Hemet couple arrested after MoVal child abduction

MORENO VALLEY — A Hemet couple is behind bars after authorities allege they abducted a 10-year-old boy who was the biological child of the pair, but had been removed from their custody and placed into foster care. After an intensive, six-hour search Thursday, March 21, officials eventually found the missing juvenile with his parents at the couple’s Hemet residence.

The couple, later identified as Jerry Frazier, 42, and Chasity Chaianti Phillips, 42, were both arrested and subsequently booked into jail on a variety of charges relate to the incident. The juvenile, who has not been identified due to his age, was unharmed in the incident and later returned to foster care.

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Deputies assigned to the Moreno Valley Police Department were first alerted to a possible child abduction around 3:20 p.m., after the 10-year old failed to show up to an after-school care program, Riverside Sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Favero later explained.

During their investigation, deputies learned the juvenile had been removed from his parent’s custody and placed with a Moreno Valley foster family.

Deputies soon learned the juvenile was last seen “leaving the school campus at the end of the normal school day with a woman who resembled his biological birth mother … who lured him away from the school,” said Favero. Neither the boy’s biological mother or father have custodial rights to the juvenile.

“A large-scale search operation and investigation was initiated … which ultimately led investigators to the city of Hemet where the missing juvenile and both biological parents were located,” Favero explained. Jail records later indicated the trio were found at a residence on Devonshire Ave.

Based on their investigation, deputies arrested Frazier and Phillips and the couple was later booked into Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. Both were booked on suspicion of child abduction and conspiracy to commit a crime. Additionally, Phillips was booked on existing, unrelated charges of second degree robbery, grand theft, and driving on a suspended license.

Both remain in custody, with Frazier held in lieu of $25,000, and Phillips held in lieu of $75,000. They are scheduled to be arraigned at Riverside’s Hall Of Justice, March 26.

Anyone with further information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Moreno Valley PD at (951) 486-6700. Callers can refer to incident file number MV190800199 and can remain anonymous. You can also leave anonymous information at www.riversidesheriff.org/tipline or www.wetip.com. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.