Salt Lake police: DUI grandmother arrested for alleged kidnapping of infant grandson

File photo: Gephardt Daily/Patrick Benedict

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 5, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City police have arrested a 41-year-old woman after she allegedly kidnapped her 2-month-old grandson, and drove away, while intoxicated, with him and her 12-year-old daughter.

Jyssie Post, 41, has been charged on suspicion of:

  • Child kidnapping, a first-degree felony
  • Driving under the influence, two or more priors in 10 years, a third-degree felony
  • Two counts of driving under the influence with a passenger less than 16 years old, a third-degree felony
  • Driving on a suspended/revoked license denied with prior conviction, a class B misdemeanor
  • Alcohol restricted driver, a class B misdemeanor
  • Interlock restricted driver operating vehicle without interlocking system, a class B misdemeanor

At 4:23 a.m. Sunday, SLCPD officers arrived at an apartment at 1999 W. North Temple “for a call about a 2-month-old child being kidnapped,” says the probable cause statement filed in Post’s arrest. AP stands for arrested person.

“I spoke with the mother (complainant) of the 2-month-old child, who stated the AP (complainant’s mother) was attempting to leave with AP’s 12-year-old daughter. When the complainant expressed to AP she was not going to be able to leave with the 12 year old while AP was intoxicated, the AP stated to the complainant that she was going to take her 2 month old away from her.”

The complainant told the Post she was not going to leave with the girl, and attempted to contact her grandmother, for help, the officer’s statement says.

“While the complainant was distracted with her grandmother, the AP grabbed the two children and placed them in her vehicle. The complainant pursued the vehicle to retrieve her 2-month-old son while expressing to the AP she is not allowed to take him. Before the complainant was able to retrieve her 2-month-old son, the AP drove off in the vehicle.”

Police found Post’s vehicle on State Street, and “Upon stopping her vehicle, officers smelled the odor of alcohol,” the affidavit says. “The AP had bloodshot eyes and admitted to consuming alcohol. The AP spontaneously uttered that she believed she was going to be picked up and taken to jail. The AP also spontaneously uttered that she believed she would fail SFSTs (Standardized Field Sobriety tests).”

Both happened, the statement says.

“The AP agreed to conduct SFSTs and showed signs of impairment. The AP’s license is revoked for an alcohol related offense. She is an alcohol restricted driver and required to have an ignition interlock device. The AP did not have an ignition interlock device on her vehicle. There were two children under the age of 16 sitting in the backseat of her vehicle while she was operating it under the influence of alcohol”

Post consented to a breath test and her results were .108, which is more than twice the legal alcohol limit. The police report says she has two prior convictions of DUI, in 2021 and this year.

Post was ordered to be booked into the Salt Lake County Jail and to be held without bail.

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