Woman suspected of kidnapping 5-month-old Columbus twins appears in federal court
The woman accused of stealing a car with twin 5-month-old brothers inside from Columbus last month and eventually arrested in Indianapolis made her initial appearance in federal court in Columbus Friday to face kidnapping charges. Nalah Jackson, 24, appeared in federal court in Columbus Friday afternoon to hear U.S. District Magistrate Judge Kimberly A. Jolson tell her that a federal grand jury has charged her with two counts of kidnapping a minor.
Jackson was flanked by U.S. Marshals and wore black sweatpants, a white T-shirt repping Ivy Tech Community College (a school in Indianapolis), brown shoes with no shoelaces and chains.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily K. Czerniejewski explained at the hearing that if Jackson is convicted of the counts as charged, she faces a minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison on each count.
When Jolson asked Jackson if she understood, Jackson responded "yes, your honor."
Jackson appeared calm at the short hearing, which was less eventful than her first hearing in Indianapolis, where she yelled expletives at a Marion County magistrate.
Jolson set a detention hearing for Tuesday afternoon, where prosecutors will ask for Jackson to remain in jail pending trial.
"That's based on the fact that each count carries up to life in prison and the counts as charged do contain acts of violence toward minor children," Czerniejewski said.
At the hearing, Jackson was assigned Assistant U.S. Public Defender George Chaney to represent her.
Where has Nalah Jackson been?
Jackson has been in jail in Indianapolis, where she was arrested Dec. 22 and where one of the missing children was found in the abandoned car.
Her return to Ohio was briefly delayed because she spat on a deputy while being booked into jail in Marion County, according to the Marion County Prosecutor's office. Jackson entered a guilty plea last week in Indianapolis related to that issue and received a one-year jail sentence, with most of it suspended.
More:Was lost custody of her son a motive in suspect Nalah Jackson's kidnapping of twins?
More:A chance encounter and mother's intuition: How 2 Indy women helped find missing Ohio twin
What is Jackson accused of doing?
Jackson is accused of taking a Honda Accord on Dec. 19 that Wilhemina Barnett, the mother of 5-month-old boys Kason and Ky'air Thomas, had left running with them in the backseat while she went into a Donatos Pizza in the Short North to pick up food to deliver.
The disappearance of the boys led to a statewide Amber Alert in Ohio.
The following morning, Ky'Air was found in the parking lot outside the Dayton International Airport wrapped in a blanket and in a car seat. Kason, Jackson and the Honda were still missing and a cold front was moving in.
On Dec. 22, two women tipped off Indianapolis police to the whereabouts of Jackson and police were able to arrest her, but Kason was not with her. Hours later, the same two women found Kason safe inside the stolen car.
More:Harrowing kidnap of infant twins capped by joyous reunion, gifts of thanks
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Suspect in young twins' kidnapping returns to Columbus to face charges
