By Police1 Staff
PHOENIX — When a trooper pulled over a vehicle for swerving, the occupants’ suspicious behavior led to the rescue of two abducted children, FOX 10 reported.
Trooper Ashton Shewey pulled over a vehicle for swerving on the road and when the driver gave him a false name, he knew there was something else going on.
“When you’re trying to lie to police and give them a false name, that’s automatically going to tip you off,” Shewey said to FOX 10. “Why? Why don’t you want us to know who you are?”
The driver, 34-year-old Keith Rogers and passenger, 28-year-old Antoinette Wong were accused of taking 2-year-old Elijah Wong and 7-year-old Donnie Simmons by force on Jan. 12 from Louisiana.
The nationwide manhunt came to an end Feb. 6 when a suspicious Shewey followed his gut. He found outstanding warrants on Wong for armed robbery using her Louisiana driver’s license and arrested her. He kept Rogers in the backseat of his patrol car for two hours while he communicated with dispatch to try and learn his true identity.
Rogers was found to have warrants for homicide and armed robbery. Troopers found money in the vehicle, believed to be evidence of the robberies.
The children were found in the backseat, unharmed but “very quiet,” Shewey told the news site.
“We bought Happy Meals for them, we took them to our office, they colored and watched cartoons,” Shewey said. “They were in a good state. We took very good care of them and they were very happy.”
The children are now in custody with child protective services by federal authorities investigate.