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Amber Alert Aids Police In Alleged Abduction
Oregon
If you got an unusual text message this morning your're not alone. A new A.M.B.E.R. Alert System takes effect in 2013. All new smart phone come equipped with Wireless Amber Alerts.
Early Wednesday morning 5 year-old Skylar Meldin Coulcer-Jarding was apparently taken from his mothers home after a man attacked the boy's mother and another person with a hammer.
Police say, 36 Year-old Brain Lester Depriest and ex-boyfriend entered the home located in The Dalles, Oregon, assaulted the two adults and fled in a stolen light blue 1998 Chevy Cavalier. Soon after, a widespread A.M.B.E.R. Alert hit cellphones across the state with the vehicle description and plate numbers. While police were attending to AMBER Alert calls, they managed to find the boy and the alleged kidnapper. The boy was found unharmed just hours after being taken, which police say is very important in kidnapping cases.
According to police, the first three hours are the most critical time during the investigation. Statistics show that in the first hour, there is a 46.8% chance that the child could have been hurt or killed followed by 76.2% chance of the same within three hours. Within 24 hours, the chance of a child being harmed jumps to 88.5%.
Tonight Depriest is in police custody and the boy is said to be okay. Police didn't comment on any specific charges.
For more information about AMBER Alerts log on to www.missingkids.com or visit your cell phone service provider.
About the Author
Travis Koch
NBC5 News reporter Travis Koch started his career as a filmmaker. He wrote and directed documentaries about traveling and extreme sports.
Among his many life experiences, he was a dog musher in Alaska and a baker in Minnesota. Travis began his career at NBC5 News as a weekend photographer and has continued to follow his dreams in television broadcasting and multimedia.
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Comments (1)
I'm so very glad that the child has been returned safely! I'm also happy to get the information on the Amber alert. My smart phone started making a sound almost like a missile test warning, at three in the morning, and I didn't know what it was. Thanks for filling me in on those details. Article covers the important story of the child's abduction and the topic of the new Amber alert feature on all smart phones in Oregon but the correlation between the two seems to cease at that point. It's wonderful that the child was returned safely and the perpetrator is in custody. The article still leaves me wondering if there's absolutely any connection between the Amber alert feature and the rescue of the young child?