Father allegedly kidnaps infant, crashes after police chase through Kentucky

A 2-month-old child was pulled from her mother’s vehicle, taken across county lines and recovered unharmed after a police chase ended in a crash beside a Kentucky church. The suspect, Brenton Howland, 20, of Xenia, Ohio, now faces felony charges as investigators piece together a fast-moving abduction that began on April 14.

According to authorities, the child’s mother was driving with the infant when Howland stopped the vehicle, forcibly removed the mother, and drove off with the baby inside. Deputies with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office later found the vehicle in Northern Kentucky around 7 p.m., where Howland fled again as law enforcement moved in.

The pursuit continued into Boone County, where deputies tried to stop Howland on Mt. Zion Road. It ended in Walton, Kentucky, when Howland crashed into the side of Walton United Methodist Church after sideswiping a Boone County sheriff’s deputy’s cruiser. Dash cam video released Friday showed the moment the deputy was hit, adding a clear view of how quickly the situation turned dangerous for officers, the child and people nearby.

The infant was taken to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to be checked and was reported unharmed. She was later reunited with her mother. A Boone County deputy suffered minor injuries, was treated at St. Elizabeth Hospital and released. Howland was taken to UC Medical Center before being booked into jail.

Howland is facing Kentucky charges including fleeing or evading police, wanton endangerment, reckless driving and endangering the welfare of a minor. Additional charges are expected in Ohio and Greene County. The crash also left its mark on the church property. The pastor said Walton United Methodist Church sustained little damage, aside from a broken window and debris in the yard.

The case underscores how rapidly an abduction can become a multistate emergency, with officers forced to respond in minutes while a 2-month-old was inside the fleeing vehicle. It also shows how a domestic crisis can spill into public streets, hospital trauma checks and damaged property before the first report is even fully sorted out.