19-year-old charged with interfering with custody in kidnapping case

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - Tuscaloosa Police confirmed a second person has been arrested in connection with a kidnapping case that stretched into St. Clair and Jefferson Counties. According to court documents, 19-year-old Ricardo Ardon-Miranda is charged with two counts of interfering with custody. Moody Police said that a 911 call was made around 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1. The caller reported a kidnapping at a Circle K on Interstate-20 in Moody. The caller claimed that a woman had taken a 13-year-old girl and her 9-year-old brother from Tuscaloosa the day before without permission from their parent. Using the Flock camera system and CCTV video from surrounding businesses, officers said they were able to identify the suspect's vehicle. The vehicle was found and stopped on I-59 in Bessemer, more than 20 miles away. Both children were found and were reportedly in good health. Police charged Carmelita Arguijo with second-degree kidnapping in the case. She reportedly had been charged with human smuggling in the past. She was booked into the St. Clair County Jail on a $500,000 cash bond. Investigators reportedly determined Arguijo and the 13-year-old girl had contact through an online platform before they met in person. The investigation also alleged that Arguijo picked up the girl at the gas station with the intent to travel across state lines. 'This case is very complicated and it spans from Tuscaloosa to Texas and it just happened to happen here in Moody,' Moody Police Chief Reece Smith said.