A Florida woman initially charged last month with confining a child under 13 without the consent of a parent saw that charge upgraded to kidnapping during a later bond hearing.
Pamela Monsalve, 39, was arrested on November 25 after she allegedly took a 3-year-old boy out of his fenced backyard and walked down the street with him, WTVJ reported. She set the toddler down after neighbors alerted the boy’s mother, and she came outside. The child quickly ran to his mother, who called 911.
Hallandale Beach police found Monsalve, who told them she saw the boy alone in the private yard and was just trying to help.
He was outside, he was naked,” she told the officers in body camera footage. “He was like, with a shirt. Everything was naked and I asked for the people around to call police and nobody would call police.”
In fact, the witnesses said, they told Monsalve to leave the child where he was when they saw her reach over the fence and grab him. One of the neighbors snapped a picture and alerted the mother, according to WSVN.
A judge found probable cause to charged Monsalve with kidnapping and ordered her held without bond. She was ordered to have no contact with the victim or his family or any minors, to stay away from the victim’s home, and have no firearms, other weapons, or ammunition.
Police said she had no connection with the toddler or anyone else in the family.
