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Another mother jailed after kidnapping her son in Paso Robles

August 9, 2019

Ami Magana

For the second time in the span of a month, a woman whose young son had been removed from her custody kidnapped the child, prompting Paso Robles police to issue an Amber alert on Thursday before authorities managed to locate and take back the toddler. [Cal Coast Times]

At 3:30 p.m., Ami Magana, a 47-year-old woman who resides in Arkansas, took her 4-year-old son Benz from the Rainbow Bright Christian Learning Center in Paso Robles without permission of staff and immediately fled the area, according to the Paso Robles Police Department.

Preschool staffers called police, who began tracking a 2019 white Nissan Sentra Magana that Magana was driving. Initially, police said Magana was traveling south from Paso Robles, possibly en route to Victorville.

Benz Magana

Later, Ami and Benz Magana were located at the Lexington Inn in San Luis Obispo. San Luis Obispo police officers arrived at the hotel and found the child unharmed.

Paso Robles officers arrested Ami Magana and booked her into the San Luis Obispo County Jail on a single charge of kidnapping. Magana remains in custody with her bail set at $100,000.

Magana’s Facebook page shows she twice shared a Huffington Post article headlined, “Family Courts: They Hurt Children.” The Facebook post contains an excerpt from the article that states flawed practices in family courts hurt children, and court officials often respond with victim-blaming approaches.

Thursday’s incident occurred shortly less than a month following a similar chain of events. On July 10, Rashawna Bullock, 23, was having a supervised visit with her 1-year-old son at Barney Schwarz Park in Paso Robles when she brandished a knife in the presence of a SLO County Child Welfare Services worker.

Bullock then fled in a vehicle with her son. Like Magana, Bullock was located and taken into custody after an Amber alert went out.


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As someone who had his children taken by cws and county social services I can attest a lot of situations are truly rotten. They claim they put the welfare of the child first but studies have proven even with parents who are suspected drug users (which is most of their cases, trust me), the children more often than not fair better staying with their parents then being put in the system. These people wield to much power and I’m convinced it is a situation which warrants investigation. I am currently having my children placed under my spouse and I’s care, but not without persistent diligence and obstacle after obstacle. It becomes your life for 18 months minimum. Forced enrollment in county services. One slip up and another 6 months tacked on. I would love to see data on how much money these services see them n grants and federal funding. And how that correlates to the amount of cases they feel the need to take on. I’m sure it has its bright spots, but it feels like a way of oppressing tax paying working citizens who in their private life decide to partake in drugs. Even if they function and appear to have control of their lives. No one should have some ch power over someone’s life. I’m sorry it’s heinous.


-1

Family courts do in fact hurt children, so much so that incidents like this are bound to happen. I’m not justifying what either of these women did but I can see why some’s frustration can rise to this level.


3

The anguish is understandable, but their actions only hurt their cause.


8