Moorhead Mom Accused Of Kidnapping Kids Reaches Plea Deal

Thirty-nine-year-old Izetta Cooley pleaded guilty to one count of depriving someone of custody rights in Mower County and two felony kidnapping charges were dropped.

Austin, MN (KFGO/Learfield) – A Moorhead woman charged with kidnapping her kids last month is agreeing to a deal with prosecutors.

Thirty-nine-year-old Izetta Cooley pleaded guilty to one count of depriving someone of custody rights in Mower County and two felony kidnapping charges were dropped.

Authorities say Cooley violated a no-contact order and took four of her five children from a family member’s home in Rose Creek. The four children were found in Moorhead a few days later after a statewide BCA alert.

Cooley will be sentenced in March.

Her husband, Miguel Cooley, was arrested in southeastern Minnesota for the murder of 20-year-old Gabriel Perez outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Fargo in September.

A possible relationship between Perez and Izetta Cooley may have been a factor in the shooting.

The preliminary hearing for Miguel Cooley’s case has been pushed back.

Miguel Cooley made a brief appearance in Cass County District Court Wednesday.

Defense attorney Steve Mottinger asked for more time to review evidence.

The judge granted his request but a new hearing date has yet to be set.