An Arizona couple are being held without bail after Greensburg police said they stole their one-year-old son from a relative when court records showed they were not allowed to contact him.
Zerion A. Brown, 21, and Malay’ja T. Draw, 20, both from Surprise, Arizona, are charged with child custody interference and conspiracy.
The Arizona Department of Child Services banned Draw and Brown from contact with the boy in December and custody was granted to Brown’s mother, according to court records.
The two suspects were in Greensburg on Tuesday to visit Brown’s grandmother in Pershing Square on West Third Street. Police said the child was there around 1 p.m. and Draw picked them up and fled. According to court records, she and Brown left in a Kia Soul.
According to Capt. Shawn Denning was able to get emergency help from the cellular operator for one of the suspects and learned they were in the New Alexandria area. The state police found her there at a gas station.
The child was found safe with them and taken to relatives, Denning said.
Brown and Draw were charged after 6 p.m. They were being held in Westmoreland County Prison. They had no lawyers listed in the online court records. Preliminary hearings are scheduled for September 9th.
Brown pleaded guilty to reduced charges in connection with a 2019 break-in in Maricopa County, according to Arizona public records. He was given a suspended sentence that was later revoked. A bail hearing is scheduled for January.
Surprise, Arizona is about 2,100 miles from Greensburg.
Renatta Signorini is a contributing author to Tribune Reviewers. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, [email protected], or on Twitter.
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