San Antonio police reported the while visiting the children, Leslie Hernandez assaulted her mother, stole her mother's SUV and then took the children, prompting a statewide AMBER Alert.
PANAMA CITY — A mother on the run from Texas authorities after allegedly kidnapping her own two children has been located and arrested in Panama City, according to official reports.
Leslie Anne Hernandez, 38, appeared in court Friday on a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest without violence in connection with the case. Her arrest by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office ceased a statewide AMBER alert out of San Antonio, Texas, that had been pending since the 3-year-old children, Kinsley and Kolby Hernandez, were taken from their grandmother and caregiver. Leslie Hernandez remains in custody at the Bay County Jail on a $2,500 bond, but she is also facing Texas felony charges of injury to the elderly and interference with child custody, officials reported.
Arrangements are being made for the children’s return to San Antonio. It’s unclear when Leslie Hernandez will return to face the charges there. Her arraignment is scheduled for March 19, court records sated.
Linda Hernandez, the children's grandmother, told local media in San Antonio she was caught off guard by the order of events.
"She's had mental issues, but I didn't think she'd go that far," Linda Hernandez said, noting her life has been at standstill since the toddlers were taken from her home during a custodial visit by Leslie.
San Antonio police reported the while visiting the children, Leslie Hernandez assaulted her mother, stole her mother's SUV and then took the children, prompting a statewide AMBER Alert.
It’s unclear how many days the children had been missing, but BCSO deputies spotted them and Leslie Hernandez about 2 p.m. Thursday at a local Goodwill donation center. As officers attempted arrest her on the Texas charges, Leslie Hernandez allegedly resisted being taken into custody.
The children were safe and uninjured.
Linda Hernandez told a Texas media outlet that while she is excited about getting the toddlers back and having them move on with their lives, it won't be so easy to repair her relationship with her daughter.
"It's going to be a while," she said. “I'm very angry with her for doing that.”