Suspect charged in alleged abduction of ex-girlfriend and her son

Joseph Anthony Vallego, 21, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated kidnapping.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police have charged a man who they say abducted a woman and child yesterday morning that led to an Amber Alert briefly being issued.

Joseph Anthony Vallego, 21, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated kidnapping. According to police, Vallego went to the northwest Houston home of his ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend, held several family members at gunpoint and demanded that the ex-girlfriend and her 7-year-old son leave with him.

Vallego then allegedly left the home with the mother and her son in a red Ford Expedition.

The vehicle was spotted soon after in the parking lot of the Western Inn at 1500 North Loop West. Vallego was taken into custody without incident. The woman and her child were not harmed.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Arrest made in Houston boy's 2004 abduction

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Eight years ago, an infant disappeared from his Houston home. Now, his alleged abductor is in jail and authorities have found the boy. They are working to reunite him with his mother.

In 2004, Auboni Champion saw her infant son for the last time. Then on Monday, she found out Krystle Rochelle Tanner, the woman accused of taking him, was arrested in San Augustine County, close to Lufkin.

Investigators say Tanner is being uncooperative, but late Tuesday, Tanner's sister called police, saying the boy is with her here in Houston.

Champion says she was shocked to get the phone call about the arrest on Monday.

"Overwhelmed, because it's been eight years; he made eight on the first of March," she said.

Investigators in San Augustine County arrested the woman caring for Champion's son eight years ago when they both disappeared. Champion says Tanner was her son Miguel's godmother.

"I came back, he was gone," Champion said.

It was a case that seemed to fall through the cracks until now. The coordinator for the Houston Regional Amber Plan says they were never contacted about the case in 2004. New developments late last year after a CPS report led investigators to Tanner.

"Concerning an allegation or report of negligent supervision of children and perhaps some physical abuse of this unknown male child," said an investigator.

"It was like, I knew this family. It wasn't like, hey stranger. No, I knew this family. I spent time with them. We had Thanksgivings and Christmases," Champion said.

Now she's missed out on so many years.

"I'm hoping he's alive and OK," Champion said.

Eyewitness News found out late Tuesday night that Miguel is both alive and safe.

The Saint Augustine County Sheriff's Office says it received word from Houston police that they were contacted by the suspect's sister, who said she has the child with her in Houston. Child Protective Services was notified and are now making arrangements to pick up the child so he can be reunited with his mother.

"We love him very much and we never gave up. That's one thing I would never give up," Champion said.

Tanner is being held without bond in San Augustine County.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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HISD student reports attempted abduction

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Parents of students at a Houston ISD elementary school are on edge after a student walking alone to the campus Tuesday reported an attempted abduction.

A Katherine Smith Elementary School student said he was walking on Hardway Street and Pinemont around 8am Tuesday when a man driving a black Mercedes Benz tried to pull the boy into his vehicle, according to recorded voice message by the school's principal, Gloria Salazar. The student was able to escape from the man and run away. The suspect is described as a tall slim Hispanic man with a mustache. He was wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans. HISD is asking parents to remind their children that it's best to walk in groups or run away from approaching strangers. They're also asking parents to be on the lookout for and report suspicious people and vehicle and if possible walk their kids to school. Below is a transcript of the phone call: Good Evening, parents. This is Gloria Salazar, principal of Katherine Smith Elementary calling with important information. This morning at approximately 8:00 a.m., one of our students was walking to school by himself on Hardway Street and Pinemont when a man driving a black Mercedes Benz attempted to pull the student into his vehicle. Thankfully, the student was able to escape from the man and run away. The man is described as a tall, slim Hispanic man with a mustache. He was wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans and driving a black Mercedes Benz. We will be reminding our students to walk in groups and run away from strangers who may approach them. Please remember that your child's safety is our number one priority. As our partners in this important endeavor we would ask that you: " Please be on the look out for and report any suspicious people in the area
" If possible, please escort your child to school if they are walkers or to their bus stop if they ride a bus.
" Should your child have to walk to and from school or the bus stop without adult supervision, make sure he or she walks in a group and never alone.
" Parents, please remind your child if they are approached by a stranger to run away while making enough noise to call attention to the situation.
The HISD Police Department has added extra patrols in the area. If you have any questions regarding this matter please contact the school at 713-613-2542. Again, this is Gloria Salazar calling from Katherine Smith Elementary. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Police: Attempted abduction a misunderstanding

  PEARLAND, TX (KTRK) -- Pearland police say the suspects who were believed to be involved in the attempted abduction of an 11-year-old girl were actually searching for a lost dog.

Police said a parent called them late Tuesday afternoon to notify them that his son had been driving the white truck involved in the Monday night incident to look for a lost dog, according to a Pearland Police Department statement. The three boys inside the truck tried to flag down an 11-year-old girl bike riding in the Lakes of Highland Glen subdivision off Pearland Parkway to ask her for help. The girl got scared and when she rode off, they followed her to calm her down. The boys reportedly left the area after the girl got home. The girl's parents called police to notify them of the alleged abduction attempt, and a neighbor who had a surveillance camera installed at her home turned over to police the footage of the truck driving in the area. The girl had described the suspects as being in their 30s and 40s, but her initial reports appear to be inaccurate. "In the end, the young girl reacted properly and her parents were right to call police," the police department stated. Police say the teens involved in the incident were counseled on approaching younger children on the road and were released. No charges will be filed against them. The police department also has posted stranger danger tips for parents on its Facebook page. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) 

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Pearland police probe attempted abduction

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Pearland police are investigating the attempted abduction of an 11-year-old who was biking in her neighborhood.

Police say two suspects in a truck approached the girl around 5pm Monday as she biked in Lakes of Highland Glen subdivision near Pearland Parkway. The driver reportedly tried waving the girl over, but she ignored them and turned around. The man followed her home as she rode back to her home. When the girl arrived at her home and started entering the garage, the suspect opened the door to the truck, but a neighbor who drove up at that moment may have scared the man off and he sped off. Everyone in the subdivision is on high alert and in shock. "We have a nice neighborhood that's very quiet and everybody around here has kids. It's just a nice community to raise kids, and I'm in shock," neighbor Dai Nguyen said. The suspect is described a slender, white man in his 40's with short blonde hair. He was wearing a gray T-shirt. The passenger in the left rear was described as a white male in his 30's, slender build with long brown hair. The men were inside a white, full-sized Ford or Chevrolet, either extended cab or 4-door, with tinted windows. It has a round bumper sticker on the left rear fender and a rectangular shaped red sticker on the right rear fender. Police are still searching for the man. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) 

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