Louisiana woman charged after leaving child on roadway, falsely reporting kidnapping: police

A Louisiana woman is behind bars after police say she falsely reported the kidnapping of her young son last week.

Artasia Viges, 24, called authorities around 1 a.m. on Nov. 5 to report the alleged kidnapping of her young son near US 190 and Industrial Road in Eunice, according to St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Viges said she was parked in the roadway changing a flat tire when “individuals in an older model truck” took her son.

When deputies arrived at the scene, they quickly learned that citizens found the little boy alone in the parking lot of the Heinen Medical Clinic with “wear and tear injuries to his knees,” the sheriff’s office said.

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Artasia Viges, 24, is facing multiple charges after police said she lied about her son being kidnapped after she left him unattended on a major road. (St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office)

The child, whose age was not released, told police his mother “ran him over” and left him on the side of the road. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Young detectives with the sheriff’s office were called to investigate because of the extreme difference in statements between the child and his mother.

The sheriff’s office said a later interview with Viges “revealed the horrible truth,” which was that the little boy was not kidnapped, but left unattended on a major roadway and “allowed to run off into the night.”

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The young boy was found by citizens alone in the parking lot at Heinen Lægeklinik with skin scrapes on his knees. (Google Earth)

“What started as a disagreement between a mother and child turned into a bizarre reaction to the child throwing a tantrum,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.

When Viges pulled the car over, her son jumped out of the car before it stopped, causing the injuries to his knees. The sheriff’s office noted that he was “obviously not properly restrained.”

Viges reportedly told detectives she didn’t try to go after her son and she “eventually lost sight of him.”

Viges, 24, claimed her son was kidnapped near US 190 and Industrial Road (above the intersection) in Eunice, according to St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office. (Google Earth)

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Viges is charged with cruelty to juveniles, child desertion and false swearing with intent to violate public safety.

She is in St. Landry Parish Jail on $200,000 bond.