DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. -- A man accused of abducting an infant whom his girlfriend had legal custody of was arrested and the 9-month-old was returned unharmed, authorities said Wednesday.
Davon Newton, 26, of Desert Hot Springs, was booked into the Indio Jail on suspicion of child abduction, robbery, domestic violence and violating a court order, according to Sgt. Herman Lopez of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Newton, who is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, will be arraigned in court Friday, Lopez said.
The alleged abduction was reported by the child's mother about 8 p.m. Tuesday at her home along the 15000 block of Palm Drive, which is in the unincorporated area of Desert Hot Springs, Lopez said. The mother told deputies her former boyfriend stole her purse and baby and fled, Lopez said.
Deputies called Newton on a cellular phone and convinced him to return the child at prearranged location, which he had a friend do, Lopez said. Newton was found nearby and arrested, Lopez said.
