A Homestead woman is facing criminal charges after police say she pretended to be an 8-year-old girl's mother, signed the child out of Barrett Elementary School, and took her to a nearby spot before staff and officers intervened. According to officials, the child's mother called 911 when she discovered her daughter had been released to someone else without her consent, and school staff later brought the girl back to her. Officers arrested Jamya Jones-Houston after locating the child on Hays Street and discovering Jones-Houston had an active arrest warrant, authorities said.
How staff and police say it happened
Investigators say Jones-Houston first called the school and told Principal Kimberly Winters she was the student's mother. Winters agreed that the child could be picked up, officers said, but told the caller that whoever arrived would need to show identification. A security guard then checked Jones-Houston's ID, and the student was officially signed out of Barrett Elementary before being taken off campus, according to police.
An officer later reached Jones-Houston by phone, learned where the child was waiting, and found them on Hays Street. School staff then escorted the girl back to her mother, as reported by WTAE.
School procedures and parent safeguards
Barrett Elementary, which is part of the Steel Valley School District, posts detailed arrival and dismissal rules and identifies Kimberly Winters as principal, highlighting that staff oversee student pickups at dismissal time. According to district information, staff handle car-line and walker dismissal routines and call for students only when their guardians arrive, a system intended to reduce unsupervised releases.
Parents are urged to regularly confirm who is authorized to pick up their children and to keep emergency contacts and custody paperwork up to date with the school, per the Steel Valley School District.
Charges and legal questions
Jones-Houston is charged with kidnapping and interference with the custody of a child. The criminal complaint states the child's mother told officers she has a protection-from-abuse order against Jones-Houston. Investigators say one previous PFA had expired and that a separate three-year PFA had not yet been served, and officers discovered an active arrest warrant when they took Jones-Houston into custody. Those details appear in court documents reviewed by WTAE.
Authorities say the child was reunited with her mother at the scene, with school staff remaining involved in the handoff. The case is still under investigation, and Jones-Houston is expected to appear in court to answer to the charges.
