By Sarah Nigbor

Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a Minnesota woman accused of kidnapping and fleeing with her infant son at a Hager City home last week.

Zenitra Zaphorah Forester, 24, Hamel, Minn., is charged in Scott County (Minn.) with felony kidnapping to facilitate felony or flight. If convicted, she faces up to 40 years in prison and/ or fines up to $50,000. According to the complaint: Scott County Sheri’s deputies responded at 12:38 p.m. Aug. 30 to the Scott County Government Center in Shakopee, Minn., where Forester had taken her almost 9-month-old son and fled on foot.

Forester had been at the government center for a scheduled parental visitation through Scott County Health & Human Services. Shakopee Police Department had placed a “health and safety hold” on the child at 5:16 p.m. Aug. 26 and a court hearing was set for Aug. 31.

According to the Scott County Child Protection, the child’s father saw Forester throw the baby on the ground Aug. 25, punch the child in the buttocks and give the child half a Benadryl pill. CP reported Forester is homeless and couldn’t provide for the child’s basic needs; she was diagnosed with schizophrenia in August 2021 and wasn’t taking her medication.

The child’s foster parents brought him to the government center for a scheduled visitation with Forester at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 30. Forester was allowed to hold the child and attempted to grab his diaper bag. She bear-hugged the baby and ran from the government center with CP workers chasing her. They eventually lost sight of her and police couldn’t locate her, although her cell phone pinged in various locations around the Shakopee area.

At 3:43 p.m., Forester emailed a CP worker stating, “I thought the hold ended today, thanks for the help, me and (child) are safe.” At 4:34 p.m., Forester texted the CP worker: “I thought the 72 hour hold was up.” The CP employee asked Forester to send a photo of the baby, showing he was safe, but she refused. Contact ceased at 5:04 p.m. and police still couldn’t locate her.

At 5 a.m. Aug. 31, police received a ping on Forester’s phone that put her in the Red Wing, Minn. area. Pierce County Sheriff’s Office report ed they had responded to a 911 call earlier in the day at a 170th Avenue address in Hager City; after receiving information from the Red Wing Police Department about Forester’s whereabouts, Pierce deputies went back to the Hager City address, where they located Forester and the child. Police arrested Forester and transported her to Pierce County Jail where she awaits extradition to Scott County. Child Protective Services took custody of the child, who is currently being treated at St. Paul Children’s Hospital.