NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A 26-year-old man was charged with trying to kidnap a baby from her mother in downtown Nashville on Wednesday.
Metro police reported that a mother and her 2-year-old daughter were standing outside a store on Third Avenue South when a man approached them and started staring into the girl’s eyes.
The man, later identified as Cody Skinner, then reportedly accused the mother of beating “their daughter,” saying she had a black eye. He then put his arm around the girl and her mother and began kissing the toddler’s face, according to Metro Police.
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According to an arrest affidavit, the mother tried to pull her child away from Skinner, but he did not let go and began to walk away with the child.
The girl’s father came out of the store and confronted Skinner, who began threatening the father and tried to fight him, according to Metro police.
The father was able to get his daughter back from Skinner and the family tried to run away from him, but he followed them to a nearby bank where they were separated by security. There they were able to call 911 for help.
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After officers got a description of Skinner, they found him trying to get into a tonk on Broadway, where he was stopped and identified by the mother.
According to Metro Police, Skinner told officers he saw the child with a black eye and was trying to protect the baby. When asked if he had been drinking, Skinner reportedly had two to three drinks and three beers
Skinner was booked into the Metro Jail and charged with sexual assault, kidnapping, aggravated battery and public intoxication. His bond was set at $75,100.
