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Sandra Yi ReportingA man is accused of kidnapping his three children in California, but the police investigation ended here in Utah. Salt Lake County Sheriff's Deputies arrested the man this afternoon at a home in Magna.
Family members say the couple is going through a divorce and it appears a battle for custody turned into a kidnapping investigation.
Neighbor: "I looked out my front door and saw cop cars."
This neighbor didn't want to be identified, but she saw deputies surround the Magna home, where they caught up to 32-year old David Mendoza.
Neighbor: "And I noticed that they had a guy in the backyard. They had him in handcuffs, and then they put him in the police car."
Mendoza is accused of kidnapping his three children from a park in the Los Angeles area. LA authorities say his wife, Nelida Lopez, has sole custody, and took the kids to California.
Sgt. Paul Jaroscak, Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office: "Apparently, the husband found out so he was able to go down to Los Angeles and find her and find the kids. So he took the kids and came back to Utah."
Lopez learned her husband was at his father's house in Magna. That's where deputies also found his children.
Neighbor: "And then a lady came out holding a child. She put the child in the cop car."
The children are now in state custody because their mother is still in Los Angeles. Neighbors hope it all gets sorted out.
Neighbor: "It was kinda scary. I didn't know what was going on."
Mendoza's wife has a protective order against her husband, so he was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for violating that protective order. He has not been charged with kidnapping and LA police are investigating to see if that really was the case.
