MI toddlers found in WV, man arrested

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) - A man will face kidnapping charges after police said he took a family friend's two young children out of state, didn't return on time and didn't answer repeated phone calls.  

Aaron Washington, 62, was arrested Thursday in Martinsburg, West Virginia. He faces two counts of kidnapping issued out of Battle Creek. It's not yet known when he will be extradited back to Michigan to face those charges.  

The children -- Harmony Boyd, 3, and her 1-year-old brother Hadden -- are safe.

Washington, described by the kids' mother as a "family friend" who used to date the children's grandmother, took the two kids with him to a funeral in West Virginia.  

"I let my children go and it was supposed to be for a couple days," said mother Heather Arredondo. "There's family down there that have kids -- [my kids] keep him company. They love him, he loves them."

She said the kids were supposed to be home by Tuesday, and when they weren't, she started calling Washington -- but there was no answer. That's when she reported her children missing.  

"I trusted him, my kids weren't in harm's way. He said, 'a couple days,' and couple days turned into weeks," said Arredondo. "They love him but he took it overboard."

Arredondo said not knowing where her two kids were was hell.

"A mother's worst nightmare," she said. "I just want to hold my babies. I just want to hold them. Be happy they get to come home and sleep with mommy tonight."

Police told 24 Hour News 8 that they attempted to call Washington several times but his cell phone was turned off.  

Sgt. Jim Martens for the Battle Creek Police Department said that Washington appears to have turned it back on Thursday afternoon, and called the department.  

"What had occurred was that today, he decided to turn his phone on. It's been off for the past several days, and as you can imagine there were numerous messages wondering where he's at and what he's doing -- several of which were from us," said Martens.  "[Washington] recontacted one of our officers, apparently he seemed slightly surprised."

Martens said Washington did give BCPD the address where he and the children were. Police were then able to contact local authorities who arrested Washington and took the kids into custody.  

Officials said Washington seemed surprised people were looking for him, and surprised that he was arrested -- almost as if he didn't think he had done anything wrong.

"That's that's the impression that I'm getting," said BCPD Sgt. Jim Martens. "We haven't had a chance to interview him yet and I haven't spoken to him personally yet, so I don't want to go too far into it, but that's what I'm getting."

Arredondo told 24 Hour News 8 she didn't think Washington intended to kidnap the kids.  

"It had to be carelessness. I don't think he would do that on purpose -- I hope he wouldn't," Arredondo said, but she did say she thinks Washington should face kidnapping charges. "I think that was -- he hurt my heart. That was disrespectful, not knowing, not calling, that hurt."

Though the FBI was involved in the search, Washington was arrested on Michigan charges and is expected to be extradited back to Battle Creek.  

Police said they didn't know exactly when the children would return to Michigan, saying only that child protective services in Michigan and West Virginia are working together to make sure the kids are now and will remain safe.