Santa Cruz woman arrested for kidnapping 11-year-old boy

UPDATE 04/02/19 5:45 p.m. A woman has been arrested for kidnapping in Santa Cruz after reportedly grabbing and dragging a young boy at Grant Street Park.

Shelly Ann Minson reportedly lured the 11 year old boy over to her Friday morning while he was walking his dog.

Santa Cruz Police Lieutenant Warren Barry said, “she was working on a plant and tried to entice him, needing help to work on the plant. He came over with his dog, he was walking his dog at the time, she then grabbed him.”

Barry said the boy was dragged about 200 feet before he got away.

The boy was able to get out of her grasp and scream for help.

He ran to his mom who then called police.

Police arrested Minson for kidnapping and false imprisonment. Police say she’s known to law enforcmenet in the area.”She has prior arrests, she’s been arrested twice this year and was arrested roughly ten times last year,” said Lt. Barry.

Santa Cruz Police say this is an extremely serious case and they are stepping up patrols in the Grant Street Park area.

Parent, Maria Padilla, who frequents the park says this is terrifying, especially knowing if the child were younger or not as strong, something worse could have happened.

“I have not only my two year old, but I have a grandson as well that likes to run around and sometimes he gets away from the parents. So to have someone just snatch a kid from the park is really concerning to me,” said Padilla.

She also works downtown and says this kidnapping speaks to several issues the city is facing. “Not only mental health, but homelessness and the combination and it’s really bad, we need help for those people. They need to get help and I feel like it contributes to things like this.”

Others also saying it speaks to the judicial system, adding she should still be in jail and not out on the streets.