By Daily Press staff
Awoman who was captured by police at a Santa Monica hotel this week after she allegedly kidnapped a child she was baby-sitting has been charged with child stealing.
Rochelle Garrett, 29, who is homeless and on felony probation for child stealing from a previous incident, allegedly agreed to take care of a 2-year-old girl on Sunday but failed to return the child at an agreed upon location near Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles.
She was found three days later by Los Angeles police and Santa Monica police at the Holiday Motel on 11th and Pico Boulevard with 2-year-old Shanyia Payton. Police were tipped off by a citizen who saw a news report about the kidnapping and had seen Garrett in Santa Monica. Garrett was supposed to return Payton to her mother at the corner of Sixth and San Pedro streets on Sunday at about 3:30 p.m. When she didn’t show up, the mother, who also is homeless, called police.
Garrett was scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court on one count of felony child stealing. Her friend, Lawrence Williams Jr., 27, is charged in the same case with one count of felony child stealing with the allegation that he has two prior convictions. Both are being held in lieu of $500,000 bail each.
Payton was found unharmed and returned to her mother, authorities said.
Garrett is on probation after pleading no contest last year to a similar charge of child stealing.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 21, 2002. Read the original PDF.