BREANNA WOODSIDE - 2 yo - Frankfort KY

A Frankfort man who sparked a
multi-state Amber Alert last year, after he fled with his 2-year-old to
Mexico, has reached a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Miles Thomas Woodside, 30, pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to
transporting a stolen vehicle across state lines. Woodside
and the child's mother had shared custody of the girl, but Woodside
failed to bring her back after a regular visit Feb.27.
He admitted that he stole his grandfather's vehicle and drove Breanna
Woodside to Tennessee, where he bought bus tickets to El Paso, Texas,
according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.Later,
a phone call to Woodside's mother was traced to Monterrey, Mexico, and
police there were notified. He was spotted and arrested on a street in
Monterrey on March 3. A charge of international kidnapping was
dropped as part of the plea agreement, but the fact that he took the
child will be considered as part of Woodside's sentencing. He faces a
maximum of 10 years in prison.Woodside, who is being held in the
Grayson County Detention Center, is scheduled to be sentenced at 9:30 a.m. April 20.

A Frankfort man who triggered three Amber Alerts when he took his
young daughter to Mexico last year has pleaded guilty to driving her
across state lines in a stolen car. Miles Thomas Woodside,
30, formerly of 418 Raintree Road, failed to return his then 2-year-old
daughter Breanna Scott Woodside to her mother, Athena Fritz, during a
court-ordered parental exchange Feb. 27. He drove
Breanna through three states – Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee – in his
grandfather’s 1997 silver Lincoln Town Car until federal agents caught
him in Mexico in March. Authorities issued Amber Alerts in the three
states. Woodside, who’d worked in manufacturing,
could face 10 years and an unknown restitution sum, U.S. District Judge
Danny Reeves said Tuesday. Woodside will be
sentenced April 20 at 9:30 a.m., but sentencing could be rescheduled if
probation officers finish Woodside’s pre-sentence report early, Reeves
said. Federal authorities charged Woodside with driving a stolen vehicle in interstate commerce and international parental kidnapping. However,
Woodside only pleaded guilty to transporting a stolen motor vehicle in
interstate commerce. His kidnapping charge remains unresolved, a
federal court clerk told The State Journal today. Assistant
U.S. Attorney Hydee Hawkins said “relevant conduct” in the kidnapping
charge was included in the U.S.’ sentencing recommendation. The
recommendation will remain sealed until sentencing, she said. Fritz, 26, of Frankfort, said she’s ready to put the incident behind her. “I’m glad we’ve finally come to an end,” she said after court adjourned. Fritz
said she’s happy to have full custody of Breanna, now 3. It’s something
she’s been fighting for since her daughter’s birth. “Those
five days were awful,” she said of the time her daughter was missing.
“But it’s like God answered my prayers in a harsh way. It was a
struggle every day, and I know I’ll take care of Breanna.” Fritz said she hopes Woodside can come back in her daughter’s life again, but said visits would be supervised. Woodside
– dressed in a dark teal prison jumpsuit and nursing a quarter-sized
bruise below his right eye – told Reeves he’s taking 20 mg of Paxil to
cope with depression, and said the prescription helped “to a slight
degree.” Woodside also admitted he’d suffered from
hallucinations because of past drug use, but he understood the
ramifications of pleading guilty. Woodside will
remain in federal custody until sentencing. He’s currently in the
Grayson County Detention Center, where he’s been held since Nov. 19. The
incident began when Woodside didn’t show up during a scheduled drop-off
of his daughter at the Public Safety Facility at 4 p.m. Feb. 27, as
ordered by Franklin County Family Court Judge Reed Rhorer in a custody
settlement between Woodside and Fritz that stemmed from a civil case
between the divorced couple. Fritz called police about an hour later, and authorities issued an Amber Alert. Witnesses spotted Woodside and Breanna in Fort Payne, Ala. – his hometown – Feb. 28. Police
found the stolen Lincoln Town Car at a hotel in Chattanooga, Tenn. Feb.
28. Woodside bought two bus tickets in Tennessee bound for El Paso,
Texas that day, police said. FBI agents and Mexican
authorities arrested Woodside in Monterrey, Mexico, March 3 after a
phone call to Woodside’s mother was traced there, a news release from
the U.S. Attorney’s Office says. Reeves delayed
Woodside’s trial date so medical examiners could conduct a mental
evaluation. Public defender John Helmuth – Woodside’s attorney at the
time – said his client might be schizophrenic, according to court
documents. Medical examiners found Woodside mentally competent to stand trial Jan. 4, court records say.

The Frankfort man responsible for a national amber alert nearly a year
ago will be sentenced Tuesday.

30-year-old miles "Tom" Woodside
admitted he used a stolen car to drive his two year old daughter,
Breanna, out of state, instead of returning her after a court ordered
visitation. Woodside was arrested in Mexico, where he and Breanna were
later found.

Woodside faces a maximum of ten years in prison.