Ohio Amber Alert kidnapping suspect appears in federal court in Columbus
See a previous update on the Ohio Amber Alert suspect's conviction for charges in Indiana above.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A woman accused of abducting two 5-month-old twins in their mother’s running car just before Christmas appeared in an Ohio courtroom Friday morning for the first time since she was taken into custody in Indianapolis.
24-year-old Nalah Jackson was indicted the day before on two federal counts of kidnapping a minor by a grand jury. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Kenneth Parker announced the charges. Each count could come with a sentence ranging from 20 years to life in prison.
Jackson did not enter a plea Friday.
On Dec. 19, she allegedly abducted Ky'air and Kason Thomas around 9:45 p.m., driving off in their mother’s Honda Accord outside a Short North restaurant. The children’s mother, Wilhelmina Barnett, was inside, picking up a delivery order, when she said her children and car were stolen.
An Amber Alert issued in the early hours of Dec. 20 that spanned three days and crossed state lines followed. Ky'air was found hours later at the Dayton International Airport -- wrapped in a blanket and abandoned in a parking lot 70 miles from where he was taken.
More than 48 hours later on Dec. 22, police in Indianapolis arrested Jackson on the side of the road, who was found alone without Kason or the black car she allegedly took off in. But Kason was located later that evening inside the missing vehicle, in the parking lot of a Papa John's.
Jackson, who had a criminal history including a child endangerment conviction, also faced charges in Indiana related to her arrest.
Before Friday there, she had been there serving out her sentence for a battery by bodily waste conviction, according to Indiana court records. Jackson reached a plea agreement with prosecutors over the charge -- which came when Indiana sheriff's deputies accused her of spitting on one of the deputies at the detention processing center.
An advisory committee also recommended tweaks to some state Amber Alert issuance processes on Thursday based on identified weaknesses in Jackson’s high-profile abduction case.
Jackson is scheduled to appear in court again Tuesday for a detention hearing, to determine whether she is a flight risk or danger to society.