More details emerge in alleged kidnapping of 2 sons that triggered Amber Alert
A father who triggered an Amber Alert after he allegedly kidnapped his two sons and a woman on Friday was arraigned Tuesday in Stanislaus County Superior Court.
Nicholas Zeko, 34, of Bellflower faces two felony kidnapping charges, one for each of his sons, according to a criminal complaint.
The court record shows Zeko was out of jail on pending child endangerment charges at the time of the kidnappings. He also allegedly violated court orders in connection to a domestic violence case.
Zeko allegedly took his 9- and 5-year-old sons and a 32-year-old woman around 10 p.m. Friday from Riverside County. The California Highway Patrol then issued an Amber Alert for the missing victims before 11 p.m. Friday on behalf of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
They were believed to be in the Modesto area, and the Modesto Police Department said an “alert MPD patrol officer” found the white and gold Ford Expedition that Zeko was driving at a local hotel around midnight.
Both children were found unharmed at the time, but the woman was not with them.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department told MPD she had been located before 9 a.m. Saturday. Court records did not show a kidnapping charge against Zeko for the woman.
Though authorities believe the boys were taken from Riverside County, the case is currently being prosecuted in Stanislaus County, where they were found.
In a Tuesday afternoon email, Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office spokesman John Goold said he could not comment on the choice to file charges in Stanislaus.
“I do not have any specifics on why the case was filed here and not there,” he said.
This story was originally published September 22, 2021 at 5:14 AM.
