A woman and six young children are safe after a kidnapping by her estranged husband.
It began in Silvis, Illinois, where Police Chief Bill Hawbaker says a relative called 911 at about 6:30 this (Tuesday) morning. The chief says situation had started at about two in the morning when the man forced his estranged wife and her children into her vehicle at knifepoint. The woman’s six children range in age from nine months to ten years of age.
The Bettendorf Police Department was notified and they told local media, which broadcast a description of the man and his name. The police chief commended area broadcasters, noting that thanks to their work, an attentive motel clerk recognized the suspect’s name and his vehicle.
Bettendorf police spokeswoman Lauren Haldeman says a 911 dispatcher on the Iowa side got a call from that clerk. At about 7:30 a.m., the Traveler Motel clerk phoned to report he thought he’d spotted the kidnapping suspect and police arrived as the suspect was coming out of the motel with the woman and kids. He was arrested, the women and children were safe.
Thirty-eight-year-old Jesse Edward Brown was taken to the Scott County jail. He’s charged with first-degree kidnapping, and sexual abuse. The police chief in Silvis, Illinois says once investigators from both sides of the river sort out the details and the possible charges, a decision will be made on whether to extradite the man for prosecution in Illinois, or let the Scott County Attorney in Iowa handle him.