Woman Arrested After Attempting to Kidnap a Child from A Local School and Leading Police on a Chase

A 44-year-old woman was arrested Wednesday after police say she tried to take a child from Lake Belton Middle School, then led police on a chase after her attempt was thwarted.

According to police, the woman is the child's biological mother, but has no legal custody rights to the child. A school resource officer was called when the woman caused a disturbance shortly before 1 p.m. When he arrived, he saw the woman get into a pickup truck and attempted to stop her. The woman then sped away.

The officer pursued the woman and called for assistance from Temple and Belton police. The pursuit reached speeds of around 70 mph before the woman pulled into the parking lot of a CEFCO convenience store in the 600 block of East 6th Street in Belton.

She was arrested and charged with evading arrest with a vehicle and attempted kidnapping. Her name has not been released.

Christopher Wilcox with the Temple Police Department said Wednesday that one officer's gun was unintentionally discharged as officers were approaching the suspect's vehicle. There were no injuries, and per department policy, the General Investigations Unit will investigate the discharge.