ROGERS -- A Rogers boy was found in Atoka, Okla., Thursday afternoon after being kidnapped from his home in the early morning hours.
Police spent the day searching for 2-year-old Alex Gage Almodovar after a call to 2703 Highland Drive. Police said Brent Wilks fought with his roommate, Alise Almodovar, and took her child.
Wilks and the child were found at about 2:17 p.m. in Atoka, said Keith Foster, Rogers Police Department spokesman. A passerby spotted the car and called 911, Foster said. That person is the real hero, he said.
"I wish I knew who they were," he said of the caller. "I'd love to send them a Christmas card."
Atoka is just south of McAlester, Okla. Wilks has family in Texas and may have been heading there, Foster said.
Cooperation was key in finding the child, Foster said. Fayetteville and Bentonville police checked addresses for Wilks. Rogers police consulted with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Arkansas State Police issued a Level 2 Morgan Nick Amber Alert. Posts on the Rogers Police Department Facebook page were shared about 4,000 times, Foster said. Police received about 25 tips.
"We can't do things like this alone," he said.
Wilks is awaiting extradition to Arkansas where he will face counts related to kidnapping, second- and third-degree domestic violence, two counts of terroristic threatening and fleeing, Foster said.
The boy, who wasn't injured, was reunited with his mother at the Rogers Police Department on Thursday afternoon, according to a staff member.
Wilks was arrested by the Atoka Police Department, according to booking information from the Atoka County Sheriff's Office. A dispatcher was able to confirm the arrest. Calls to Atoka Police Chief Gene Dodson weren't returned Thursday.
The initial priority of the investigation was finding the child, Foster said. A warrant allowed police to search the Highland Drive house and a car parked there. Police were still processing evidence obtained in the searches Thursday, Foster said.
The Highland Drive home is owned by Brent Wilks and Gary Wilks, according to Benton County property records.
The incident between Wilks and Almodovar started as a fight in the car, then continued in the house, Foster said.
Wilks isn't the biological father or a custodial parent of the child, Foster said.
Rogers Fire Department responded to a medical call at the residence. Department reports indicate a woman at the address had minor lacerations to the head and face. Her identity wasn't available due to privacy laws. She wasn't hospitalized.
An Amber Alert showed Wilks was a parolee. Benton County court records show Wilks was convicted in 2007 of felony possession of cocaine and marijuana with intent to deliver. Deputies found 17 grams of marijuana, 11 grams of cocaine and $2,750 in cash during a traffic stop, the records show.
Court records show he was sentenced to two 10-year prison sentences, which were to run concurrently.
NW News on 12/19/2014