Amber Alert suspect arrested; baby safe
A Northern California man suspected of kidnapping his infant son was arrested Wednesday in Mexico, and the child was recovered unharmed, authorities said.
An Amber Alert had been issued for Mesut Guler, 22, who authorities said took 2-week-old Henry Guler-Romero from Sunnyvale about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday. The California Highway Patrol received reports of possible sightings of Guler in San Diego beginning early Tuesday evening.
Guler was stopped Wednesday at a checkpoint in Mexico and questioned by Mexican authorities, who contacted the U.S. Border Patrol, said Capt. Dave Pitts of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety.
Pitts said Guler was returned to the United States, where he was arrested on a $1 million warrant and jailed by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in Tucson, Ariz.
The baby also was returned, and Arizona child welfare officials were coordinating with Santa Clara County to return him to California, Pitts said.
The San Jose Mercury News reported that Guler had gotten into an argument Tuesay with the baby’s mother, then took the child and said he was going to leave the state. Police said Guler had made previous threats about harming the baby as well as himself, the newspaper reported.
According to Guler’s Facebook page, the baby was born on Oct. 20.
Guler was reported to be driving a tan 2004 GMC envoy with a large American eagle on the rear window.
His cellphone was pinged about 11:55 p.m. Tuesday in San Diego on Interstate 805 between Balboa Avenue and state Route 163, CHP Officer Robert Catano said.
Catano said the first local sighting was reported around dusk Tuesday near Utah and Capps streets in North Park. That caller said a tall man with a baby was seen in the area.
A second call came in about 2:10 a.m. Wednesday, Catano said. That person reported seeing a vehicle with an eagle on the rear window in the Hillcrest area about 10 p.m. Tuesday, Catano said.
About 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, another person reported spotting the vehicle in National City near Mile of Cars Way and Hoover Avenue, Catano said.
CHP Officer Mary Bailey said about 10 sightings of tan SUVs were reported through the day, mostly in the area from San Diego to Chula Vista.
