Mother charged with kidnapping after crash injures five
UPDATE: Demetres Washington has been charged with kidnapping, assault and endangering the welfare of a child. She now has a warrant out for her arrest and a $300,000 dollar cash only bond is ordered.
Washington is the mother the three children injured in Tuesday’s crash. Court documents say she was in the car with Nia Boldridge during the alleged kidnapping. Boldridge was also with kidnapping, assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
Court documents said Boldridge was originally driving the car when the alleged kidnapping happened. Witnesses told police Washington enticed the kids to get into the car because she promised them gifts. Family members also told ABC 17 there is a fourth child who didn’t get into the car with the mother.
Once the three children were in the car, court documents say Boldridge and Washington fled the area. Shirley Cruz, the grandmother, told ABC 17 she and her daughter, Dianna Mays, got in their car and followed after them.
Court documents said Boldridge was driving but she and Washington switched places in the car at an intersection. With Washington behind the wheel, court documents say they entered I-70 westbound and were driving erratically and swerving.
The documents also go into detail about the injuries the children sustained from the crash. Between the three children, there was a broken jaw, a broken arm and internal injuries that required emergency surgery.
ORIGINAL: Columbia police confirmed they are investigating a custodial abduction call in relation to the road rage crash that sent five people, including three children, to the hospital Tuesday.
Police told ABC 17 News they responded to the 1700 block of Spiros Drive for the call around 4:15 p.m. According to the crash report, the crash happened at 4:25 p.m.
The driver of one car, Dianna Mays, has the same last name as the three children who were riding in the second car. The children’s ages are 13, 10 and 9.
ABC 17 News spoke to the children’s grandmother, Shirley Cruz, about what happened.
According to Cruz, the children belong to her son. The children’s mother is Demetres Washington. Cruz claimed Washington had been involved in drugs and instead of welfare separating the children, Cruz and her daughter, Dianna Mays, took the children into their home.
Cruz claims Washington showed up to her home on Tuesday afternoon while a social worker happened to be at the home. Cruz said Washington told the children she had gifts for them in the car. The three children went to the car and got in. That’s when Cruz said Washington took off with the children inside. Cruz and Mays then got into a car to try and chase after her. Cruz said she believes the welfare worker called the police about the abduction.
Cruz said on the interstate, Mays was attempting to slow traffic down and telling other drivers to call the police. Cruz said she believes they were going too slow for Washington who tried to pass them.
According to the crash report, Washington attempted to pass Cruz and Mays from the right-hand sides and the cars collided. The crash report states Washington lost control of the car, overcorrected, ran off the right side of the highway, hit a guardrail and flipped.
Cruz told ABC 17 News she saw her youngest grandchild ejected from the car. The crash report said no one was wearing a seat belt.
ABC 17 News has also checked with University Hospital for an update on the children’s and Mays’ and Washington’s status but have not heard back.
