Stolen Minnesota vehicle’s driver in labor, kids’ mouths taped

Author: Associated Press
Published: Updated:

RAMSEY, Minn. (AP) – Police stopped a stolen vehicle in a Twin Cities suburb and found the driver in labor and some of her seven child passengers with their mouths taped shut.

Police say an officer stopped the vehicle in Ramsey, Minnesota, just after midnight Tuesday for a traffic violation and learned it had been stolen. The expectant driver was taken to a hospital and the father of the children was arrested.

The van reeked of marijuana, the officer said, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. A  a loaded handgun magazine and an unloaded Taurus .40 caliber handgun were also found inside.

None of the children were older than 5, and the five youngest children were the ones with clear plastic packing tape over their mouths. One of the older children told police the tape was on their mouths because they were playing with it.

Police say the children at first appeared unresponsive and officers woke them up. Paramedics checked the children, who were questioned and released to family members.

The children’s father, 26-year-old Deszion Marquese Wraggs, was charged Thursday in Anoka County District Court with motor vehicle theft and child neglect.

The woman has not yet given birth. She was not taken into custody but still may face charges, police said. Another adult in the van was not charged with any crimes.

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