The mother accused of kidnapping her three kids from their custodial grandmother is facing 15 charges, according to the Pima County Sheriff's Department.
Deputy Ryan Inglett with PCSD says 33-year-old Bedajii Harnesberry is facing the following felony counts:
- Three counts of domestic violence custodial interference.
- Three counts of domestic violence child abuse for persons under 18.
- Three counts of domestic violence child abuse for persons under 18.
- Child abuse.
- Burglary in the second degree.
- Attempted aggravated assault.
Inglett says all charges stem from when deputies originally got the kidnapping call, to when the children were found early Tuesday morning.
The children are in DCS custody for now, Inglett said.
Harnesberry is in custody in Gila County, but Inglett says she will be transported to the Pima County Jail.
Inglett says PCSD received investigative information and follow-up information that helped lead them to where they were.
Some people reported not getting an Amber Alert notification on their cell phones. Below is a statement from Bart Graves, a media specialist with the Arizona Department of Public Safey.
Due to the diligence of law enforcement personnel and its partnership with the community, the missing children involved in this case were rescued by a DPS Trooper late Monday night.
The Department of Public Safety has the responsibility to activate the Amber Alert system after information is submitted from the investigating law enforcement agency. When the required information is submitted, the system automatically sends an emergency notification to cell phones indicating that a child is in danger. However, in this particular case not enough information was available to trigger that automatic notification. In the coming days, DPS, in its efforts for continuous improvement, will meet with our partners to determine if there are any improvements that can be made to the system or the processes involved in issuing Amber Alerts. DPS appreciates the media’s and community’s partnership in ensuring the safety of Arizona’s children.
