Woman Arrested After Allegedly Snatching Boy at Santa Cruz Park

SANTA CRUZ, CA -- A woman has been charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment after she allegedly attempted to snatch an 11-year-old boy in broad daylight at Grant Street Park earlier this week.

The woman, identified by police as Shelly Ann Minson, 46, lured the boy over to her by asking him for his assistance with a plant she was tending to, according to Santa Cruz Police Lieutenant Warren Barry.

"He came over with his dog -- he was walking his dog at the time -- she then grabbed him," Barry told KION TV News.

The unidentified minor was then dragged about 20o feet before he was able to break free and then scream for help, Barry said.

Minson -- who has been homeless in the past -- is known to police in the area has has been arrested about a dozen times since the beginning of 2018, Minson told the TV news station. He did not specify what the prior arrests were for, but records show that earlier this year, on March 12 and Jan. 4, plead no contest to "uttering offensive language" and misdemeanor battery, respectively.

Patrols are being stepped up in the Grant Street Park area following the incident, police say.