Amber Alert leads to arrest near George

GEORGE – The Grant County Sheriff’s Office and MLPD assisted the Washington State Patrol and Oregon State Patrol in tracking and arresting two individuals involved in a child abduction case. 

“Early this morning, we received word from Oregon state police that there was a child abduction and an Amber Alert issued for two young children out of the Beaverton area,” said GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman. 

The alleged abductors of the children were the children’s biological mother, Trayviana Shoulders, who did not have custodial rights, and the driver of the car, Adan Osman Abdi, whose relation to the children and Shoulders is unknown, said Foreman. The four were located by the WSP in a stolen blue Mazda CX-5 at a rest area nine miles east of George at around 2:21 a.m. Tuesday. 

The children were believed to be in danger, according to WCSO.   

An Amber Alert was officially issued at approximately 11:57 p.m. as authorities took action to locate the vehicle and the children. 

"We were advised by Oregon State Patrol that they were tracking a stolen vehicle connected to an Amber Alert near the Winchester Rest Area on I-90," WSP Trooper Jeremy Weber said. "Our trooper located the car and made arrangements with another agency to assist him in stopping the vehicle." 

WSP started following the suspect vehicle at 2:21 a.m. as it entered back onto I-90 and soon after a traffic stop was initiated and the stolen vehicle fled leading WSP in pursuit and Officers opted to maintain a safe distance throughout the chase due to the presumption that children were inside the vehicle, WSP Public Information Officer Jeremy Weber said.  

"The pursuit lasted about 20 miles, but we were careful not to get too close, considering the high stakes. We wanted to ensure the children’s safety," said Weber. "Our trooper maintained a controlled approach, focusing on the right timing to safely execute a pursuit immobilization technique maneuver." 

The opportunity for the PIT maneuver presented itself when Abdi's vehicle slowed to approximately 34 miles per hour, allowing officers to stop the car safely, according to WSP. 

The trooper and a Grant County Sheriff’s deputy executed a high-risk felony stop, apprehending both Abdi and Shoulders without incident. The two children were found unharmed inside the vehicle and placed in protective custody. 

“Both children were doing well and received teddy bears from our trooper,” Weber said, referring to a recent initiative that placed stuffed animals in every patrol car for situations like this. “They were happy to have them while they waited for someone to take custody of them.” 

Abdi was charged with felony eluding and taking a motor vehicle without permission in the second degree and Shoulders was charged with a court order violation, with other pending charges out of Oregon. 

“We consider the whole thing a win — we were able to take two people into custody and get the kids safely in the right hands,” Weber said. 

Foreman said there are some important steps parents can take to prevent child abduction from happening and they begin in the home.  

“Start with the basics, which is, know where your kids are, keep an eye on your kids, encourage your kids that if they find someone who is a stranger to them that they do not talk to the stranger and they run to a trusted adult,” he said. “If there’s any question about what the person’s intentions are, just call 911 and the deputies will be happy to come out to ask the person what they’re doing.”