A Louisiana mother allegedly told authorities someone had kidnapped her young son, but when she unveiled the truth, she ended up in jail. Artasia Viges contacted the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office in the early morning hours of November 5 to report the kidnapping. When deputies arrived near US 90 and Industrial Road in Eunice, they quickly realized something about the mother’s story didn’t add up.
According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, Viges told the deputies that people in an older model truck took her son while she was inflating a flat tire. Someone found the child minutes later, and his story was much different than his mother’s. Deputies ultimately arrested Viges and she was charged with falsely reporting a kidnapping and leaving her son unattended.
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Viges' son told police his mother 'ran him over.'
When deputies found the boy in the parking lot of Heinen Medical Clinic, he reportedly had scrapes on his knee. Later, he told authorities his mother ran him over and left him on the side of the road. Authorities took the child to a hospital for treatment. Deputies contacted the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office juvenile detectives to investigate the situation further.
The mother reportedly admitted what really happened.
According to the sheriff’s office, Viges admitted her son wasn’t kidnapped and revealed the “awful truth.” She and the child argued, and things took a dangerous turn.
“What started as a disagreement between a mother and a child became a bizarre reaction to the child having a tantrum. As the mother pulled the car over, the child, obviously not properly restrained, bailed out of the car before it came to a stop, resulting in the injuries to the child’s knees,” the sheriff’s office explained in the post.
Viges allegedly left her son alone, despite it being dark.
The frustrated mother apparently thought she would teach her son a lesson by leaving him alone.
“The mother chose to leave the child out of the car, allowing him to run off in the dark, along major roadways,” the sheriff’s department release on Facebook reads. “The mother admitted to detectives that she did not attempt to go after him and ultimately lost sight of him. These grievous actions led to the arrest of Artasia Viges on the listed charges.”
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Viges' arrest has led to mixed reactions.
Several people wrote on the sheriff’s Facebook page arguing about the case. Some who claim to know the mother don’t think she did anything wrong. Like this person who wrote, “Smh he’s so spoiled rotten. Free Artasia.”
And this person who claimed to offer help, writing, “I’d like to know how many times she’s asked for help with this wild child. If he’s man enough to jump out the car, he man enough to stay on that road. I would have watched from a distance though.”
Others think Viges was totally in the wrong.
“That’s unbelievable who just lets their child run off and then try to say he was kidnapped that is wild. Smh,” one person wrote.
This person agreed, commenting, “This is ridiculous and anyone defending her should be ashamed. For one, I’m not arguing with a child, they’re not even stating how old this child is & from the looks of her Facebook page I only see a toddler about 4yrs old. The mother is in the wrong period and she deserves to go to jail.”
According to WAFB, Viges faces charges of cruelty to juveniles, child desertion, and false swearing for the purpose of violating public health or safety. Deputies booked her in St. Landry Parish Jail on a $200,000 bond.
