A woman claimed that her son had been kidnapped. The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, however, determined it to be something else entirely. Major Mark LeBlanc says Artasia Viges and her son, who’s less than five years old, had a disagreement while she was driving in Eunice.
“As the mother pulled the car over, the child, obviously not properly restrained, bailed out of the car before it came to a stop, resulting in the injuries to the child’s knees,” LeBlanc said.
Major LeBlanc says Viges had claimed that people in an older model truck had kidnapped the little boy as she was attending to a flat tire. Investigators determined that story to be bogus.
“There was no kidnapping, and a young child was left unattended along a major roadway, and was allowed to run off in the night,” LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc says Viges made no effort to chase after her young son.
“The mother chose to leave the child out of the car, allowing him to run off into the dark along major roadways. The mother admitted to detectives that she did not attempt to go after him and ultimately lost sight of him,” LeBlanc explained.
Viges was arrested on three charges – cruelty to juveniles, child desertion and false swearing for the purpose of violating public health or safety. Her bond is set at 200-thousand dollars.
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