Amber Alert not issued for kidnapped Meridian boy
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MERIDIAN, Idaho (KBOI) - No Amber Alert was issued for a boy after police say his non-custodial mother kidnapped him Saturday.
"We were in the process of issuing the alert when the ISP trooper spotted the vehicle and they were able to take the individuals into custody," said Dawn Peck, manager of Idaho State Police's Bureau of Criminal Identification, which handles the Amber Alert process.
ISP tracked the 5-year-old boy down near Burley three hours after the abduction. Even with the outcome, people in Meridian say they're surprised there was no alert.
"I think your Amber Alert should go out immediately," said Sherepta McLeod of Meridian. "You can always cancel it or notify everybody that the child's been found, but the quicker the Amber Alert goes out, the better chance you have of finding the child."
The boy's father had arranged to meet the mother, Korey MacDonald, at a store near Central Drive and Progress Avenue in Meridian. Police say MacDonald, her husband Jonathan MacDonald and brother Joshua Reeves were involved in the kidnapping. Investigators say Korey MacDonald grabbed the boy as the other two attacked the child's father with a stun gun.
A trooper spotted them at a gas station in Sublett. Police believe they were heading for Missouri, where Reeves and the MacDonalds live. All three were arrested, and the boy was safe.
"I was given the opportunity to speak with the father and let him know that his child had been located, and he was very relieved and thankful," said Meridian Police Sgt. Martin Flores.
The two were reunited late Saturday.
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