The man accused of stealing a car in Cayce with a two-year-old girl inside has been found and charged. Cayce Department of Public Safety Director Byron Snellgrove announced Wednesday the arrest of Shyheem Malik Phillips.

Phillips is charged with vehicle theft and kidnapping. Snellgrove said he stole the car from a motel in Cayce. There was a two-year-old girl in the car when he allegedly took it. Phillips was caught around 4 p.m. Wednesday. He is in police custody, according to CDPS.

“I’m proud of our Department – our officers acted swiftly, followed every lead and investigated every detail. And I’m grateful for a caring community and the media who shared the information that helped us identify the suspect. We were able to quickly remove the person suspected of these crimes from the streets of Cayce and Lexington County. What’s most important is that young Carlee and her dog were safely returned to her family,” Snellgrove stated. 

The incident occurred around 8:50 p.m. Tuesday. An Amber Alert for the child was issued after 11 p.m. She and the dog were found after midnight.