Neighbor Scared Of Car Thief Suspect

SIOUX FALLS, SD - A clerk says a woman ran into a convenience store to grab a soda. While she was inside, someone took off in her car not knowing her one-year-old child was in the backseat.

She feared for her little boy's safety and it turns out she had good reason to be concerned.

Police said James Farmer, 45, was not only drunk, he didn't have a driver's license. Fortunately he didn't get far.

Farmer drove the vehicle just two-and-a-half blocks to his home on South Holly Avenue, police said.

The apartment building is also home to Ollie Agatha Rodriquez.

“I've been here for 14 months and I've never seen anything like that,” Rodriquez said. “It's horrible.”

Rodriquez watched as police handcuffed Farmer and rescued the one-year old child.

But even before the incident, she was terrified of Farmer, who has been staying with her next door neighbor.
Rodriquez said she had a run in with him earlier in the day.

"When I was walking to my daughter's, I saw him sitting there with a big butcher knife in his back pocket," Rodriquez said.

Rodriquez said he asked for help getting up, she became frightened and ran and hid behind a tree.

“I couldn't sleep all night. I got so scared so now I have a friend that came over. He's a Vietnam Veteran. He was watching over me all night and my son-in-law came over this morning. I'm still scared of him. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep,” Rodriquez said.

Rodriquez said she is so scared, she is talking with her landlady to see if she could move out of the apartment.