Details Behind Thursday’s AMBER Alert in Pope County Come To Light

POPE CO., Minn. (KVRR) — The man accused of kidnapping a 2-year-old boy in rural Pope County last week, triggering an AMBER Alert, used a window to abduct the child from the room the boy shared with his mother while she was out working.

The criminal complaint says 31-year-old Victor Ramirez or Benigno Alvarrez of Big Lake had taken an interest in the woman and her child and wanted to date her, but she refused.

She found out her son was missing when she came home from work.

Family members had put the child to bed around 8 p.m.

The family searched the house and found a note, written in Spanish and English, asking for forgiveness for taking the child.

The boy was found 10 hours after being reported missing in a garage in Zion Township in rural Stearns County strapped into a booster seat.

Rameriz was arrested after a brief struggle outside a home in Paynesville.

Authorities had been tipped off by a 911 caller.

His bond was set at $1 million without conditions.