Man Who Allegedly Abducted Daughters, Drove to Utah Due in Court
Man Who Allegedly Abducted Daughters, Drove to Utah Due in Court
by Contributing Editor
A 24-year-old Riverside man accused of abducting his two baby daughters after a fight with their mother and driving to Utah, where he was apprehended four days later, is slated to make his initial court appearance Thursday.
Joshua Adle was arrested last Friday following a nationwide manhunt. Adle is charged with two counts each of kidnapping and child endangerment, as well as one count of assault resulting in great bodily injury and battery on a domestic partner.
The defendant, who is being held in lieu of $750,000 bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, is scheduled to appear before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Jackson at the Riverside Hall of Justice on Thursday afternoon.
According to Riverside police, Adle and his live-in girlfriend, whose identity was not disclosed, got into an argument at their mutual residence in the 3100 block of Grace Street on the night of July 30. The dispute escalated into a physical confrontation, during which he allegedly struck the woman, who put their two daughters — 8-month-old Emma Yonko and 18-month-old Darla Yonko — to bed and exited the property to relieve tensions, Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback said.
He alleged that between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., Adle snatched the girls and fled in a Dodge van. When the mother returned, she found the children gone and called 911.
Over the ensuing four days, law enforcement agencies throughout the country were alerted to the alleged abduction, and investigators became aware that individuals identifying themselves as friends or relatives of the defendant were in contact with him, Railsback said.
“They were given every opportunity to facilitate the safe return of the children, but maintained their lack of cooperation,” he said.
Photographs of Adle and the children were broadcast nationally, and on Friday evening, a Utah state trooper spotted the defendant’s van on Interstate 15 in Cedar City, where the lawman conducted a traffic stop and encountered Adle, two other adults, and the baby girls.
The adults were taken into custody without a struggle, and Emma and Darla, neither of whom were injured, were taken by child welfare workers, who arranged for an expedited reunion with their anxious mom.
The parties arrested alongside the defendant, Frank Marks and Angela Yonko, identified as his parents, were booked into the Iron County Jail and are awaiting extradition to Riverside County.
Adle was returned Tuesday night.
He has no documented prior felony convictions.
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All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com
