’s Office. The infant was later found unharmed by a woman walking by.
Police eventually caught up with Paul and the van using the man’s cell phone tracker, TPD said. They found him at the corner of Northeast 95th Avenue and Prescott Street in Portland where Paul then took off on foot, police said.
Officials say Paul ran across rush-hour traffic on the interstate before hiding underneath bags on the Parkrose MAX platform. There, officers arrested him and took him into custody.
Paul’s sentencing hearing is slated for Oct. 5, 2022.