Texas mother pleads not guilty to kidnapping daughter in Thousand Palms
A Texas mother pleaded not guilty today to charges of kidnapping her daughter in Thousand Palms.
Sara Lee Almodovar, 36, the biological mother of the child, is accused of forcibly removing the girl from her elementary school in August, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
The Riverside County District Attorney's Office charged Almodovar with one felony count each of kidnapping and child stealing along with a misdemeanor count of assault on a school employee.
Almodovar was initially arrested with Rosa Valenzuela, 58, the biological grandmother, although Valenzuela has not been charged in the alleged kidnapping.
During Almodovar's arraignment at the Larson Justice Center on Thursday, she pleaded not guilty to the charges and was scheduled for a felony settlement conference on Dec. 9.
Almodovar and Valenzuela both posted bail and are out of custody.
Riverside County Sheriff's deputies stationed in Palm Desert received a call on Aug. 27 from the girl's biological and custodial father stating that the girl had been abducted from an elementary school in the 31000 block of Robert Road.
Almodovar allegedly had a physical struggle with a school staff member before taking the child and fleeing with Valenzuela in a late-model sedan, according to police.
Officials located the rental car at Palm Springs International Airport, and it was determined that the two suspects then fled the area with the girl in a late-model Chevrolet pickup.
The California Highway Patrol later identified the pickup's license plate and located the vehicle in the 1000 block of Mojave Road in Parker, Arizona. Parker police were able to stop the vehicle and safely return the child to her custodial father.
