HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man for kidnapping his three-year-old during a supervised visitation. This case was part of a missing child alert issued earlier this week.
According to investigators, on February 12, 2024, Kelley Bell, 49, was having a supervised visit with his son in the presence of a court-mandated monitor.
The approved monitor stepped into another room momentarily, and Bell decided to flee the scene with the child in a vehicle with an unassigned tag.
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Bell also left his phone in the room, purchased a prepaid phone, and concealed the location of the victim from his mother and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) for more than 24 hours.
The victim was reunited with his mother on February 13, 2024, at approximately 8:30 p.m. by an unknown individual following the activation of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Missing Child Alert.
“Taking a child during a supervised visitation was not only reckless but also endangered the wellbeing of this child,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “Just twice this week our deputies have caught criminals attempting to kidnap children. Let it be a lesson, we will find you and you will face the consequences of your actions.”
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Kelley Bell is facing one count Kidnapping Interfere with Government or Political Function. This is an active investigation; any updates will come from the Public Affairs Office.
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