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Baby sitters used toddler as decoy in alcohol heist, police say

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Northern Indiana police say two baby sitters caring for a 2-year-old boy used him as a “decoy” so they could steal alcohol from a store.

South Bend police say 27-year-old Benjamin Sims and 26-year-old Danielle Howey loaded a shopping cart with 10 bottles of alcohol, put a blanket on top of it and then placed the boy on top of the blanket before leaving a Meijer store without paying.

Capt. Phil Trent tells WSBT-TV the pair used the boy as a sort of “decoy so you couldn’t really tell what he was laying on top of.” They were arrested Tuesday night on felony theft charges after trying to steal DVDs from a nearby Walmart store.

The boy’s mother, Nicole McCullough, says she’s looking for a baby sitter she can trust.