Police: No charges for mother in Amber Alert

Police said a Maricopa woman likely won’t face any charges in the Amber Alert incident Friday night involving her two children.

On Saturday, police spokesman Sgt. Stephen Judd said the woman, Marlene Ramona Vega, was located Friday evening by Arizona Department of Public Safety officers, who spotted her vehicle southbound on state Route 347 after authorities had issued an Amber Alert stating Vega had taken her two children and threatened to kill herself and her kids (see related story). Maricopa Police Department units stopped the car near the entrance to the Rancho El Dorado community and found the mother and children were unharmed.

During the subsequent investigation, both Vega and her husband, who initially contacted police, then denied she said she intended to harm the children, 2 years and 8 months old. Judd said the children were released into their father’s care.

“We are not seeking punitive or criminal charges at this time,” Judd said.

Despite the possibility that Vega was not a threat to her children, Judd said the incident still fit all the criteria for an Amber Alert based on the information the police department had received. “We erred on the side of caution,” he said, adding that the alert generated a quick response from community members and various law enforcement agencies.

“We thought the Amber Alert worked the way it should,” Judd said.