Father charged after custody dispute led to reported kidnapping in central Lubbock

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - A six-year-old girl is safe after police say she was taken from a home in central Lubbock.

Just after 11 p.m., Lubbock police responded to a home near 24th Street and Boston for reports of a kidnapping.

Police say the caller stated an unknown male had entered the home and taken her granddaughter. Shortly after officers arrived, the child’s father, 27-year-old Anthony Garcia, was identified as the suspect.

Responding officers received a vehicle description and later located Garcia in the 2600 block of North MLK, Jr. Blvd.

Garcia was taken into custody and the six-year-old girl was found safe inside a nearby home.

Garcia was booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center charged with burglary of a habitation and unlawful restraint.

While the call was initially dispatched as a kidnapping, investigators determined the incident stemmed from a custodial dispute involving the child’s biological parents.

Police say at the time of the incident, there were no court-ordered custody documents in place.