SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — A 40-year-old woman was arrested Monday after authorities said she attempted to abduct two children in Spokane Valley, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded about 9:35 a.m. to the 15600 block of East Fourth Avenue after a parent reported that a woman had taken her 7-year-old daughter.
The mother told deputies she saw her neighbor, identified as Morgan L. Nelson, carrying her daughter away. She chased Nelson while calling 911. The child broke free, but Nelson then attempted to take the family’s 19-month-old child from her mother’s arms, according to the sheriff’s office. During the struggle, they fell to the ground before the mother was able to free the child.
The mother and both children were evaluated by Spokane Valley Fire personnel and taken to a hospital. None appeared to have serious injuries, according to authorities.
Deputies said Nelson displayed erratic behavior and made unsolicited statements about taking “too much heroin.” She was medically cleared, declined to answer questions and was booked into the Spokane County Jail on two counts of second-degree kidnapping and two counts of fourth-degree assault.
Major Crimes detectives are continuing to investigate, the sheriff’s office said.
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