A woman who kidnapped her three children from their Hollister home was later arrested in San Joaquin County last week, according to police.
About 11:15am April 30, Hollister Police were dispatched to the 100 block of Hawkins Street on a report that a non-custodial parent had abducted three children from the home, says a press release from Hollister Police Department.
The parent, later identified as Johanna Gomez, 35, did not have any legal custody of the children, police said. She unlawfully entered the home of the children’s father and took their three kids, ages 5, 8 and 8.
Gomez fled the scene in a green 2006 Honda Pilot.
Police had contacted Gomez the previous day, and she had made some statements that raised concerns about her mental health, authorities said. She had also left some unspecified documents at the home that raised concerns.
Hollister Police contacted the California Highway Patrol to relay the license plate and other information about Gomez’ vehicle, authorities said. Officers learned that Gomez may be heading to a relative’s home in the area of Lathrop, but Gomez’ family members were not cooperative with investigators.
An alert was sent to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and the CHP. Both agencies began to circulate in the area of Lathrop in an attempt to find Gomez and the children, police said. Hollister Det. Thomas Torres ran a search online and found a possible family member’s address in Lathrop.
About 4pm, San Joaquin County authorities visited the address and advised that they had located Gomez and the children at the Lathrop home, police said. The children were unharmed and “in good spirits,” and were reunited with their father shortly after they were located.
Gomez was transported back to San Benito County Jail, where she was booked on suspicion of multiple felony charges, including parental abduction and burglary, police said.
Anyone with information about this incident can call Hollister Police at 831.638.4331. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the WeTip hotline at 800.78CRIME. Information provided to WeTip may qualify for a reward.
