TYLER, Texas — An Overton woman was sentenced to eight years of probation after she pleaded guilty Monday to kidnapping an East Texas boy in November.
Pamala Medlock, 59, was arrested Nov. 21 in Mitchell County in connection with the kidnapping of a Smith County child that led to an AMBER Alert.
According to criminal records, Medlock pleaded guilty to kidnapping Monday in the 241st District Court. She was then sentenced to eight years of deferred adjudicated probation.
The Smith County Sheriff’s Office said the child was left at home with Medlock, who was described as a family friend, on Nov. 20 when they left to get him a toy for his birthday. The sheriff's office said they were notified of the child's disappearance around 3 a.m. Nov. 21.
She was caught on camera Nov. 20 at the Wal-Mart on Troup Highway in Tyler. Law enforcement said the Jeep she was driving was later spotted, around 5 p.m. Nov. 20 in Kaufman County.
A Texas Dept. of Public Safety trooper later found Medlock and the child in Mitchell County while headed west on Interstate 20. Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said evidence showed Medlock was headed to Arizona.
She was taken into custody and later transferred to the Smith County Jail on the kidnapping charge. In an interview with the Children's Advocacy Center in Smith County, the child had no signs of abuse or trauma.