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Judge calls her a liar when sentencing woman who kidnapped Iowa baby

A woman convicted of kidnapping an infant and leaving him at a West Branch, Iowa gas station has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. U.S. District Judge James...
Kristen Smith photo from Cedar County, Iowa Jail

A woman convicted of kidnapping an infant and leaving him at a West Branch, Iowa gas station has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge James Peterson sentenced 31-year-old Kristen Smith, from Aurora, Colorado, to 25 years in federal prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for kidnapping an infant from his Beloit, Wisconsin home back in February, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.

Smith had taken the infant, four-day-old Kayden Powell, from his home and  began heading for Colorado.

When Kayden’s mother discovered he was missing, Smith was contacted by police. She was asked to stop at a gas station while she was en route to Colorado so local police could speak with her about the child.

Court records showed that a West Branch police officer searched Smith’s car but did not find Kayden. The officer did find baby clothes, a stroller, and a fake pregnancy belly.

“At the trial, evidence showed that Smith faked a pregnancy and kidnapped the infant with the intent to take him back to Colorado and claim him as her child,” said a statement from the Department of Justice.

Smith was arrested that morning for an unrelated crime. The next day, a West Branch Police Officer found Kayden behind a BP gas station wrapped in blankets inside of a plastic tote box.

“Kristen Smith left a baby outside in bitterly cold temperatures and for over 24 hours denied any knowledge of his whereabouts,” said U.S. Attorney John Vaudreuil. “Her callous disregard for this child’s life merits this long prison sentence.”

During sentencing, Judge Peterson called Smith a liar.

“You would have let the baby die rather than admit you had taken him,” Peterson said.

After a four-day trial, Smith was found guilty of kidnapping on Thursday, July 31.

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