BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2022 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — The father of the one-year-old boy abducted from Boca Raton’s Town Center Mall late Thursday night was arrested Friday afternoon by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Vinie Ristick was found in Greenacres with the child who is fine. Ristick remains in the Palm Beach County Jail Saturday morning. The Boca Raton Police Department tells BocaNewsNow.com that it all started when the boy’s mother — during a custody visit — stepped away to get coffee.
“Boca Raton Police, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office worked together to successfully locate Ristick and the child in Greenacres, Florida Friday afternoon,” said a Boca Raton Police Department spokesperson. “The child appeared to be in good condition but was taken to a local hospital for a precautionary examination.”
The investigation started Thursday night, December 22, 2022, when the child’s mother took the child to the mall to meet with Ristick after he had not seen the child in over two months. They met inside the mall at 6000 W Glades Road. When the mother went to order coffee, Ristick left with the child without the mother’s knowledge or consent. Surveillance video showed Ristick and the child leaving the area in a vehicle. According to the mother, Ristick had never taken care of the child who suffers from a condition that requires daily medication. The mother contacted Ristick who said he was not going to give the child back. He told the mother he would retaliate against her if she contacted police and then stopped responding to her.
Ristick was charged with Interference with Custody and transported to the Palm Beach County Jail. The mother and child have since been reunited.
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