Man Held After Returning Boy
A 39-year-old Newhall man was arrested and booked on suspicion of unlawfully detaining a minor Tuesday after safely returning his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son, who had been missing since March 1.
Ralph Sykes was arrested by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies about noon after he returned Montice Williams to the Newhall home of the boy’s grandmother. He is being held in lieu of $40,000 bail.
The grandmother, Beverly Ann Smith, reported Montice missing last Tuesday.
Benita Hinojos, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Department, said the boy appeared to be in good health when he was returned, although family members planned to take him to a doctor.
She said detectives were continuing to investigate how Sykes and Montice had spent the past week.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.