North Texas man arrested after kidnapping his 1-year-old son, sheriff says
A man was arrested after he kidnapped his 1-year-old son and assaulted another person with a baseball bat last week, according to the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office.
On Monday, April 21, about 7:25 p.m., deputies responded to the aggravated kidnapping report in the 13000 block of U.S. 287, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
When deputies arrived, they found that the suspect had attacked someone with a baseball bat and attempted to kidnap the mother of his baby along with the child, according to the release.
The suspect, 29-year-old Ronny Leon, took his son by force and sped away in a car with the baby in his lap, investigators said in the release.
Patrol deputies tried to catch up to Leon’s vehicle but were unable to find it, authorities said.
“Due to the dangerous situation, deputies did not continue to pursue the vehicle and reached out to the Texas Department of Public Safety for assistance,” according to the release.
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division was notified, and DPS issued an Athena Alert for the surrounding area and other states as far north as Indiana, the release stated.
Leon stayed in contact with the child’s mother, who worked with detectives to lure him back to North Texas, authorities said.
When Leon arrived at an agreed-upon location to meet, he was taken into custody and was booked into the Wise County Jail, the Sheriff’s Office said. Boyd and Rhome police also assisted with the case.
This story was originally published April 29, 2025 at 5:54 PM.