Crime and Courts

Mom snatched boy on his ride home from school, triggering AMBER Alert: Police

Court records show the boy's mother does not have custody of him, and she is now behind bars facing multiple charges.

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A 9-year-old boy is safe when police say he disappeared with his mother on Tuesday after she snatched him on his ride home from school, prompting an AMBER alert.

Court records show the boy's mother, 45-year-old Tameeka Budway, does not have custody of him, and she is now behind bars facing multiple charges.

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Miami Gardens police said a transportation driver picked up the child after school on Tuesday. When she noticed she was being followed, she stopped and stepped out of the vehicle.

Detectives said that's when Budwah approached her, saying she was there to pick up her son and take him to a doctor's appointment.

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While the driver tried to check with the boy's father, police said Budwah snatched her son out of the vehicle and drove off with him.

After the AMBER Alert was issued, authorities were able to speak with Budwah over the phone, who agreed to surrender him to officers at Miami Gardens police headquarters.

She faces charges including false imprisonment of a child under 13, custody interference by a parent, burglary of an occupied conveyance, domestic violence/violation of an injunction, and petty theft.

Court records show that a judge granted the boy's father full custody last year. Part of the evidence in that case was a picture purporting to show Budwah holding a gun. A judge had previously ordered her to properly get rid of all her firearms.

A judge wants to hear from a police officer Wednesday before making a decision about possible bond for Budwah. She is being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Meanwhile, her son is safe, and back with his father. Authorities said the child was scared and shaken up when he showed up at the police department.

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