
A snatch-and-rescue drama unfolded in the desert landscape of Twentynine Palms as a woman was arrested for allegedly attempting to abduct a 9-year-old girl right from her own front yard. The harrowing event took place on Smoke Tree Avenue when Jennifer Penaflor, a 44-year-old local, purportedly seized the child by the hand and forcibly dragged her away from the safety of her home, KTLA reports.
The girl's quick-acting father was alerted to the dire situation and managed to detain Penaflor, holding her at the scene to await the swift arrival of deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. The deputies responded to the residence in the 6000 block of Smoke Tree Avenue just before the tension-clad hour of 2:15 p.m. last Monday. In a statement obtained by the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department, officials outline how the suspect was tightly held until law enforcement could take over.
Penaflor is now facing serious charges of kidnapping as defined under Penal Code 209(a), and the authorities have set her bail at an alarming $80,000. The Sheriff's Department extended a call to arms to the public, urging anyone with more information to boldly step forward. Concerned citizens with insights into the incident are to contact the Morongo Basin Station, while anonymous tips can quietly be dispatched through the We-Tip hotline or their website.