Accused kidnapper claims God told him to

EPHRATA - A Moses Lake man accused of kidnapping two children claimed God made him take the boys.

Prosecutors charged Shane J. Soares, 30, with two counts of kidnapping in the second degree in Grant County Superior Court.

Officers first contacted Soares before the alleged crime, when people reported he was screaming and yelling near Arlington Drive. A sheriff's deputy found Soares at the intersection of Doolittle Drive and Vandenberg Loop. Soares told the deputy he was yelling and acting out because the Lord told him to, and the house he was staying at was infested with demons, according to a Grant County sheriff's report.

The deputy reported he didn't have cause to hold Soares for mental health or criminal reasons, so he let him go, according to the police report.

After the officer contacted him, Soares returned home, where the victims' mother saw him standing in the doorway. They were talking when one of the boys coughed, according to the police report. Soares' mood reportedly changed, and he began yelling at her, accusing her of poisoning the boys.

The woman tried to stop Soares from entering the room, but he reportedly disregarded her and grabbed the boys from their beds, according to the police report. He allegedly didn't respond to her demands to leave the boys and ran outside.

Deputies caught up with Soares about a quarter of a mile from the residence, he reportedly had the two children with him, according to the police report.

He allegedly told officers, "The Lord made me do it. I needed to take them."

A drug recognition expert from the sheriff's office reportedly said Soares seemed to be under the influence of a narcotic at the time of his arrest.