Child safe following Amber Alert

By JOHN RECH

news@theeveningtimes.com

The June 23 Amber Alert for six-month-old Majesty McClanton, abducted from the Crittenden County DHS office during a supervised visit, ended as well as could be expected.

A Johnson County sheriff’s deputy made a traffic stop on Interstate 40 after receiving the Amber Alert to be on the look out for a white 2015 Nissan with no license plate.

“DHS sent a representative to take custody of the child in Johnson County and return the child here,” said West Memphis Assistant Police Chief Robert Langston.

The toddler was riding in the car with her parents. The Johnson County Sheriff held the father Rodney McClanton and the mother Miracle Auimatagi overnight with a return to Crittenden County set for Thursday June 25. The police will be interviewing the couple not only about the abduction, but also about the possibility the cash they carried being counterfeit.

The parents lost custody of the child after the mother, Auimatagi, walked with the baby toward the Interstate in West Memphis and threatened to walk into traffic on April 22. West Memphis Crisis Intervention Officer, Jennifer Jordan, talked off the highway and got mother and child to safety.

Subsequently, the court ordered custody to a relative and supervised visitation at the county DHS office.

“DHS has been dealing with the family since then,” said Assistant Police Chief Robert Langston. “They had this child for a reason. They had a duty to protect that kid. I hope they are working

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on policy and procedure changes.”

Langston commended department detectives for quickly broadcasting the Amber Alert, searching for the child, and obtaining arrest warrants.

“We went everywhere in town, everywhere we knew they had lived,” said Langston. “We went to anyone we thought had ties to them in West Memphis and Memphis; he had an address over there. Our detective division did an excellent job coordinating everything. They got the Amber Alert out. We posted on Twitter. The detective got warrants issued for the parents.”

McClanton was released on bond Monday afternoon. Auimatagi remains in custody in the Crittenden County Detention Center on a $15,000 bond.