Mario Antoine Brown of Tillman's Corner was charged with first-degree theft of property and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, police spokesman Cpl. Charles Bagsby said.

As of Thursday, Brown was in Mobile County Metro Jail in lieu of bail totaling $13,500, according to jail records.

Online court records showed that he was released from prison Sept. 5, after completing a two-year sentence for first-

degree theft of property in Monroe County.

Bagsby said Brown was arrested Thursday about 10 a.m. while riding a bicycle at U.S. 90 and Nevius Road, after police received an anonymous tip.

The auto theft took place about 3 p.m. Wednesday in front of Discount Cell Phones and Accessories at 5398 U.S. 90.

Damara LeBlanc said she left the children, Katie, 2, and Elijah, who turns 1 today, in the car and left the keys inside while she bought a charger for her cellular phone.

When she finished, she said, she saw the car being driven away.

Police said the car was abandoned shortly afterward by the side of a house on Andrews Road, about a third of a mile away, with the children still inside and unharmed.

"This person who we put in jail, he had naturally no right to take that car with those kids in it," interim Mobile Police Chief Lester Hargrove said Thursday. "But I want to go a little bit further than that. The parents have to take responsibility. You can't leave your kids in your car. Those kids could have been seriously injured.

"We're asking parents to take responsibility for their loved ones. So many people are stealing cars, and most of the cars that are stolen are stolen because the keys are left in them or the doors are unlocked."

(Staff Reporter Jillian Kramer contributed to this report.)