Couple charged for allegedly snatching boy
Jesse Davis | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 years, 4 months AGO
A Hungry Horse couple have pleaded not guilty to charges filed against them for allegedly taking their 1-year-old son from his grandparents after losing custody of the child.
Beau Blasius, 29, and Bryndi Gibson, 23, are charged with felony counts of custodial interference and theft, while Blasius also is charged with felony burglary.
According to a court document, Blasius and Gibson showed up at Blasius’ parents’ house in the middle of the night on April 27, 2012, and took the child while Blasius’ parents were sleeping. The document alleges Blasius and Gibson ran upstairs, kicked open the door to the child’s room and fled with the baby.
Blasius’ parents reported they woke up due to the noise, but not before Blasius and Gibson left. They told police they suspected their son because he had stopped by earlier that day to try and get the baby, saying he would be back when his request was refused.
Further investigation by Flathead County deputies reportedly found that Gibson had sold her car to a neighbor a day earlier. Deputies also made contact with a man whose pickup truck — that he had loaned to Blasius and Gibson in the past — was missing. He said he had not given them permission to take the truck.
The court document states Blasius, Gibson and the child were located with the pickup truck in Fife, Wash. It also alleges Blasius admitted to officers that he had taken the child and states that the couple lost custody of the child due to a drug problem.
If convicted of her charges, Gibson faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. She is currently incarcerated in the Flathead County Detention Center, where her bond is set at $50,000. Her next hearing is set for July 17.
In addition to his charges for allegedly taking the child, Blasius 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, Blasius faces up to 50 years in prison and a fine of up to $200,000. He is currently incarcerated in the county jail, where he is being held on bonds totaling $90,000. His next hearing in the custodial interference case is set for July 17. The next hearing in the bounced checks case is set for Aug. 28.