LAPLACE — Authorities believe they have the man in custody responsible for stealing a car in March that contained the victim’s 8-year-old son.

St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Robert Stout, 52, of Slidell Wednesday for theft of a vehicle.

The theft was reported March 1, when the victim said her car was stolen from 1525 W. Airline Highway in front of a LaPlace store with her son in the vehicle.

“She left the keys in the car when she went into the store,” a release said. “Approximately 30 minutes later, the child was found safe in the Pilot store on U.S. 51 in LaPlace and reunited with his mother. The stolen car was in the parking lot of the Pilot store.”

Investigators collected evidence from the stolen car, and DNA samples were taken from the driver’s-side door handle and gearshift. DNA samples were sent to the Louisiana Crime Laboratory for comparison and analysis.

The results indentified Robert Stout as a suspect, Sheriff Mike Tregre indicated.

“This is another case of good police work,” he said. “At the St. John Sheriff’s Office, we will use all available resources to catch criminals, no matter how long it may take.”

Based on the findings of the investigation, detectives sought and obtained a judicial court-ordered arrest warrant for Stout for theft of a motor vehicle.

Stout was transferred from the Slidell City Jail and booked with theft of a motor vehicle. He remains in custody in lieu of a $20,000 bond.

Stout has been arrested four times in St. John the Baptist Parish since June 2009.