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Father Of Kidnapped Oakland Toddler Arrested On Child Endangerment Charge

OAKLAND (KCBS) - The father of a missing Oakland toddler has been arrested on child endangerment charges, according to Oakland police.

John Webb was arrested Wednesday night some time after the child was apparently kidnapped, Oakland Police Department spokeswoman Officer Johnna Watson announced at a news conference Thursday.

Daphne Viola Webb was abducted from a vehicle parked in front of a market on the 7800 block of  International Blvd., according to the California Highway Patrol, which issued an Amber Alert for the girl Wednesday morning.

Police said Webb apparently entered Gazzali's Supermarket alone to buy himself a drink and returned to the car to find his daughter was gone.

Father of Missing Oakland Toddler Arrested

Webb was arrested because investigators said he left daughter in the car with his elderly mother, who suffers from dementia, Watson said.

Witnesses said the toddler was taken by an unidentified black or Hispanic woman between 30 and 40 years old, who had straight, long black hair and was wearing a light-colored shirt and blue jeans.

The suspect was seen walking away from the store carrying the young girl, police said.

The child is described as black, about 2 feet tall and weighing 30 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing orange pajamas with pink hearts.

Webb is not considered a suspect in the girl's disappearance and has cooperated with police, according to Watson.

A marine unit is expected to search the Oakland waterfront Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline park later Tuesday for signs of her whereabouts.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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