On Wednesday afternoon, Anchorage police arrested the parents of a 3-day-old boy after they fled from the Alaska Native Medical Center with their child when social workers tried to check on the baby.
Monica Vasquez, 30, and Taimato Galo Jr., 32, will be arraigned on misdemeanor nonsupport charges on Thursday.
Those charges come when a person doesn’t financially, educationally or medically provide support for a child.
According to the charges the mother of baby Max, admitted to using alcohol and methamphetamine before her son’s birth.
After the baby’s birth, the documents say, "Monica would routinely leave the maternity unit and upon her return Monica's demeanor would be different and her eyes would be glossy." When ANMC staff tried to test the baby for drugs, Vasquez would "remove the pads placed in the infant’s diaper that were to be used to collect his urine." And that "baby Max was also starting to exhibit signs of what the hospital staff thought could possibly be withdrawals."
Court documents also say “Monica became hostile and combative,” with the Office of Children’s Service when they tried to talk with her about a safety plan. Vasquez then gave the baby to his father, Galo, before they fled.
That sparked an AMBER Alert and a massive search for the trio. The AMBER alert was canceled when Max was brought to police headquarters around 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Contact Rebecca Palsha
