Crime & Safety
Woman Accused Of Entering Stranger's Home, Taking Child Upstairs
A woman was accused of kidnapping after entering a stranger's residence and interacting with a child, police said.
SANTA ROSA, CA — A 23-year-old woman was accused of kidnapping by the Santa Rosa Police Department on Sunday after allegedly entering a stranger's residence the day before and interacting with a child.
Nyla Cristina Ponce was arrested after police said she entered the home of someone who did not know her in the 1500 block of Colgan Creek Drive at about 6:40 p.m. Saturday.
She was accused of entering the strangers' residence, picking up a young child, and carrying him upstairs, police said in a statement.
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The child was not reportedly injured and was out of his mother's sight for about 30 seconds, police said.
Ponce was accused of putting the child down upstairs before going into a bathroom and rummaging through drawers. She then allegedly fled the residence on foot.
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Santa Rosa police officers allegedly found her shortly afterward at Hearn Avenue and Dutton Meadow.
Ponce, who is a Santa Rosa resident, was accused of striking a police officer with a water bottle during her arrest. The officer was not seriously injured, according to the police department.
She was booked into Sonoma County Jail on multiple allegations, including kidnapping, burglary, and child endangerment.
Police said the circumstances around the incident were still under investigation Sunday and the motive was unknown at that time.
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