Crime & Safety
University City Woman Pleads Guilty to Child Kidnapping
Tashi Lance of University City has pleaded guilty to kidnapping a 1-year-old child from a Target store in Jennings last fall.
A 21-year-old University City woman pled guilty on Monday to one count of child kidnapping for taking a 1-year-old boy from a Target store in Jennings last year.
Tashi M. Lance, of the 6800 block of Crest in University City entered a blind plea, which, according to the website LegalMatch, is a guilty plea without a set sentence. Lance will find out her fate when she is sentenced on Sept. 19.
According to a St. Louis County Police press release, Lance allegedly abducted 1-year-old Cortez Beasley at approximately 1:45 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19, 2010 from a Jennings Target store. Police said Lance and the child's mother knew each other. However, authorities say Lance never gave a reason as to why she left the store with the young boy.
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Authorities located Lance and the child several hours later at a home near Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The child was unharmed and returned to his mother.
Lance remains in custody on a $200,000 cash-only bond.
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