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A Texas man who claimed his 6-month-old baby was in the backseat of his stolen vehicle to get a quicker police response is now charged with a crime himself after authorities were scrambling Wednesday to find the child.
Anthony Ray Gray, 38, is charged with filing a false report after the child was found unharmed in a relative’s home, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a report of a stolen vehicle with a baby inside around 5 a.m. at a gas station. The father got out of the Jeep Cherokee and left it running.
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He allegedly said he had his six-month-old baby in the backseat.
A few minutes later two men got out of the Kia Optima and got into the Jeep and drove off, according to Fox Houston.
Authorities launched a search and the Jeep was found two hours later. A relative of the baby called authorities after seeing news reports of the missing child and said the baby was safe.
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Gray allegedly said he lied to authorities about false kidnapping so authorities could respond faster.