A member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe has been cited with two counts of kidnapping after he allegedly kidnapped his ex-girlfriend’s daughter on April 17.
Each count carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to an affidavit.
The incident began about midnight on April 17, when Charles Peter Lehi Jr. allegedly arrived at his former girlfriend’s home in Towaoc. According to his former girlfriend, he was making suicidal statements and said he would stop only if she brought out her 2-year-old daughter, so she did.
He does not have custody of her daughter, and is not her biological father.
As soon as she entered his car with her daughter, Lehi pulled the mother’s hair and struck her as he drove toward Shiprock. During the drive, Lehi allegedly threatened to kill her in front of her child and refused to take them home.
At some point, he turned around and drove north toward Towaoc, according to the affidavit.
Around 2 a.m., he reportedly slowed down near the Ute Mountain Ute Travel Center and she attempted to flee. She told investigators that Lehi grabbed her by the neck and pulled her back into the car, and then wrestled the child from her arms and pushed her out of the vehicle.
She said that he then proceeded to drive off with her daughter in the car.
It’s not the first time he did this, she said in the affidavit, so she didn’t immediately contact authorities – he brought her daughter back last time.
After a phone call with Lehi at 6:49 p.m. on April 17, she contacted authorities because he allegedly told her, “I’m not giving her back, you should kill yourself.”
She told authorities he would either be at his home in Towaoc, or his parent’s home in Farmington.
Farmington Police drove by his parent’s home on Centenary Avenue and saw an orange Dodge Challenger, which matched the description of what he was driving.
About 4:30 a.m. on April 18, the 2-year-old was recovered and Lehi was arrested at the same location, according to the affidavit.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs is leading the investigation. According to court documents, the government intends to seek detention based on the severity of the charges and the risk of harm to the public.
Lehi is in federal custody. He is expected to appear in court for further proceedings in the coming weeks.
