CLEARFIELD – A Curwensville woman accused of interfering with the custody of a child waived her right to a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
Victoria Joann Thompson is charged with interference with custody of children and interference with custody of committed persons.
According to court records a Lawrence Township Police officer was on patrol on June 11 when he was dispatched to the Children, Youth and Family Services building on Leonard Street for a runaway child. The officer learned that a 16-year-old girl had left the facility without the permission of the staff or her caseworker. He also learned that CYS had been granted legal and physical custody of the girl by the Honorable Judge Paul E. Cherry on June 11.
The affidavit of probable cause states that the girl left in a vehicle with Thompson and a boy. The officers stated that Thompson felt bad for the girl due to the fact that she was going to be put in placement and because the girl was crying and scared. She said that the girl wanted to run away from CYS so she would not have to go to placement.
After leaving the building with Thompson the girl laid in the back seat of the vehicle and they traveled to Thompson’s in Curwensville. There, they gathered a tent and some clothing and left for the Lumber City Bridge, where they set up camp. Thompson and the boy that was with her left the girl there and were on their way to his house when they became scare of what they had done. They contacted the girl’s mother and told her where she was at.
An officer from the Curwensville Borough Police Department then traveled to the Lumber City Bridge where he found the girl hiding in a blue tent. She was taken into custody and transported back to CYS.
Thompson remains free on bail.