Mankato kidnapping leads to standoff, I-35 closure in Elko New Market area; woman arrested
[anvplayer video=”5151562″ station=”998122″]
A stretch of Interstate 35 in the Elko New Market area has reopened following a standoff that forced lane closures early Wednesday morning, the Rice County Sheriff’s Office tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.
The sheriff’s office says the standoff, which led to one person being arrested, was in connection to a “custodial kidnapping.”
Mankato police say they were called to the 400 block of North Sixth Street just before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday for a report of a kidnapping and a burglary.
According to police, a 33-year-old woman entered the home and left with her biological son, despite not having any parental rights.
Eventually, her vehicle was found on northbound I-35 near the Rice and Scott County line, causing a closure in that area while a negotiation was done for several hours.
The Rice County Sheriff’s Office says the standoff was in connection to a “custodial kidnapping.” One person is in custody.
The woman was arrested without incident, police say. She was eventually taken to the Blue Earth County Jail, and her son was safely returned home.
Everyone involved is okay, according to the sheriff’s office.
When the standoff was ongoing, Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) cameras showed a large law enforcement presence, which led to the nearly two-hour interstate closure that ended around 2 a.m. Take a look at the view Wednesday morning from MnDOT cameras in the player above.