Woman charged for trying to kidnap child in Pike Place Market restroom
Feb 26, 2014, 2:50 PM | Updated: 4:17 pm
The King County Prosecutor has charged a 37-year-old woman for trying to kidnap a baby while his mother changed his diaper in a Pike Place Market bathroom.
Chelsey Helms, 37, is charged with attempted kidnapping and is being held on $200,000 bail.
Police say the mother was changing her 11-month-old son in a women’s bathroom Feb. 17 when she noticed Helms watching her. The suspect suddenly grabbed the baby off the changing table and held him tight to her chest. The mother screamed for help, at first tightening her grip, before Helms finally let go as two men rushed in to help and separated the two women.
Helms told Seattle police the mother was telling the baby “satanic” things while making “pornographic type” sounds, court documents said. Helms told police she took the baby because she “wasn’t going to let it be molested.”
Police examined the baby and determined there were no injuries or marks that supported Helms’ accusations. They arrested Helms and booked her into jail.
Helms has an extensive criminal history including several felony assault convictions and misdemeanor convictions for assault, theft, DUI, domestic violence, and possession of marijuana.
