Ventura Woman Charged With Trying To Kidnap Child

Monday March 20, 2023

    Updated--The Ventura County District Attorney has filed charges against a woman who allegedly tried to kidnap a child from the child's father.

     Prosecutors say they charged 56-year-old Christine C. Brown of Ventura with felony kidnapping, misdemeanor child endangerment, and misdemeanor battery.

     According to court files, this is also being marked as a domestic violence case which would seem to indicate this was not a random act.

     Brown pleaded not guilty to all charges and is being held without bail.

     The authorities say it happened around 6 PM Thursday in the shopping center at Kimball and Telegraph in Ventura.

     The incident was witnessed by an off duty Ventura police officer who intervened.

     Police say the officer was leaving a store when he heard and then saw a 3-4 year old child screaming and crying and a man yelling for help and shouting at a woman to let go of the child.

     At one point during the struggle she allegedly kicked the man and then tried to punch him but struck the child instead.

     The off duty officer called 9-1-1 and then got between the man and woman.

     They say she ran off but was caught a short time later by other responding officers.

     The father told police as he was leaving the store the Brown came up, grabbed the child with both hands, and tried to lift it out of the shopping cart.

     No one was seriously injured in the incident.