Local News in Brief : Mother Accused of Child Abduction

A charge of child abduction was filed Tuesday against a North Hollywood woman accused of taking her 14-month-old son from the pediatrics intensive care unit of Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys on Saturday. The baby was returned Sunday.

The felony charge was filed in Van Nuys Municipal Court against Diana Allen, 30, who is being held at Van Nuys Jail in lieu of $15,000 bail.

The boy, William H. Moriarty Jr., was released from the hospital in good condition Tuesday and is in the care of foster parents, said Ann Kirkpatrick, spokeswoman for the hospital.

Allen had visited her son at the hospital Saturday and, about 8:10 p.m., took him out, police said. She carried him on a bicycle to her sister’s Van Nuys home, police said. She returned the child to the hospital about 8 p.m. Sunday after hearing media reports that his life might be in jeopardy because he was on medication that could not be discontinued, police said.

The boy was taking anti-seizure medication and antibiotics for an ear infection and required constant medical supervision, Kirkpatrick said. He had been in the hospital, in protective custody, because of severe head injuries allegedly inflicted by his father, William H. Moriarty Sr., police said.

The child was placed in protective custody at the hospital by the Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services on Sept. 30. His father has been charged with child abuse and is free on bail, police said.

Under the terms of protective custody, Allen was permitted to visit her son but not to take him out of the hospital, said Head Deputy Dist. Atty. David R. Disco. Allen is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Van Nuys Municipal Court.