A young boy taken far from home in Michigan has finally been returned to his mother's arms after a multi-state police operation. The 5-year-old from Pontiac, reported to have been abducted by his father, was rescued in Arkansas, officials informed FOX 2 Detroit.
The child's father, identified as 40-year-old Daniel Chibuike Ohno of Houston, Texas, allegedly took the boy without the mother's permission during a visit to Pontiac. According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the mother stepped out of her car during a family argument on Feb. 2. That's when Ohno, who reportedly does not have custody of their son, made off with the child inside her vehicle. The law enforcement traced Ohno and the stolen car to Little Rock, Arkansas, FOX 2 Detroit reported.
In an operation hailed for its swift success, dash camera footage showed Arkansas State Police cornering the stolen vehicle on an expressway, rescuing the young boy and apprehending the father on Saturday, Feb. 3. "It’s one of those worst nightmares obviously for a parent and especially concerning for us that he hadn’t been involved in the child’s life at all and how much care and concern does he have for the child," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told ClickOnDetroit in a statement.
The sheriff's office noted that the mother was immediately flown to Little Rock and reunited with her son the same day of the rescue. Ohno, meanwhile, faces car theft charges in Pontiac and additional felonies in Arkansas. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard emphasized the collaborative efforts of the law enforcement agencies involved, "There is nothing more important to us than keeping children safe," Bouchard said in a statement obtained by WXYZ. "I couldn’t be happier about the teamwork between us and Arkansas State Police that led to a safe rescue of this child," he added, marking an end to an ordeal stretching over 900 miles.
