DECATUR - One count of kidnapping has been filed against Latesha T. Patterson, 32, in Macon County Circuit Court in connection with police recovering a 5-year-old boy at her residence June 16 after the boy's mother reported he was being held there against his will.

Patterson posted $2,500 cash bail on her $25,000 bond June 17 and was released from the Macon County Jail. She appeared in court Tuesday and waived arraignment on the kidnapping charge.

A request by Patterson for appointment of the public defender to represent her was taken under advisement by Associate Judge James Coryell. He directed Patterson to attempt to retain private legal counsel. He set an appearance of counsel for Aug. 6.

The charge against Patterson is a Class 2 felony punishable by a term of probation, a fine up to $25,000 or a prison term of three to seven years.

In a sworn statement filed in court, Decatur police officer Brian Earles said Patterson was in a dating relationship with the boy's father, who had been arrested by U.S. marshals on a warrant for failing to appear in federal court to answer a charge of kidnapping involving the 5-year-old.

However, the marshals were not aware of the boy's situation and left him in Patterson's care, Earles said. The boy's natural mother sent her cousin to pick up the child about 11:30 a.m. June 16, but Patterson refused to allow the child to leave her home in the 2100 block of East Decatur Street, he said.

The cousin left, picked up the boy's mother in Springfield and arrived back at Patterson's house about 1 p.m., Earles said. When the mother also failed to get Patterson to relinquish the boy, she called police about 1:30 p.m., but officers who responded could get no one to answer the door and left shortly thereafter, he said.

The mother called police again about 3 p.m. after she stated she saw her son at a window yelling "mommy, mommy," and again officers came to the residence, Earles said. Officers secured the house in preparation for obtaining a search warrant, he said.

Two women could be heard talking inside the house, but no one would come to the door, he said.

About 3:45 p.m., a 16-year-old girl opened the front door and pushed the boy out, Earles said. The boy stated he wanted to come outside to his mommy, but "Tesha" would not allow him out of the house, and he pointed to Patterson while making that statement, Earles said.

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