Two accused of holding baby for drug money
Sunday, October 12, 2008 5:19 AM PDT
By Tony Lystra
Printable version
E-mail this articleLongview police on Saturday arrested a man and woman suspected of kidnapping a 1-year-old girl and telling the mother that she wouldn't see the baby or her 2-year-old son again unless she gave them money to buy drugs.
Police said the 21-year-old mother called 911 at 11:40 a.m. and said Donna J. Huckabee, 43, and Wayne R. Johnston, also 43, were high on methamphetamine and refusing to return her 1-year-old daughter.
It was unclear how the parties know each other.
According to police, the mother said Johnston and Huckabee, both of Longview, demanded help in obtaining money to buy more methamphetamine.
The mother said she refused to help, and Johnston tried to walked away from the Longview YMCA with the 2-year-old boy. The mother also said Johnston shoved her to the ground to keep her from prying the 1-year-old girl from Huckabee's grasp.
The mother said she went to a restaurant to call police.
Police said they found Johnston, Huckabee and the 1-year-old girl more than an hour later at a residence in the 1600 block of Arkansas Street.
Police did not say where the 2-year-old boy was during the episode.
Johnston and Huckabee were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and felony custodial interference. Johnston was also being held on suspicion of domestic assault. Bail was set at $10,000 each.
beazelbud wrote on Oct 12, 2008 12:42 AM:
" What a joke. There bond should be 1,000,000$ My wife and I had 100,000$ bonds on each of us for a medical marijuana case, and we were legal. I have lost faith in the current justice system. Its truely a joke. "
AnotherLameOpinion wrote on Oct 12, 2008 3:21 AM:
" Only 10,000 bail? Kinda shows the value we put on our children in this society doesn't it!!!! "
98626 wrote on Oct 12, 2008 6:07 AM:
" I agree! What would the bail have been if it was the Judge's child? These people were on meth and the child was in harm's way! Children are priceless!! "
InTheStix wrote on Oct 12, 2008 7:23 AM:
" "They were high on meth." I wonder, how many times tdn has had to type that line for various articles?It's been too many.I hope that while they are in jail,coming down off that high,it's as agonizing for them as it was for that mother while her little girl was with them.I doubt it could even come close. "
jbean wrote on Oct 12, 2008 7:36 AM:
" What is wrong with the cowlitz county justice system????? ARE YOU SICK? DID YOU BUMP YOUR HEADS THESE ARE CHILDREN ohhhh if they were mine 10,000 wont cover the damage that would be done!!!!
i would die for my kids god gave them to me, to protect, love, care and keep them safe from harm!!
this women tried and did not succeed lost her babies for more than an hour and you put 10,000 bail on them!
jill johanson has children and is a stern believer in doing right for these children, i hope she reads this and ups there bail to 100,000 and charges them well so that when they do get out they wont be in a hurry to do it to someone else.
I just can't believe what i'm hearing this is pure crazyness!!!!!!!!!! "
i would die for my kids god gave them to me, to protect, love, care and keep them safe from harm!!
this women tried and did not succeed lost her babies for more than an hour and you put 10,000 bail on them!
jill johanson has children and is a stern believer in doing right for these children, i hope she reads this and ups there bail to 100,000 and charges them well so that when they do get out they wont be in a hurry to do it to someone else.
I just can't believe what i'm hearing this is pure crazyness!!!!!!!!!! "
roudy russ wrote on Oct 12, 2008 7:48 AM:
" What do you bet they get probation! This county makes me sick. I was born and raised here and it used to be a nice little town. Now we got all these people moving here and bringing their "problems" with them. Instead of worring about some stupid damn dog park, we need to be dumpimg all our extra money into law inforcement. We got this shiny new jail with lots of room and the old jail sitting empty ready to fill with these low life scum! "
lucky1 wrote on Oct 12, 2008 8:03 AM:
" That is crazy. Just shows you what drugs are doing to these people. I agree 10,000 seems low for kidnapping. On the other hand though if they are using meth like they are they probably cant post that anyway. "
bonziyance wrote on Oct 12, 2008 8:05 AM:
" I agree $10,000 bail for taking children is really crazy what has happened to the justice system and why is it always this woman judge who sets bails so low? "
spete98611 wrote on Oct 12, 2008 8:41 AM:
" I'm curious to see if this kind of crime will become more common in the coming months. With the world's current economic situation people are starting to escape life by turning to drugs and alcohol. Sometimes people who lose everything in one day snap. Sometimes people give up hope after trying for so long to improve their financial status. People want to complain about the problem of drugs and crime in the area. Well, people aren't always born into a life of drugs and crime; it's a process. Take a hard look at those in your life and see the big picture. Try to help those before they are too far gone and hurt others. The problem is going to get worse in time. This economic situation is comparable to that of the great depression and of the 1970's. Does anyone remember the increase of crime in the 70's? We can't rely solely on the state government or the police to handle our problems; especially when their outnumbered. You have to rely on yourself. If you allow a problem to grow then you allow yourself to be subjected to that problem's choice of outcome. One which is pleasant. So my advice to everyone is to help those you can and be alert...or buy as much ammo as you can carry. "
Bounder wrote on Oct 12, 2008 9:02 AM:
" Who set the bail at only $10,000. The judge that set that low of bail for suspicion of kidnapping, felony custodial interference and suspicion of domestic assault should lose their job. $10,000 bail is a joke, and I'm not laughing. "
Rosey Glasses wrote on Oct 12, 2008 9:11 AM:
" Yup there needs to be some accountability here. Bail should have been higher. But then again, this is cowlitz county and the kids no relation to the courts. Wake up folks... vote these worthless people out. Thankful that the children are now ok and safely with their mother. "
viper wrote on Oct 12, 2008 9:20 AM:
" Thats been my complaint for years someone commit a tiny infraction the bail is 100,000.00 and someone that commits a major crime has a 10,000.00 dollar bail what a system we have ,and we should be proud of this ? I hope one of the judges see the true nature of this crime and jacks the bail up out of reach .which with these scumbags that is probably already there . the worst part is someone will more then likely bail them out and feel sorry for them : Viper "
Leslie Slape wrote on Oct 12, 2008 9:30 AM:
" FYI, initial bail is set by the prosecutor's office, not judges. It's to ensure that the accused makes the first court appearance. At the first court appearance, a judge might adjust the bail. People in the legal system have guidelines they follow. "
Blogger Jogger wrote on Oct 12, 2008 9:43 AM:
" Dear God, Please let Cowlitz County citizens have the good sense you gave them to take whatever steps are necessary to fix the prosecutor's office. I mean this honestly, not in jest. "
Gramma cc wrote on Oct 12, 2008 10:06 AM:
" This makes me so sad...Little Babies being used to obtain drugs and only 10,000 bail...I have seen higher bails on repeat DUI offenders, just last year there was a bail set at 250,000 a quarter of a million dollars for to many DUI's but only 10,000 for taking a little child for drugs, this just makes me sick.. "
TOLEDOONE wrote on Oct 12, 2008 10:09 AM:
" The kidnappers must have Denny Crane for a lawyer.
Surely there is something about this story that is not stated here. There is no way a reasonable justice system would give a kidnapper a bail of this small amount is there? "
Surely there is something about this story that is not stated here. There is no way a reasonable justice system would give a kidnapper a bail of this small amount is there? "
Mr. Bastinado wrote on Oct 12, 2008 10:43 AM:
" I think most everyone here is missing the point. The PA's office set the bail at an attainable point hoping that these dregs will be able to post, then skip and never come back. That way their caseload stays light and the bad guys are gone. Win-Win. Ya just gotta see it from their point of view. "
DUH wrote on Oct 12, 2008 10:45 AM:
" Longview police on Saturday arrested a man and woman suspected of kidnapping a 1-year-old girl and telling the mother that she wouldn't see the baby or her 2-year-old son again unless she gave them money to buy drugs. Something about this sounds kind of fishy to me. Granted, what they did was wrong and yes they deserve a higher bail but, could it be instead of them holding the babies in order to get money to buy drugs, that maybe they did it because the mother owed them money for drugs and didn't pay? Either way it is wrong but there are two sides to every story and I think we need to hear the other side as well. "
Mom of 6 wrote on Oct 12, 2008 10:47 AM:
" Apparently the readers of this paper need to know,this behavior is not new, nor is it going to stop without severe consequences. People trade their kids for drugs, dealers can take them or not.
THIS IS WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS!
This is not just a problem in Longview, not just Cow County, but nationwide.
I would have done anything to get my child away from these people. There would be 2 people in the hospital breathing thru tubes and drinking thru straws if need be.
My kids are like those Mastercard commercials..
5 sizes larger breasts
30 pounds weight gain
9 months of waiting
8 hours of labor
Holding each of my kids for the first time....priceless.
How low has a person gone to steal a child and hold it against drug money? "
THIS IS WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS!
This is not just a problem in Longview, not just Cow County, but nationwide.
I would have done anything to get my child away from these people. There would be 2 people in the hospital breathing thru tubes and drinking thru straws if need be.
My kids are like those Mastercard commercials..
5 sizes larger breasts
30 pounds weight gain
9 months of waiting
8 hours of labor
Holding each of my kids for the first time....priceless.
How low has a person gone to steal a child and hold it against drug money? "
whatever wrote on Oct 12, 2008 11:36 AM:
" $10,000?? Are you kidding me?? There has got to be more to the story than this. It says that they are unclear as to the relationship of the parties invovled. Well first off...to have a charge of custodial interference, one of the ones arrested has to be a parent to the child. Second of all...it says that they refused to give her back her 1 year old. Refused to give her Back??? Sounds like the mother of these children wasn't completely innocent. I just know that I feel sorry for the children in this situation. It makes me sick what drugs do to people. "
pangborn wrote on Oct 12, 2008 11:50 AM:
" Low bail?
Bail guidelines need to be adjusted.
No bail is the right bail. "
Bail guidelines need to be adjusted.
No bail is the right bail. "
sentinel wrote on Oct 12, 2008 12:22 PM:
" Except in rare cases bail is not set based on the seriousness of the alleged crime, but instead on the basis of the defendant's liklihood to appear in court as ordered. The constitution guarantees the right of the accused to make bail. When you see high bail amounts set in high profile cases it is often because the accused has the financial ability to abscond. In this case the accused apparently have no financial assets and would probably be unable to pay even $1000. Many of you who post your opinions need to re-read your civics text books and see what the laws of our country and state actually say and mean. "
~:sturgeon:~ wrote on Oct 12, 2008 1:06 PM:
" yes spete! allowing problem to grow=allowing to be subjected to outcome. I, for one, do what I can when needed to turn the meth & drug heads away. Without a gun, with a brain. Blessed is the mother of these children, for I dont know if I would still be alive, trying to get them from the drug heads. Every second the druggies had with the innocent child was one of DANGER for them. Thank you GOD for watching out for them and keeping them in your flawless protection. ~Amen~ *p.s. druggies will laugh, cause if you do drugs, I cant stop you. But I can make it so unpleasant that you will find another place that will be easier, as your addicted and chose a careless path. Come on community....can I hear a "with me?" peace "
Simple Man wrote on Oct 12, 2008 1:17 PM:
" Well it looks like the guidlines need to be ditched and rewrote from scratch. First a cold blooded killer gets away with shooting an unarmed woman in the back and shooting her husband in each arm now this. Something needs changed. "
Tom wrote on Oct 12, 2008 2:08 PM:
" The mother might be lying. Keep that in mind. I assume that since the bail is that low, there's probably something that the article is not telling us. "
Former Chinook wrote on Oct 12, 2008 3:04 PM:
" And people are so ready so say things about Kalama, Longview and Kelso are just as bad if not worse. "
JMKelso wrote on Oct 12, 2008 3:59 PM:
" Oh my gosh! That must have been so terrifying for that poor mother and those children! I am just in shock; I don't even know what to say! $10,000 bail is a joke though; I think we all agree on that. It is a miracle that the one year old wasn't injured being cared for by two people high on meth. "
toledoone wrote on Oct 12, 2008 6:21 PM:
" Duh, either way what the story describes is Kidnapping and your senario is Kidnapping in both cases. So what if the Mother is guilty of something, someone allegedly kept these kids against their Mother's will.
And holy smokes, what has this country come to when the folks think it is better that the criminals just go somewhere else than to prosecute them. "
And holy smokes, what has this country come to when the folks think it is better that the criminals just go somewhere else than to prosecute them. "
skibowlruler wrote on Oct 12, 2008 7:01 PM:
" in a past life i was held on a 15k bond for a shoplifting charge.. it was a felony count.. and my point is not to pretnd like i didnt deserve it i did probly shuda ben higher.... and that was set by ms. baur "
skibowlruler wrote on Oct 12, 2008 7:02 PM:
" sorry to go but for petes sake... click on police blotter for a bunch of initial bail examples "
DUH wrote on Oct 12, 2008 7:19 PM:
" Hey toledoone, we don't know the whole story. Maybe the mother used her kids as collateral for drugs and lied about the whole thing to police. Meth makes people do some pretty sick things. There has got to be a reason that the bail is so low. A guy in Kalama gets caught selling pot out of his store and gets $100,000 bail but these people kidnap a child for money for meth and only get $10,000 bail? Something is messed up there. There's a lot of the story we aren't hearing here. "
toledoone wrote on Oct 12, 2008 8:29 PM:
" I'm not a lawyer but I think that would still be Kidnapping. Let's ask Denny Crane. "
DUH wrote on Oct 13, 2008 7:43 AM:
" A little more information has surfaced. Read today's police blotter. Addresses are different, and the story is different. Now instead of holding the baby until the mother gave them money for meth, it says they were going to trade the baby for meth. there's some sick people out there and meth makes people do some sick things. Yes it is still kidnapping either way. I never said it wasn't. All I was saying is that there has to be a reason for the low bail. Since they were all staying together, they should test the two children for meth in their systems. "
worriedone wrote on Oct 13, 2008 8:38 AM:
" It seems funny to me, that if you are a LAW ABIDING CITIZEN, the system will eat you alive. But, if you are a habitual criminal you can do any darn thing you want and get away with it. "
Jynx wrote on Oct 13, 2008 8:40 AM:
" Thank you LPD. This case reminds me of that scum who killed the baby girl over drugs years ago near Oaks trailor park. No matter what the bail is/was, the kids are OK- and that is what ultimately matters! Kudos! "
Common Sense 24 wrote on Oct 13, 2008 9:52 AM:
" As a father of a 1 year old boy and a 2 year old boy, they are lucky it wasn't my boys. If some tweeker had threatened to take my boys for drug money, I would have likely "blacked out" too with temporary insanity and bail would have been a moot point by that time. "
TheGenius wrote on Oct 13, 2008 10:11 AM:
" Yeah, I'm wondering why the bail isn't higher if the kidnapping charges are legit. That's a red flag to me that says someone is not telling the truth, and that someone could be the mother. I mean, let's assume that she is telling the truth and that she didn't want to buy drugs or help them buy drugs. So how would she explain getting involved in this situation? She just randomly met two crackheads who wanted to take her kids in exchange for drug money? I think it's a fair question to ask the mother. I would love to hear her answer. "
SPARROW wrote on Oct 13, 2008 10:55 AM:
" The report in today's police blotter says the couple charged are the grandparents of this child. I a assuming on the fathers side, since no mention of one being Huckabee's parent. All the parties were staying in a motel together, yet the mother is accusing the other adults of being druggies. What was she doing allowing her kids to live in this kind environment to begin with. Sounds like some checking needs to be done on the welfare of these children and their living conditions. Where is father? My hunch, maybe jail, maybe for drugs? This whole story probably goes much deeper into the connection between these people and the welfare for these children than than we can imagine. My prayers for this mother (barely an adult herself), and her two young babies that they can move on from this incident and away from these people, relatives or not, and put your children and their safety first when selecting your friends or roommates. "
Leslie Slape wrote on Oct 13, 2008 11:05 AM:
" To TheGenius: The mother and the suspects are related. That's why one of the charges is domestic violence. "
Scot Heisel, TDN wrote on Oct 13, 2008 11:34 AM:
" This story was written on Saturday, when very little information on the people involved was available. On Sunday, we published a blotter item based on a police incident report. Here is the blotter item: Kidnapping arrest -- 838 15th Ave., Longview - Longview police Saturday afternoon arrested Wayne Ralph Johnston, 43, and Donna Jean Huckabee, 43, Longview transients, on suspicion of second-degree kidnapping and second-degree custodial interference. Johnston also was held on suspicion of fourth-degree misdemeanor domestic assault. The pair allegedly took their 1-year-old granddaughter and would not return her. The baby's mother, 21, who was staying with the couple at TraveLodge, said they were going to trade her for meth. Bail: $10,000 each. "
DUH wrote on Oct 13, 2008 11:47 AM:
" Huckabee must have made bail as her name doesn't appear as an inmate on the Cowlitz County Jail website. "
Rosey Glasses wrote on Oct 13, 2008 1:04 PM:
" To these grandparents... get a life and quit depending on your daughter for money. They are a disgrace! To the mother... move to community house or a friends home and never let the grandparents see these preciouse children again! My mother hasn't seen most of my kids (now adults) in over 10 years. Nor has she seen two of my grandchildren. One of my kids lived near her and in doing a favor for an ex-sister in law, wound up visiting my mother twice, so she has seen two of the my grandchildren... contact has again been broken. I haven't seen my mother in 18 years, haven't talked to her in over 5. Some parents need to understand it is sometimes more important to keep bad family influences away from youngsters in order to protect them than it is to be a good family member and enable the bad members to continue abusive patterns. "
Mom of 6 wrote on Oct 13, 2008 1:09 PM:
" Like I said on Saturday, trading kids for drugs is not a new behavior for addicts. These kids need people to stand up for them, when the parents won't do it themselves. Our system is wrong, the times have changed and the System needs to change also. "
TheGenius wrote on Oct 13, 2008 2:19 PM:
" To Rosey Glasses- Wouldn't a better piece of advice to all these people be this: DON'T DO METH!!! "
DUH wrote on Oct 13, 2008 2:29 PM:
" The Cowlitz County Jail website is now showing Johnstons bail is $25,000 "
Rosey Glasses wrote on Oct 13, 2008 2:40 PM:
" Yes it would... but sometimes one cannot force the family member to quit. I had an ex that would not quit, so I took my four children (he wasn't doing it when we meet and got married) and left. I made a better life for my children and self; and it is still getting better every day. I have dissasociated myself from all (I think) meth-heads that I have known over the years, including my own brother. "
Past Month's Most Commented Stories