A Missouri man was arrested after he was accused of trying to abduct a 3-year-old child from a highway rest stop.
Jose Juan Martinez was taken into custody on October 18 and has been charged with one count of second-degree kidnapping following the incident, which took place shortly after 2 p.m.
Authorities learned of the incident when an officer with the Neosho Police Department responded to a McDonald’s inside a Love’s Travel Stop in Newton County, Missouri. Cops received a report of a possible kidnapping that involved a young child, according to a probable cause affidavit viewed by Law & Crime.
Five witnesses spoke to investigators, who reported that “Martinez picked up a juvenile approximately two to three years of age, placed the child on his lap, and then stood up and began walking toward the exit of the restaurant while carrying the child.”
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Martinez then allegedly told the juvenile to “tell your grandparents goodbye” as they exited the building, according to witnesses.
One of the child’s guardians then tried to take him back, and Martinez allegedly “initially refused to surrender” the child. The witnesses then claimed that Martinez “eventually” returned the child to the guardian.
Police later watched surveillance footage from the restaurant, which showed the incident and corroborated the witnesses’ statements.
Martinez was then detained, and he acknowledged that the child “sat on his lap” before he stood up and walked toward the exit “with the child.” Martinez also allegedly told officers that the whole situation “was a joke” and admitted that the child “was not known to him.”
While determining if Martinez should be arrested, an officer cited the witness accounts, surveillance videos and the defendant’s statements as evidence that he did remove the child from the guardian’s custody without consent.
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The officer wrote in the affidavit that he chose to arrest Martinez instead of issuing him a summons because the defendant works as an “over-the-road commercial truck driver who regularly travels between jurisdictions.” The officer also expressed concerns that Martinez may not appear in court due to his work-related travel and ties outside the county.
Martinez was placed in custody at Newton County Jail and is being held on a $15,000 bond. If he is released, he has been ordered to not contact the victim.
Martinez is next scheduled to appear in court December 8 for a pretrial conference. It’s not currently clear if he has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest.
The Neosho Police Department did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding updates in the case.
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