Arizona woman, boyfriend arrested, accused of stealing Christmas money from her children
12/27/2013KINGMAN, Ariz. — An Arizona woman and her boyfriend remained jailed Friday after being accused of stealing Christmas money from her children during a holiday visit.
Amanda Sue Rick, 31, and Cruz Alberto Ruvalcaba, 29, were arrested on Christmas Day for possession of drug paraphernalia, probation violations and outstanding warrants.
Mohave County sheriff’s deputies responded to a theft report Wednesday at a home in Kingman where the four young children were spending the holiday with their grandparents, sheriff’s spokeswoman Patricia Carter said.
“The grandparents had given the kids $10 each as a Christmas gift,” Carter said Friday.
Later in the day, Carter said, they allowed Rick to visit her children whose father has custody of them.
When Rick and Ruvalcaba left, the grandparents discovered they had taken $30 from the three youngest kids.
Deputies tracked the pair down walking along a nearby street and arrested them on the unrelated charges. Rick was still carrying the $30 cash.
She told authorities that her children gave her the money so she could get a motel room, and they could visit her there, Carter said.
“Who knows exactly how the transaction went down. The mother could have just taken it from them or given them some sappy story,” she said. “It sounds like she was baiting them.”
The couple won’t face charges for theft because the children’s father declined to press charges.
Telephone numbers associated with the two suspects were disconnected. It wasn’t clear if they had attorneys.