Woman arrested after allegedly grabbing child going to Days of '47 Parade

A woman who allegedly grabbed a young boy as his mother was taking him to the Days of ‘47 Parade, after mistakenly believing the mother had stolen a wagon, was arrested on Monday.
A woman who allegedly grabbed a young boy as his mother was taking him to the Days of ‘47 Parade, after mistakenly believing the mother had stolen a wagon, was arrested on Monday. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

A woman who allegedly grabbed a young boy as his mother was taking him to the Days of '47 Parade, after mistakenly believing the mother had stolen a wagon, has been arrested.

The 53-year-old woman was arrested for investigation of misdemeanor child abuse.

Early Monday morning, a mother told police she "was walking with her wagon and two young children, ages 8 and 9, towards the parade. The mother stated that as she was walking she attempted to avoid a transient camp in the area by walking around it in the street," according to a police booking affidavit.

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As she was walking around the camp, near 700 S. Main, however, a woman saw them "and came out into the street screaming about them stealing her wagon," the affidavit states.

The mother tried to continue walking, but the woman "approached them in the middle of the street" and "grabbed the 8-year-old child by the head and forcefully pulled him out of the wagon," according to the affidavit.

The boy suffered minor bruising, according to police. Officers located the woman nearby. As they approached her, she "made excited utterances to officers stating, 'I'm sorry, I was confused. I thought that was a blue wagon not black.'"

The woman was transported to the Salt Lake County Jail.