Massachusetts man that prompted Amber Alert arraigned in CT on kidnapping, larceny charges

A Springfield man who is facing kidnapping charges after allegedly stealing a car in Chicopee, Massachusetts, with a 3-year-old child inside was arraigned in Hartford on Monday morning.

A judge ruled Monday that 52-year-old Vadim Vorobyov, who is facing charges of risk of injury to a child, first-degree larceny, first-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree kidnapping, will be held on a $800,000 bond.

On March 29, Vorobyov allegedly stole a vehicle while a child was inside, prompting a frantic search for Liam David Pagan, a 3-year-old boy with autism.

An Amber Alert was issued for Pagan, who was found at a hotel in Windsor at 10:42 a.m. on Friday. Investigators found Vorobyov, nearby, according to Connecticut State Police.

State police said they tracked the stolen red Toyota Camry to Windsor, where the Enfield Police Department deployed their K-9 Dunkin, who traced a scent to the front of a Dollar Tree store.

Inside, they found and arrested Vorobyov, according to state police.

Vorobyov was brought into a courtroom at Hartford Superior Court in a tan prison-issue jumpsuit with shackles on his wrists and ankles just before 1 p.m. Monday.

State prosecutors said plans are in the works to extradite him to Massachusetts.

A bail commissioner Monday suggested he be held on a $500,000 bond, while the state countered for a higher bond of $1 million due to the serious nature of the charges.

The judge ruled that he be held on a $800,000 bond with conditions that he have no contact with the child or the child’s family.

The bail commissioner said Vorobyov has no criminal record in Connecticut but has a record in Massachusetts on charges of assault and battery in 2016. In an older case dated back to 1993, he was convicted of stealing a vehicle, the commissioner said.

A hearing will be held to screen his case for transfer to Part A court, where major crimes are heard. He is due to return to court on April 18.

The Massachusetts State Police said after his capture on Friday that the alleged abduction occurred when Vorobyov tried to make off with the car.

“Preliminary investigation suggests that at approximately 8:40 AM VOROBYOV came across the Toyota Camry as it was parked outside a residence on Exchange Street in Chicopee with the motor running and the child in the backseat,” Mass State Police said in a statement. “He entered the vehicle and drove away.”

Information from the Boston Herald was used in this report.