Man charged with kidnapping took children to New Mexico against court orders
A Ravenwood man accused of fleeing to New Mexico with two children not in his custody is facing kidnapping charges.
Ralph Jones Jr., 47, faces charges of first-degree kidnapping and child kidnapping, according to a Nodaway County charging document.
The Nodaway County Sheriff’s Office received a court order around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday to transport two children living with Jones, according to a news release from Nodaway County Sheriff Austin Hann.
Jones, who is not a biological parent or relative to either child, failed to follow a court order to turn the children over to the Nodaway County Children’s Division, a probable cause statement filed in support of Jones’ arrest said. Jones did not have parental rights to either child.
Deputies attempted to serve the court order at 12:55 p.m., but could not contact anyone at the residence, the news release said. Jones’ black Jeep Cherokee was missing from the driveway, according to the probable cause statement.
Officials called Jones several times to no response. The Children’s Division told deputies Jones “knew he was not to leave the state of Missouri without requesting to do so and no request had been made,” the news release said.
Jones’ vehicle was located traveling near Santa Rosa, New Mexico, at 1:09 p.m. using surveillance equipment, the news release said. An endangered person advisory was issued for the two children.
At 9:12 p.m., the sheriff’s office learned Jones had been taken into custody, the news release said. The children were “safely recovered.”
The Nodaway County Sheriff’s Office, United States Marshals Service and New Mexico State Police assisted in apprehending Jones, Hann said.
“As a result of everyone’s collective efforts, two endangered juveniles were safely recovered and a suspect was taken into custody without incident, all within a matter of hours,” Hann said.
Jones is being held in the Doña Ana County Detention Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, according to the jail’s inmate listing. No court dates are set for the case.
