A Queens woman has been arrested after allegedly driving off with her seven-year-old child during what police say was meant to be a supervised visit, resulting in a large-scale search operation across Nassau County.
The incident unfolded shortly after 1pm on Saturday in Carle Place, when Charlene Smith arrived at a Barnes & Noble store for the court-approved visitation, reports News 12.
According to police, the arrangement required supervision. Instead, officers say Smith left the location with the child in her car.
Nassau County police launched an investigation, treating the case as a potential abduction.
Officers deployed patrol units across the area and brought in the aviation unit to help locate the vehicle.
After several tense hours, police tracked Smith and the child to the parking lot of Roosevelt Field Mall, one of the region’s busiest shopping centres.
Officers arrested Smith at the scene without incident. The child was taken to hospital as a precaution, where medical staff confirmed there were no injuries.
Smith now faces a raft of serious charges, including kidnapping, criminal contempt, child endangerment and custodial interference. Authorities have not released further details about the custody arrangement.
