Child abduction attempt ends peacefully

Jamie Doran

Valley Press

A Columbia Falls woman allegedly abducted her 2-year-old son Nov. 21. Skylar Dodson broke into her ex-husband, Chris Porter’s, home in Columbia Falls and took their son at 7:15 a.m., according to Sanders County Sheriff’s Deputy Martin Spring.

Porter has full custody of the boy and after the alleged abduction took place he got in his car and pursued Dodson through Kalispell until he ran out of gas.

Officers learned that Dodson was traveling down Highway 28, and Spring said they positioned Hot Springs Police Chief Jim Matthew at a road block on Highway 28 to stop the car.

“We got a block off down by Perma,” Spring said. “Chief (Shawn Emmett) and I did a road block thing.”

Dodson turned off the road when she spotted the road block, but the officers were able to stop her before she was able to get away.

“We took custody of the adult female and the child,” Spring said. “Two other parties were brought to the station for questioning.”

Once the questioning was done Porter was contacted and his son was released to him.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office as well as the Lake County court system will be handling the rest of the investigation and any charges that will arise from the incident.