Ohio woman arrested in southern Utah is accused of kidnapping baby across state lines

CEDAR CITY -- A woman suspected of kidnapping a baby from Ohio is in police custody in Utah. Shari Dolores Gould, 32, was booked into the Iron County Jail on six counts of endangering a child, possessing a firearm as a restricted person, driving with a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, driving with a suspended license, and three counts of failing to secure a seat belt for a child 8-16 years old, according to the police affidavit. On Sunday evening, the Cedar City Communications Center received a call from Ohio's Bedford Heights Police Department that claimed Gould was traveling southbound on Interstate 15 with a 4-month-old child who did not belong to her. According to the affidavit, Bedford Heights police stated Gould was not given permission from the baby's mother to take the child out of the state and was refusing to return the child. Bedford Heights police told the arresting officer it was in the process of pinging the cell phone of the suspect and was filing for an arrest warrant. At approximately 6:43 p.m., the arresting officer located Gould's vehicle traveling southbound on I-15, which was drifting out of the lane of travel multiple times. The arresting officer turned on their emergency lights and performed a traffic stop on Gould, who pulled over and stopped for the officer. According to the affidavit, the officer found six kids around 13 years old or younger inside the car. Three of the children did not have their seat belts on. The officer arrested Gould for kidnapping without further issue. The children were taken to the police station in Cedar City in Gould's car by police. According to the affidavit, police searched Gould's vehicle and found a marijuana pipe in the center console. Police also found a bag of cocaine under the front seat, and another bag in the back seat in reach of the children. In a different bag in the back seat area, police found marijuana and a loaded .22 caliber pistol with a trigger lock on it. "During the investigation, the 13-year-old child told us that the suspect had presented the firearm to them and would actively smoke marijuana in the vehicle with them while she was driving," the affidavit stated. Gould consented to an oral swab, and she tested positive for THC. She also admitted to police she had smoked marijuana out of a THC pen about three hours before the traffic stop and did not have a medical marijuana card.

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