A kidnapping charge against a Waynesboro father was dropped Friday after he had earlier been accused of abducting his child, police said. But now the mother of the child is facing charges for making false statements.
An Amber Alert, known as a Levi’s Call in Georgia, was issued by the GBI on Tuesday morning after the 4-month-old was taken from an apartment on Davis Road in Waynesboro. The Burke County city is located near the South Carolina border about 180 miles east of downtown Atlanta.
During the initial investigation, the child’s mother, Tamia Cooper, and other witnesses told police that the child’s biological father, Travis Griffin, had jumped out of a window and fled the scene with the infant. The alleged abduction happened after a physical fight between the two adults, Cooper told police.
The alert was canceled about 12:45 p.m. after the child was found safe, according to the GBI.
Griffin was initially charged with kidnapping and simple battery-family violence, but the kidnapping charge was dropped after police said they found that Griffin had a different account of the events. His simple battery-family violence charge remains.
“As with any case, investigators seek the truth, and in this case, it was determined that some of the original information provided to investigators was found not to be true,” authorities said.
Cooper was arrested and charged with making false statements and simple battery-family violence. She was granted a $12,950 bond, online records show.
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