Suspected kidnappers call 911: 'Is this legal?'
ORLANDO, Fla. - Two men who snatched an 8-year-old boy from his father - then called 911 to find out if it was illegal - took the boy at the request of his mother in Seattle, Orlando police said.
According to Orlando police, the incident began Friday at about 1 a.m. when Richard Douglas, 23, and Christopher Stokes, 21, grabbed the boy from a taxicab as his father was unloading belongings from the cab at a Motel 6 in Orlando.
Officers responded to the motel after the brother of the boy's father called police and reported the kidnapping.
The father, George J. Davis, told investigators that the two men threatened him, saying, "Don't move - give me your son," then snatched the boy from the front seat of the cab, according to police reports.
The father said he feared one of the men might be armed with a gun.
The men then drove off with the boy in a teal-colored four-door Buick with tinted windows, the father told officers.
The father said he knew one of the two men - Douglas - because he is a friend of the boy's mother, and that the mother had earlier called to say that she had asked Douglas to take the boy away from him.
Police called the mother, Laporsha Davis of Seattle, but she refused to help with the investigation, saying that the father wasn't taking proper care of the boy.
Police were stymied until a suspicious call came into the 911 dispatch center about an hour later.
On the other end of the line was a man who asked the dispatcher if it is OK to take another person's child if one parent gives consent.
"Uh, yeah, I have a question. Can a parent give legal consent word of mouth to relinquish custody of a child for a time period, or does there have to be paperwork involved?" the caller asked.
"What do you mean by 'relinquish?'" the dispatcher replied.
"Like, like, one of the parents ..." he said.
"Give up parental rights, or something like that?"
The dispatcher said no: "That's kidnapping - federal offense."
"Alrightie," the caller replied, and hung up.
The dispatcher then called the man back and put a trace on the call to determine the man's location. Police were immediately dispatched to the location.
Shortly afterward, someone in a teal-colored Buick flagged down one of the patrol cars at the scene. The suspects were found with the boy, who was in the rear seat of the Buick.
Police took the suspects into custody and brought the boy - who was in healthy condition - back to his father.
A local TV station, WFTV News, was there when Orlando police officers escorted the two suspects into a cruiser.
"Ah, this is bulls--t man," Douglas told WFTV reporter Steve Barrett.
"What do you mean, it's bulls--t?" Barrett asked in response.
"It's my nephew," Douglas replied.
But a police spokeswoman, Barbara Jones, called bull on that statement.
"Aunts and uncles just can't come and snatch," she told WFTV News.
Both Douglas and Stokes were arrested, and face possible felony charges.
Meanwhile, the boy told police he went with the two men because they cursed at him and because they promised to take him to see his mother, according to police.
Investigators determined that the mother's statements about the father not taking proper care of the boy appeared to be false.
It's unclear if the mother will be charged in connection with the incident.
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• Listen to the 911 call from the suspects »
According to Orlando police, the incident began Friday at about 1 a.m. when Richard Douglas, 23, and Christopher Stokes, 21, grabbed the boy from a taxicab as his father was unloading belongings from the cab at a Motel 6 in Orlando.
Officers responded to the motel after the brother of the boy's father called police and reported the kidnapping.
The father, George J. Davis, told investigators that the two men threatened him, saying, "Don't move - give me your son," then snatched the boy from the front seat of the cab, according to police reports.
The father said he feared one of the men might be armed with a gun.
The men then drove off with the boy in a teal-colored four-door Buick with tinted windows, the father told officers.
The father said he knew one of the two men - Douglas - because he is a friend of the boy's mother, and that the mother had earlier called to say that she had asked Douglas to take the boy away from him.
Police called the mother, Laporsha Davis of Seattle, but she refused to help with the investigation, saying that the father wasn't taking proper care of the boy.
Police were stymied until a suspicious call came into the 911 dispatch center about an hour later.
On the other end of the line was a man who asked the dispatcher if it is OK to take another person's child if one parent gives consent.
"Uh, yeah, I have a question. Can a parent give legal consent word of mouth to relinquish custody of a child for a time period, or does there have to be paperwork involved?" the caller asked.
"What do you mean by 'relinquish?'" the dispatcher replied.
"Like, like, one of the parents ..." he said.
"Give up parental rights, or something like that?"
The dispatcher said no: "That's kidnapping - federal offense."
"Alrightie," the caller replied, and hung up.
The dispatcher then called the man back and put a trace on the call to determine the man's location. Police were immediately dispatched to the location.
Shortly afterward, someone in a teal-colored Buick flagged down one of the patrol cars at the scene. The suspects were found with the boy, who was in the rear seat of the Buick.
Police took the suspects into custody and brought the boy - who was in healthy condition - back to his father.
A local TV station, WFTV News, was there when Orlando police officers escorted the two suspects into a cruiser.
"Ah, this is bulls--t man," Douglas told WFTV reporter Steve Barrett.
"What do you mean, it's bulls--t?" Barrett asked in response.
"It's my nephew," Douglas replied.
But a police spokeswoman, Barbara Jones, called bull on that statement.
"Aunts and uncles just can't come and snatch," she told WFTV News.
Both Douglas and Stokes were arrested, and face possible felony charges.
Meanwhile, the boy told police he went with the two men because they cursed at him and because they promised to take him to see his mother, according to police.
Investigators determined that the mother's statements about the father not taking proper care of the boy appeared to be false.
It's unclear if the mother will be charged in connection with the incident.
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• Listen to the 911 call from the suspects »