Ramsey officers find 7 children, woman in labor in stolen car
Updated: 9:30 p.m. | Posted: 7:20 a.m.
A woman in labor was stopped in a stolen car with seven minors inside, some with packaging tape over their mouths, officials said Thursday.
Ramsey police say they pulled a over minivan early Tuesday after they saw it swerving and making illegal turns. They found it had been stolen from Missouri. The driver told them she was going into labor, and was taken to a hospital.
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Anoka County prosecutors charged Deszion Marquese Wraggs, 26, of Ramsey, with felony auto theft and gross misdemeanor child neglect.
According to the criminal complaint, police found seven children in the van. The five youngest had clear packing tape over their mouths.
Wraggs admitted a .40 caliber handgun found near the feet of several children was his, and he did not have a permit to carry it, prosecutors said.
The children in the car initially seemed unresponsive, police said in a press release, but were awoken by officers. Paramedics checked the minors at the scene before police separated them from the adults for questioning.
Police say the children were released to family, and Anoka County Child Protection is investigating.