A Hungry Horse woman has admitted helping her boyfriend snatch their child from his parents’ home and driving to Washington state.                             

Bryndi Gibson, 23, pleaded guilty Thursday in Flathead District Court to felony counts of custodial interference and theft for her part in the crime.

Gibson testified that her boyfriend, 29-year-old Beau Blasius, showed up at his parents’ house in the middle of the night on April 27, 2012, and took the child. She said she then picked him and the child up in a pickup truck she had been borrowing from a friend, who had not given her permission to use the truck.  

Neither Gibson nor Blasius had legal custody of the child.

Gibson, Blasius and the child later were located along with the truck in Fife, Wash. The incident sparked an Amber Alert.

Gibson said the couple lost temporary custody of the child in April, which a court document states was due to a drug problem.

According to a plea agreement, the Flathead County Attorney’s Office will recommend a 10-year suspended sentence when Gibson is sentenced Oct. 8.

Blasius pleaded not guilty to the same charges in July. He also is charged with felony issuing a bad check in a second case after allegedly bouncing more than $1,100 in checks. If convicted of all his charges in both cases, he faces up to 50 years in prison and a fine of up to $200,000.

A jury trial for Blasius’ custodial interference case is set for Sept. 9, while the next hearing in the bounced checks case is set for Aug. 28.

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.