CANADA • Talisha Emma BIRD, 8 ~ Fort MacLeod AB

Alberta Amber Alert cancelled

An Amber Alert issued by authorities to locate a missing Fort MacLeod, Alta. girl came to a swift end in Calgary Saturday night.

The eight-year-old girl was with a 41-year-old woman when she was found by Calgary police at the Mustard Seed homeless shelter just after 7:30 p.m., minutes after the alert was issued.

Duty Insp. Keith Cane said officers heard the alert on the radio and began searching.

"They took it upon themselves to do some checks downtown," he said.

"One of the places they checked was the Mustard Seed, and they were able to locate the woman and the young girl there.

"The victim does not appear to have been physically harmed, but she was upset."

As of Saturday night, Mounties were headed for Calgary to pick up the pair.

The suspect will be detained, said Sgt. Brent Hawker of the Fort MacLeod RCMP, while officers try to determine the details of what happened.

The girl was likely taken from a temporary residence in Fort MacLeod, about 170 km south of Calgary Saturday afternoon.

Police say she and her captor were seen around 3:30 p.m. being dropped off along Hwy. 2, north of Fort MacLeod, and were believed to be attempting to hitchhike to Calgary.

"They do know each other, but they're not related," said Hawker of the relationship between the two.

No charges have been laid at this time.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2011/09/24/18734801.html

Amber Alert leads to charges against Fort Macleod woman

A 45-year-old Fort Macleod woman has been charged with abducting a seven-year-old girl, RCMP say, in a case that prompted police to issue an Amber Alert on Saturday.

The alert lasted only minutes and the pair were found safe in Calgary after a worker from the Mustard Seed in downtown Calgary saw the woman and the girl she allegedly took from Fort Macleod.

They were found at a Calgary restaurant after finding transportation to Calgary, the RCMP said on Sunday.

“The Amber Alert has been suspended and it was greatly influential in the timely location of the accused and the child,” said RCMP in a statement.

The child is back home and safe, police said.

RCMP said Sunday night they have charged Joanne Elizabeth Smith of Fort Macleod with abduction of a person under 14 years of age.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Amber+Alert+leads+charges+against+Fort+Macleod+woman/5456993/story.html

Woman Charged in Child Abduction Makes First Court Appearance
September 26, 2011

LETHBRIDGE: 45-year old Joanne Elizabeth Smith of Fort Macleod made a brief appearance via closed circuit television Monday morning in Lethbridge provincial court.

Smith was arrested Saturday night, after an Amber Alert was issued for a 7-year old girl who was abducted from Fort Macleod earlier that day.

The two were allegedly found in a Calgary restaurant and the girl was unharmed. She has since been returned home.

Smith will remain in custody on a charge of Abduction of a Person Under 14 years of Age. She'll be back in court Thursday.

http://www.country95.fm/news/news-detail.asp?ID=4374

Fort Macleod Woman Pleads Guilty to Abduction Charge
November 03, 2011

41 year old Joanne Elizabeth Smith pleaded guilty to the charge in Lethbridge Provincial Court Wednesday and sentenced to 90 days in jail.

A Fort Macleod woman has been sentencing to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to abduction of a person under the age of 14.

41 year old Joanne Elizabeth Smith pleaded guilty to the charge in Lethbridge Provincial Court Wednesday.
She took a 7 year girl to Calgary back in September, even though she didn't have the authority or permission to take the child.
A province-wide amber alert was issued and Smith was arrested when she showed up with the girl at a homeless shelter in Calgary.

She's spent 41 days in pre-trial custody, will serve another 49 days in jail, and then will be placed on probation for 9 months. Smith has also been ordered to have no further contact with the child, who's now living with relatives in Saskatchewan.

http://www.cjocfm.com/news-and-info/local-news/fort-macleod-woman-pleads-guilty-to-abduction-charge-1491/