U.S. CITY MOURNS FOR BOY DRAGGED TO DEATH IN THEFT INDEPENDENCE, Mo., Feb 25 (Reuters) - Hundreds of mourners gathered on Friday for the funeral of a 6-year-old boy whose dragging death by a car thief ignited widespread outrage. More than 600 family members, friends and strangers filled an area church to say goodbye to Jake Robel, who died on Tuesday from multiple injuries he suffered while being dragged alongside his mother's vehicle during an car jacking. ``Everybody kind of feels that this is such a huge tragedy for our community. You just can't forget that vision of the boy being dragged,'' Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission director Richard Cook told Reuters. ``You read every day about people getting shot or killed by knives, but very seldom do you hear of this type of thing.'' In the days since Jake's death, the town of Independence, just east of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, has seen an outpouring of sympathy, with teddy bears and flowers piled high at roadside memorials, and condolences and memorial donations coming in from across the country. On Tuesday the boy's mother, Christy Robel, left her son sitting in the back seat of her sport-utility vehicle while she ran inside an area sandwich shop to get the boy a soft drink, according to police. A car thief -- who had just been released from police custody due to a mistake -- jumped into the vehicle, where Robel had left the keys in the ignition. As the man began to pull out of the parking lot, the frantic mother tried in vain to yank her child from the back seat. But Jake became caught in a twisted seat belt and Robel lost her grip on her son as the car thief sped away. The little boy was crying and screaming for his mother to help him as he was dragged down the street, according to witness statements recorded in a police report. In a televised interview after the crime, Christy Robel said she saw her son's shoes fly off as he bounced up and down, hitting the street, the curb and the vehicle's rear tire. Several motorists chased and ultimately caught the thief, holding him until police arrived. The boy, of Blue Springs, Missouri, was pronounced dead at the scene. Independence police arrested 34-year-old Kim Davis, who on Friday was being held without bond, charged with second-degree murder, child abuse, kidnapping and robbery. A not guilty plea was entered by the court on Davis' behalf. Jail officials have acknowledged they erroneously released Davis from jail on prior charges only hours before he allegedly stole Robel's car. Jail officials released Davis Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to drug charges and agreed to pay a $150 fine, without checking to see if he had any outstanding arrest warrants, which he did. As a result, at a time when Davis should have been on his way to another jail cell, he was instead getting a ride with a local police officer and was dropped off not far from where Robel later stopped. _____________________________________________ The Associated Press February 24, 2000 MOTHER RECALLS SON'S DRAGGING BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. (AP) - The mother of the little boy who was killed when he was dragged along a highway after their vehicle was stolen says she tried desperately to free him before the driver sped off. ``It was just frantic,'' Christy Robel said Wednesday night. ``He was just reaching his arms out, and I was just trying to get him. He was just crying big tears.'' Kim L. Davis, 34, was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder, second-degree robbery, child abuse and kidnapping. He was being held without bail. Robel, of Blue Springs, had stopped Tuesday afternoon at a sandwich shop in Independence, another Kansas City suburb, leaving 6-year-old Jake Robel in her Chevrolet Blazer. While she was gone, a man got into the vehicle. He apparently intended to shove the boy out, but Jake got tangled in the seat belt outside the car instead. The boy was dragged to his death during a five-mile chase that hit speeds of more than 80 mph. Witnesses said motorists surrounded the car, then wrestled the man to the ground, tied his legs and waited for police to arrive. Robel rushed out of the shop when someone yelled that a man was stealing her car. ``I got the seat belt undone and I pulled him,'' she said. ``He got caught between the shoulder harness and the lap belt.'' As Robel and Jake were dragged across the parking lot, both wrapped in the seat belt, she begged the man to stop the vehicle. ``I screamed, I cried, I pleaded with him,'' she said. ``He was yelling at me to get away from the car.'' Finally, the man gunned the engine, and Robel lost hold of the seat belt and fell to the ground, with scrapes, bruises and torn clothes. ``Yesterday, I cried and cried and cried and cried,'' she said. ``Today, I'm completely numb. I can't even believe I'm burying my son at 6 years old.'' Robel expressed thanks to the people offering help and tributes - ``leaving teddy bears, bringing me food, money, flowers'' - and to the motorists who tried to stop the tragedy. One who tried to help was Ron Wells, who saw the Blazer speeding up behind him seconds after the vehicle was snatched. Wells at first thought some kids had a doll hanging out the door, but his wife, Kella cried out, ``That's not a doll - it's a child!'' The couple quickly found themselves in a chase in rush-hour traffic. As other drivers saw what was happening, they honked and flashed headlights. Truck drivers tried to trap the Blazer, but the driver squirmed free until he was finally caught at a red light after leaving the highway. _____________________________________________ The Associated Press February 23, 2000 BOY DRAGGED TO DEATH DURING CARJACK INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) - As 6-year-old Jake Robel waited in the car while his mother dashed into a sandwich shop, a thief jumped behind the wheel and tried to shove the boy outside. Inside the shop, someone yelled that Christy Robel's car was being stolen. She ran outside, pulled open the rear door and frantically tried to free her son, who was tangled in a seat belt. The driver took off, the door closed and Jake remained entangled and trapped outside the rear driver's side door. The boy screamed for help and his mother yelled for the driver to stop. He didn't. It was the last time Robel saw her boy alive. Jake D. Robel of Blue Springs died Tuesday before the driver of the Chevrolet Blazer could be stopped by pursuing motorists. Witnesses said a five-mile chase reached speeds of 80 mph. Kim L. Davis, 34, of Kansas City, Mo., was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder, robbery, child abuse and kidnapping. He was jailed without bail. Bob Beaird, Jackson County prosecutor, said he knew very little about him. As the horror unfolded Tuesday, Sharon Irwin was sitting in her car at the strip mall waiting for her granddaughter's dental appointment to end. ``Suddenly, I heard somebody screaming and hollering. I turned my head and saw this woman screaming and this Blazer driving by. I thought they had got in a fight and it was a husband or boyfriend driving off,'' Irwin said. ``Then I turned my head again and saw he was dragging something. I heard the woman scream, `That's my baby, that's my son.''' Irwin said the Blazer, which Robel had left running while she dashed inside the sandwich shop, flew out of the parking lot at a high speed. During the chase, motorists along Interstate 70 east of Kansas City flashed their lights and honked horns in an attempt to stop the vehicle. It ended when motorists in two trucks and a car surrounded the Blazer at a stoplight. Witnesses said motorists wrestled the man to the ground and waited for police to arrive; they also tied the man's legs with a rope. Nearby, Jake lay dead, most of his clothes ripped away. An 11-year-old boy who emerged from one of the vehicles took a large white blanket and placed it over him. Beaird would not speculate about whether the driver knew the child was being dragged. But Irwin said it is difficult to believe the driver didn't see the boy, because he was on the driver's side of the car. ``I think that man needs to be dragged himself, just like he dragged that kid,'' she said. ``He needs to get the death penalty. He killed an innocent kid.'' The boy's family released a statement Wednesday night. ``We love him, miss him and will always keep his spirit with us. We want to take this opportunity to extend thanks and appreciation to the people who ended this tragedy. We also want to thank friends, neighbors and the community for the outpouring of offers and sympathy.'' Meanwhile a 4-foot cross, a stuffed baby lamb, balloons and flowers stood at the corner where the chase ended. One of the bouquets held a note that read, ``God Bless You, Jake. From Dad.'' _____________________________________________ The Associated Press February 22, 2000 MO BOY DRAGGED TO DEATH FROM CAR INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) - A child who became tangled in a seat belt outside his mother's car when the vehicle was stolen died Tuesday after being dragged for miles at speeds up to 80 mph. Motorists flashed their headlights and honked their horns as the stolen vehicle sped down Interstate 70 during rush hour. The boy was dragged for five or six miles along the highway until the driver pulled onto another road, police said. Three other vehicles followed behind. When the suspect stopped at a red light, the three vehicles blocked him in. The man tried to flee, but was wrestled to the ground by the motorists. The boy, whose name was not released but whom police said was about 6 or 7 years old, had been left in the running vehicle while his mother ran into a store to get a sandwich. The suspect was trying to push the boy out of the car when the boy became tangled in the seat belt, authorities said.