HOBBS, N.M. — A Hobbs woman is facing several charges after police say she stole a vehicle with a six year old and an 11 month old inside.
According to Hobbs police, on July 4 a woman parked her vehicle in front of a store on Dal Paso and went inside. When she came out, she says a woman wearing a black dress pushed her out of the way and got inside her car.
The woman's six-year-old daughter and 11-month-old son were inside at the time.
The suspect, later identified as Regina Castillo, took off in the vehicle.
Police located the vehicle within a few minutes at the intersection of Dal Paso and Bender and began a pursuit to ensure the safety of the children.
During the pursuit, officers discovered the suspect had abandoned the little girl at an intersection prior to the pursuit.
After a short chase Castillo abandoned the stolen vehicle and fled on foot. Police later found her hiding behind a pickup in a residential area.
The two children were treated by EMS and reunited with their mother safely.
Castillo had three active arrest warrants at the time of her arrest. These were for concealing identity, shoplifting and failure to appear for traffic violations.
She has since been charged with unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing of a law enforcement officer, resisting, evading or obstructing an officer, two counts of child abuse and three counts of failure to appear.
Castillo had a preliminary hearing on July 6 at 10 a.m.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Hobbs Police Department at 575-397-9265 or Lea County Crime Stoppers at 575-393-8005.