EL PASO, Colo. — The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado says they have arrested a woman and located several children listed as missing and endangered from Oklahoma.
They say that on Sunday, November 2, the abruptly ending the call near 5 a.m., Danielle LeGrande, 30, called the El Paso County Regional Communications Center, saying that people were following her and trying to kill her. They state that she made several incoherent statements before ending the call abruptly.
A family member then called dispatch after learning of LeGrande’s call and told deputies she was the subject of an involuntary missing person alert.
The sheriff’s office said that the that Tecumseh Police Department confirmed LeGrande was the subject of a missing person alert and that she was traveling with three children who were listed as missing and endangered.
The sheriff’s office tracked down LeGrande’s location with the family member while deputies searched for LeGrande in Cascade, Colorado. Deputies received information that ,she was in Colorado Springs where they found LeGrande, an adult male, and the three children.
LeGrande was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation and later booked into the El Paso County Jail on a no-bond warrant from Oklahoma.
One child was released to their father, LeGrande’s boyfriend, on the scene. The two others were taken to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and placed in the care of the the Department of Human Services.
According to the timeline of events provided by the Tecumseh Police Department, LeGrande came to the police department on Monday, October 27, to make a report of abuse of her children by a family member, which was being investigated by the Tecumseh Police. On Thursday, October 30, forensic interviews were done on the children. Police say there was no evidence of abuse LeGrande had claimed at that point in the investigation.
On Friday, October 31, LeGrande returned to the police department for a follow-up with a detective. She came with her boyfriend and his son, and two other children. After the meeting, all parties left together.
During the late night of Friday and early morning of Saturday, November 1, according to police, LeGrande had concerning posts on social media and had videos of her children, which were clear from the background that they were no longer in Oklahoma. They also say LeGrande was sending things to friends and family who reported they felt the children were unsafe. The detective made the decision with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) to enter the children into the national database as missing and endangered based on the videos showing the children in distress. Police say more information showed that LeGrande was putting the kids in danger with her actions.
After the children were found safe and LeGrande taken into custody, the detective with Tecumseh Police petitioned the on-call judge with the Pottawatomie County District Courts for an arrest warrant for child neglect. The judge granted the warrant and issued a full extradition warrant with a $20,000 bond. She is currently awaiting extradition back to Oklahoma
