A Morgantown man accused of kidnapping a two-year-old girl before leading police on a chase from Preston County to Pittsburgh remains behind bars and will face charges in both Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Timothy Adam White, 23, kidnapped the young child from a Reedsville Gas N More Friday afternoon, police said. Officers later arrested White near Pittsburgh; the child was found unharmed.
Capt. James Merrill with West Virginia State Police said state officials have been working with Pennsylvania law enforcement to work out what to do with White, who faces charges in both states.
For now, White remains in a Pittsburgh-area jail on $2 million bail, Merrill said. White faces grand larceny and pursuit charges in Pennsylvania.
“Depending on the cooperation between the district attorney and the prosecutor in Preston County, Pennsylvania may charge him, then he comes back to Preston County to face charges here,” Merrill said.
Merrill says police were able to find White, even after he switched vehicles, because the Preston County 911 was tracking a cell phone.
White’s motive in stealing the car is still unclear. Merrill says White “had a relationship” with the family, but the extent of that relationship is unknown.
White is scheduled for a court hearing in Pittsburgh on Feb. 20.