January 1, Armed Mom Thwarts Attempted Kidnapping

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A couple attempted to abduct a child in Iowa, but they were almost immediately thwarted by the child’s armed mother.

The incident ensued on Jan. 5 at the Hubbell Tower Apartments in Des Moines. Michael Ernest Ross, 43, and Laurie Lynn Potter, 57, repeatedly paced in front of the entrance. Shay Lindberg, the manager at the Hubbell Tower Apartments, confronted the couple about lurking around the front door. Lindberg’s young son was by her side at the time.

At that point, one of the suspects suddenly attempted to grab the child. A struggle ensued, but once the couple became aware that Lindberg was armed, they abandoned the attempted kidnapping and fled the scene.

“The pivotal piece to keeping her child safe was the fact that she was lawfully armed with a handgun, and she produced it and told them ‘let go of my kid,'” said Sergeant Paul Parizek of the Des Moines Police Department.

Then, Lindberg called Will Hunter of the Per Mar Security Services. Lindberg and Hunter trailed the couple, and reported the attempted crime to the police.

Sergeant Parizek said involving the security guard at that point was crucial to catching the culprits.

“To have that security guard there in that spot at that moment was probably the most critical piece to this because he was able to keep an eye on both of these people as they made their way through the skywalk, down to a restaurant and onto a bus,” Parizek told KDSM-TV.

Ross and Potter were arrested and charged with felony child stealing, Polk County Jail records show. Potter, who was already on probation, was also charged with two counts of probation violation.

Source: KDSM-TV