'God looked after all of us today'
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
The father of a 4-month-old girl who was found safe in the backseat of a stolen pickup truck pleaded with parents last night to never leave their young children unattended for any length of time.
Photos by Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
William Philpotts said last night that he and his wife, Vaima, were still in shock over the theft yesterday of the family's Toyota pickup truck at the 7-Eleven store at Kuakini Street and Nu'uanu Avenue. In the back seat of the truck was the couple's infant daughter, Tauhani.
Vaima Philpotts, right, was reunited with her 4-month-old baby yesterday after a brief scare. She had gone to the Nu'uanu 7-Eleven but left her truck with the engine on and her daughter inside. Within minutes the pickup was stolen.
The pickup was recovered about an hour after it was stolen, 4 1/2 miles away in the parking lot of a Moanalua Road church.
"We just feel like God looked after all of us today and we hope that everybody who stops somewhere to just run in and get something will appreciate how dangerous it can be," William Philpotts said. "The lesson is that don't think you can get away with it at all. Don't ever do it."
Clerks at 7-Eleven said they were not surprised by the incident.
"She left her baby and the keys in the car and the guy took it," said Donna Viveros, a sales associate. "It happens all the time; in cars and shopping carts, at the mall. It only takes seconds."
Viveros said she was relieved to hear that the woman's child was safe.
"At least it was a nice thief," she said.
Vaima Philpotts was heading home from work, but had yet to have lunch so she stopped at the convenience store, William Philpotts said. She parked right in front of the store's entrance at about 2:25 p.m., left the truck running and ran in to get some food.
Within a couple of minutes, a man got into the Tacoma pickup and drove off. Vaima Philpotts exited the store and realized her vehicle — and baby Tauhani — were gone.
"She was crying," said an employee at the store. "That is all I know. We didn't see it happen."
Police were called and about a half-hour later the state's first MAILE-AMBER child abduction alert was issued. Radio and TV stations broadcast information on the stolen vehicle.
Police also issued an all-points-bulletin to officers across the island to be on the lookout for the vehicle.
At 3:18 p.m. Curtis Vires, a delivery driver for Honolulu Express, notified his dispatcher that he had found the truck and baby at the First Assembly of God parking lot. The truck's engine and air conditioning were left on, but the suspect had fled, said police Maj. Susan Ballard, commander of the Kalihi substation.
LEFT: About an hour later, Curtis Vires, a delivery driver for Honolulu Express, found the stolen pickup with the baby inside in the parking lot of a Moanalua Road church.
Tauhani was not injured, but she was taken to Kapi'olani Medical Center at Pali Momi as a precaution. Last night, William Philpotts said his daughter was doing fine.
"We're all just very, very grateful that the guy came to his senses and did the right thing and made sure that the car could be found," he said. "We're just very grateful to have our daughter with us."
He said his wife was feeling "very guilty and somewhat foolish" last night. He said family and friends were reassuring them that many people have made the same mistake of leaving a child in a car and gotten away with it.
"But something like this happens and you realize how stupid it is and you just don't take the chance. It's just not worth it," William Philpotts said.
He said he was grateful to the delivery driver and community for coming to his family's aid.
"It was an indication of how the community can play such an important role in helping people in need," he said.
The MAILE-AMBER alert is named for two girls abducted and murdered. On the Mainland, they are called AMBER alerts — America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response — named after Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old who was kidnapped in 1996 in Arlington, Texas. Hawai'i has added the acronym MAILE — Minor Abducted in Life-threatening Emergency — a tribute to Maile Gilbert. In 1985, the 6-year-old was abducted from a Kailua party and her body was found near Ka'ena Point. Her killer is serving a life term in prison.
Philpotts also credited the MAILE-AMBER alert for bringing the incident to a quick ending.
MAILE AND AMBER
The thief "probably saw the AMBER alert on the freeway or heard it on the radio and realized it was just a matter of time before he was going to get apprehended and pulled over and ran away," Philpotts said.
"The AMBER alert went over the radio stations and whoever e-mailed the gentleman in the DHL truck had an excellent networking system and this is what we're looking for and we really appreciate the community getting involved in situations like this," Ballard said. "We're very lucky and thankful that this baby was located alive."
The baby and truck were found by Vires, 25, a delivery driver for Honolulu Express, which is contracted by DHL Worldwide Express in Hawai'i.
At 3 p.m., Vires' dispatcher, Lori Joaquin, heard from a fellow employee that police were looking for the pickup and that a 4-month-old baby was on board. Joaquin quickly sent a description of the truck to her 50 drivers via text message, the communication method preferred by the company.
Eighteen minutes later, Vires texted back: "Got the baby."
"I thought he was joking at first," Joaquin said from her office near the airport.
Vires was near the end of his shift when he received the text message. Moments later, Vires said he heard another bulletin for the stolen truck broadcast on a local radio station.
He said he was on Moanalua Road and saw a truck matching the description in the upper parking lot of First Assembly of God Church. The vehicle looked empty, Vires said, so he quickly blocked the truck with his delivery van before jumping out to check on the baby.
He said the truck was running with the doors unlocked and the air conditioning on.
After dispatcher Lori Joaquin heard about a stolen truck with a baby inside she text-messaged all delivery drivers for Honolulu Express with a description of the pickup. Shortly afterward, driver Curtis Vires found the truck with the baby inside at a church parking lot and called 911. A MAILE-AMBER alert was also issued.
He yelled at some girls who were supervising a nearby church youth program to call 911. He then opened the truck's back passenger door and took the baby out of the car.
"She (the baby) was in a good mood. She was a real good baby; she didn't cry or fuss at all," said Vires after returning to his office following the rescue. "I'm so glad (whoever stole the truck) had the common sense to leave the car unlocked with the AC on. I hope they catch whoever it was."
Vires asked his dispatcher to hold his pickups while he filled out a police statement, then continued with his routes. "He's my hero," said his wife, Jamie Vires.
Police said a surveillance camera at the 7-Eleven may have captured the man's image and officers were searching for him last night.
He was described as in his 20s, 5 feet 10, 200 pounds with a heavy build and short hair. The man was wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and dark denim shorts.
Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cellular phone.
On March 29 a man stole a car with a 5-month-old girl inside after the father left it running outside a Liliha restaurant. The car was found 20 minutes later with the baby unharmed.
Advertiser writers Peter Boylan, Karen Blakeman and David Waite contributed to this report.
