Ohio woman faces three felonies
Three felony charges have been filed against a Toledo, Ohio, woman in an incident that allegedly took place in Sheffield Township on Sunday.
The State Police at Warren have charged Briana E. Cole, 32, with first-degree felony kidnapping of a minor – inflicting bodily injury; third-degree felony interference with custody of children and third-degree concealment of whereabouts of a child. Charges were filed Tuesday in Magisterial District Court Judge Raymond Zydonik’s court, with the online court docket information saying the incident took place Sunday.
The case is currently listed as inactive.
In Pennsylvania, kidnapping a minor with the intent to inflict bodily injury is a first-degree felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. This applies when a minor is unlawfully removed or confined with the intention to cause physical harm. Interference with custody of children occurs when someone knowingly or recklessly takes a child under 18 from their lawful custodian without permission. This act can be a felony or misdemeanor, depending on the circumstances. Factors influencing the charge include whether the person is a parent or guardian, if there’s a custody order, and the level of harm or alarm caused.
A person charged with concealment of the whereabouts of a child is alleged to have removed a child from the child’s known place of residence with the intent to conceal the child’s whereabouts from the child’s parent or guardian, unless concealment is authorized by court order or is a reasonable response to domestic violence or child abuse. The statute states removing includes taking a child from the child’s known place of residence, causing the child to be removed from the child’s known place of residence, preventing the child from returning or being returned to the child’s known place of residence and, when the child’s parent or guardian has a reasonable expectation that the person will return the child, failing to return the child to the child’s known place of residence. Charges can be filed if the act takes place in Pennsylvania or if the person accused of a crime or the parent or guardian with custody of the child lives in Pennsylvania.