A 17-year-old is charged with interference of child custody after Palatka Police say she took a five-week-old baby to Jacksonville, without his mother’s knowledge or consent.
We first brought you the Amber Alert for Demarion Hampton this morning. The baby’s mother says her friend, 17-year-old Charteria Pittman, told her she was going to take the baby to get holiday pictures taken. Instead, Police say Pittman took the baby on a bus to Jacksonville.
“I don’t know that there’s probable cause to believe that she was kidnapping the child intending to permanently take that child away from the parent,” says Palatka Police Interim Chief James Griffith.
Griffith says the motive behind why Pittman took the child is still a part of their investigation, but what they know so far about her intentions leads them to pursue the custody interference charge rather than something more substantial, like kidnapping.
“A lot of it has do with the evidence we have or the facts that we have from the victim’s family, other witnesses, as well as what the suspect has told us during interviews as to what her intentions were,” Griffith says.
When Pittman saw the news and Amber Alert this morning, Griffith says she reached out to family to determine how to safely turn the baby and herself in. She was located in the Regency area of Jacksonville with three other people. Griffith says those people were questioned but won’t be charged at this point because it doesn’t appear they were involved in Pittman’s plans.
Pittman is now in the custody of Juvenile Justice. Griffith says they will continue to interview her, family, and other witnesses.
“See if the picture changes at all and should the charge be amended or anything of that nature,” Griffith says.
He says, right now, all parties involved are relieved that the baby is safe and back with family.
