A Hallandale Beach woman arrested in a bizarre incident involving her allegedly picking up a 3-year-old from his backyard is now facing a kidnapping charge.
Pamela Monsalve, 39, was originally arrested Nov. 25 on a charge of confining a child under 13 without the consent of a parent.
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But at a later bond court appearance, a judge found probable cause for a kidnapping charge, and ordered Monsalve held without bond.
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According to an arrest report, the incident began when officers responded to a possible kidnapping of a minor after Monsalve was seen by neighbors reaching over a fence and picking up the 3-year-old who was playing outside.
She removed him from the backyard of his home and started walking away while carrying the child, and concerned neighbors started questioning what she was doing, the report said.
One witness took a photo of Monsalve and notified the child's mother.
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Monsalve put the child down and he ran back to his mother, who contacted police, the report said.
Officers arrived and took Monsalve into custody.
In police body camera footage, Monsalve is seen telling officers she found the 3-year-old alone and was trying to help.
He was outside, he was naked," she told the officers in the video. "Everything was naked and I asked for the people around to call police and nobody would call police."
But police said there is no connection between the family and Monsalve, and she was out of line in taking him from his yard.
"Make sure you pay attention to your kids, your surroundings, make sure you know your neighbors and your neighbors know you," Hallandale Beach Police Capt. Megan Jones said. "This is an example of 'know thy neighbor' and those neighbors were able to help prevent this child from being permanently taken."
Monsalve remained behind bars Tuesday, jail records showed. Attorney information wasn't available.
