LAPLACE — Charges against a Donaldsonville man accused of briefly kidnapping a 5-year-old in LaPlace were dropped last week, authorities said, because of a lack of witness participation.

The St. John the Baptist Parish Clerk of Court’s Office said the District Attorney’s Office abandoned charges of vehicle theft and aggravated kidnapping against Travis Wilson May 15 “due to the victims not cooperating,” adding prosecutors reserve the right “to reinstate this case if the victims come forth.”

The St. John Sheriff’s Office previously announced in April 2015 a 42-year-old female told deputies she parked her car at the LaPlace Fred’s with the keys in the ignition and her 5-year-old godson unattended in the car.

“She was in the store a few minutes, and when she returned from the store, she saw that the car and child were gone,” a Sheriff’s Office release said. “She called 911 for assistance. A witness gave the victim a description of a male subject who had stolen the car.”

Deputies found the car on Parish Road near Elm Street with the boy unharmed and safe. Authorities said the child “was visibly shaken but physically OK.”

The child provided deputies with a description of a man who took the car, and deputies located a suspect in Winn-Dixie, identifying him as Wilson.

Wilson, 37, was booked with theft of a motor vehicle and aggravated kidnapping of a child. He was freed a day later after posting a $27,500 bond.