MUNCIE, Ind. — A Muncie man is accused of abandoning his child at a north side pet store and attempting to purchase an $880 parrot using a stolen credit card.
Joseph Kelly Abrams, 38, was arrested Tuesday on preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent, fraud and invasion of privacy.
According to an affidavit, Abrams left his daughter, who is under 10, at PetSmart, 3450 N. Morrison Road, around 5:30 p.m. Monday.
When police were called about 90 minutes later, he had reportedly not returned to the store.
Court documents say Abrams had previously been to the store and attempted to purchase a parrot for $880.93 using a credit card that had reportedly been stolen from his child’s mother.
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When his attempts to use the card failed, he reportedly said he wanted to go to the bank to collect the money and left the store.
He apparently managed to use the card to purchase a bird cage and accessories, as well as cheese snacks for pets. Those items were later returned to the store, the affidavit states.
The child’s mother was called to the store to pick up her daughter. She reported that her daughter had been feeling ill on Monday morning, so the mother asked Abrams to watch the child while she was at work.
She also said she received a “fraud alert” informing her of an attempted purchase of $880.93 from PetSmart using her credit card.
Police said they concluded that Abrams violated a restraining order by going to the woman’s home, leading to a preliminary charge of invasion of privacy.
Abrams was being held in the Delaware County Jail on $10,000 bail on Wednesday. The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office will decide whether to file charges.
At the time of his latest arrest, the Muncie man was already facing four charges – false imprisonment, intimidation, domestic violence and obstructing the reporting of a crime – that were set to be brought against him in June 2023. His trial in that case in Delaware Circuit Court 5 is scheduled to begin on January 14.
According to court records, Abrams was convicted of domestic violence, marijuana possession and possession of a controlled substance.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Reach him at 765-213-5851 or [email protected].
