ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — The St. Charles County mother who took her daughter without permission was charged Tuesday, and she was last seen in Colorado.
Valerie Jean Baker, a 35-year-old non-custodial parent, was charged with interference with custody and fourth-degree assault after she took her 7-year-old daughter Piper Johnson from a supervised visit Monday afternoon.
In a press release announcing the charges, St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar's office said Baker's car was last seen west of Denver nearing the Utah border.
"At the time of this incident, the Department of Social Services Children’s Division had court-ordered legal custody of both minor children, and Baker had no lawful custody of the children of any kind," the press release said.
According to a missing person report from the St. Charles County Police Department, Baker pushed a caseworker and took Piper. The report said Baker then drove away from the St. Charles City-County Boone’s Trail library in a dark blue 2018 Toyota Corolla.
Police said the car was missing the front driver-side quarter panel and the door handle of the driver-side door. It has Missouri license plates CW8-Z1G.
St. Charles County police released surveillance photos of the car Tuesday morning.
Police say the car was damaged last November when Baker intentionally crashed it into her parents' St. Charles County home and attempted to abduct her son and daughter.
Baker's parents have custody of their grandchildren.
"She actually rammed her vehicle into the garage door of her parents' house and then she eventually made entry throught the front door and at which time there was a confrontation between her and her parents," said Captain David Tiefenbrunn with the St. Charles County Police Department.
Piper Johnson is about 3 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 55 pounds. She has brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a white T-shirt with a unicorn on it, a gray jacket, white pants with pink swirls and light-up tennis shoes.
Baker is 5 feet 7 inches and 185 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a black jacket and blue jeans.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or call the St. Charles County Police Department at 636-949-3000.