Tooele police: Alleged kidnapping was brief, with happy ending

Tooele police have arrested a couple in the alleged Thursday morning kidnapping of a young boy from the man's former girlfriend.

Tooele police Lt. Paul Wimmer said the 35-year-old male suspect had once been romantically involved with the mother of the 4-year-old boy. He and his new girlfriend, 22, allegedly showed up at the mother's home near 800 E. Uintah Avenue about 5 a.m.

"He went in and got into an argument with the mother and finally said something like, 'I'm taking the child,' and he grabbed the boy and left, along with [the new girlfriend] in a car," Wimmer said.

The mother called 911, giving police a description of the Ford Thunderbird the pair were driving. Tooele police learned that a few hours earlier, the male suspect had kicked the owner of the Thunderbird, a friend of his, out of the car, and that friend was able to help them track down the couple's location.

About 6:40 a.m., the suspects were located at a home near 500 N. Ericson Road, along with the boy. The man and woman were taken into custody, questioned and then booked into Tooele County jail on suspicion of kidnapping. Bail was not immediately set.

The boy, who was unharmed but "very scared," was reunited with his mother, Wimmer said.

The man told police that the boy wanted to go with him, but the boy told officers that he didn't like the man and wanted him to go to jail, according to charging documents.

Wimmer said the male suspect was not the boy's father, and his motives for taking the child were "fairly obscure," apparently involving concerns over how the mother was caring for an unspecified skin condition the boy suffers.

Both the man and his girlfriend have been charged in 3rd District Court with child kidnapping, which carries a potential sentence of up to life in prison. The man was also charged with burglary, which carries a sentence of one to 15 years.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims