| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Baby boy abducted in van located in San Bernardino
Monday April 21, 2003SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) A baby boy who was inside a van when it was stolen from in front of his father's home was found Monday, and two people were taken into custody, authorities said.
Thirteen-month-old Edward Castillo was found in the van in the parking lot of the Shrene Hotel in San Bernardino about 8:30 a.m., sheriff's spokesman Chip Patterson said.
``The baby appears to be OK. But we'll have him checked out to be sure,'' he said.
Deputies arrested Valerie Delara, 38, for investigation of child abduction and grand theft. Delara's boyfriend, Jesse Munoz, 41, was arrested for investigation of probation violation and possession of narcotics.
Authorities also arrested Edward's father, Manuel Castillo, on an outstanding warrant for narcotics possession.
``There's a big sigh of relief around here,'' Patterson said.
The incident began Sunday when Edward's father reported his van was stolen from his Rancho Cucamonga home, about 45 miles east of Los Angeles, with his son inside.
``We believe she knew the child was in the van, and she took it anyway,'' Patterson said. ``We also believe she was under the influence of speed at the time.''
Investigators alleged that Delara took the van after the boy's father refused to give her a ride to the San Manuel Indian Bingo Casino in Highland.
``She wanted a ride and he didn't want to give her one,'' Patterson said.
Sheriff's deputies requested an Amber Alert early Monday for the baby boy. A California Highway Patrol officer who heard the request spotted the van in the hotel parking lot, Patterson said.
Deputies turned the baby over to the county's child protective services.
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