Mass. man faces kidnapping charge
Allegedly stole car with 3-year-old inside before state police tracked him to Windsor
A Springfield man who is facing kidnapping charges after allegedly stealing a car in Chicopee, Massachusetts, with a 3-year-old child inside was arraigned in Hartford on Monday morning.
A judge ruled Monday that 52-year-old Vadim Vorobyov, who is facing charges of risk of injury to a child, first-degree larceny, first-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree kidnapping, will be held on a $800,000 bond.
On March 29, Vorobyov allegedly stole a vehicle while a child was inside, prompting a frantic search for Liam David Pagan, a 3-year-old boy with autism.
An Amber Alert was issued for Pagan, who was found at a hotel in Windsor at 10:42 a.m. on Friday. Investigators found Vorobyov, nearby, according to Connecticut State Police.
State police said they tracked the stolen red Toyota Camry to Windsor, where the Enfield Police Department deployed their K-9 Dunkin, who traced a scent to the front of a Dollar Tree store.
Inside, they found and arrested Vorobyov, according to state police.
Vorobyov was brought into a courtroom at Hartford Superior Court in a tan prison-issue jumpsuit with shackles on his wrists and ankles just before 1 p.m. Monday.
State prosecutors said plans are in the works to extradite him to Massachusetts.
A bail commissioner Monday suggested he be held on a $500,000 bond, while the state countered for a higher bond of $1 million due to the serious nature of the charges.
The judge ruled that he be held on a $800,000 bond with conditions that he have no contact with the child or the child’s family.
The bail commissioner said Vorobyov has no criminal record in Connecticut but has a record in Massachusetts on charges of assault and battery in 2016. In an older case dated back to 1993, he was convicted of stealing a vehicle, the commissioner said.
A hearing will be held to screen his case for transfer to Part A court, where major crimes are heard. He is due to return to court on April 18.