Kidnapping case concludes
Woman at epicenter of April baby incident placed on probation

By Katie Pizza
Argus Observer
Friday, July 25, 2008 10:02 AM PDT

Vale —A Nyssa woman arrested for removing an 11-month-old baby from a home south of Nyssa was sentenced to 36 months probation Thursday in Malheur County Circuit Court.

Roni Monique Trammelle, 41, was originally charged with second-degree kidnapping, but the Malheur County District Attorney’s Office opted to change the charge to attempted kidnapping in the second degree in order to allow for mental health treatment rather than jail time.

“The victim in this case is not happy,” Malheur County Chief Deputy District Attorney Erin Landis said of the baby’s mother, Jennifer Stroud. “She would like to see the defendant go to prison.”

Trammelle continues to assert that she had babysat the children previously and has sued because she asserts she remains unpaid. She also said she knew the mother, Jennifer Stroud, months before the incident.

Stroud disputes this claim in a police report filed just after the incident April 28.

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“Jennifer said she met Monique about two months ago and then two days ago on Saturday,” a police report complied by Malheur County Sheriff’s Office Senior Deputy Casey Walker said.  

Trammelle said she had cared for the children earlier that day.

“I found her children home alone,” Trammelle said in an interview Monday. “I had a professional, moral and legal responsibility to care for these children.”

Trammelle said the infant was in another room, out of sight of Stroud’s older boys, Jacoby Stroud, 11, and Justis Trapley, 7.

“Josiah, the baby, cooed for me,” Trammelle said. “Because he knew me. He was sitting in a soaking wet diaper.”

After changing the baby’s diaper in front of the other children, Trammelle said she walked around the house, searching for Stroud.

Stroud had apparently traveled to Nyssa and left the child in the custody of the child’s older brother.

In the police report, Jacoby said he felt pressured to agree to the arrangement and told Trammelle she could take the baby.

“Jacoby said he was scared and didn’t know what to do,” Walker said in the police report. “Jacoby said he felt like he had to give Josiah to Monique.”

Trammelle disputes this claim, asserting Jacoby appreciated being relieved of his duties.

“He was very happy about me taking the baby,” she said Monday. “It let him off the hook, right?”

Trammelle said she offered twice to take the two older boys to search for their mother, which they declined.

“So I went to town, drove around and drove straight back,” she said. “It was less than an hour. I never went to my house. I drove all around to look for her.”

Trammelle said she was concerned because Stroud did not have transportation at the time and that town was about 8 miles away. The police report asserts that Stroud had traveled to Nyssa in order to speak with a real estate agent regarding finding a home.

“I thought she was stranded,” Trammelle said.

After her search efforts were unsuccessful, Trammelle said she returned to the Stroud home, where deputy Walker was already on scene.

Trammelle said it should be fairly obvious by her actions she did not “steal” the baby.

“If I was kidnapping, why would I come back?” she asked. “Why would I show up when the cops are there?”

Trammelle also asserted her personal history should support her claim.

“I’m 41 years old,” she said. “I’m educated, no record, no history of mental illness.”

In the police report, Walker states that he saw Trammelle arrive on the scene in a vehicle with the baby as he drove up.

Trammelle was eventually arrested and jailed and charged with second-degree kidnapping.

The former Malheur County resident said the incident sparked a series of events that changed her life.

“Now I’ve lost my children, my daycare, and my home,” she said. “We’ve lost our home due to these false allegations.”

Trammelle said she believed there should be a “Good Samaritan law” for people who are simply trying to help others.

At her sentencing, Trammelle voiced her thoughts on the subject to Malheur County Circuit Court Judge J. Burdette Pratt.

“I’m here to take responsibility for my actions,” she said at her sentencing. “Though unintentionally, I did break the law. I’m sorry for any pain I may have caused anyone.”

Defense attorney Manuel Perez asked about the stipulations of Trammelle’s probation.

One aspect of this probation was that Trammelle was not to have contact with minors, Perez asked if this regulation applied to her children.

“My intention was for unrelated minors,” Pratt said.

Landis also brought up another charge against Trammelle, that she did not provide enough supervision for her own children. However, Perez countered that those charges had been dismissed and were therefore not relevant to this case.  

“It was dismissed,” Landis said after the sentencing. “We realized she was going to do probation in this more serious case.”

Landis compared the issue to charging someone with jaywalking who was also charged with murder.

Pratt said the stipulation would read that she was not to have contact with unattended minors without the approval of her probation officer. Other stipulations include Trammelle is not to have contact with the victim or victim’s family and will have a curfew between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

“I would object to a curfew,” Perez said. “I don’t see a problem with her being out and about.”

Pratt said the curfew was needed because it would ensure that Trammelle was at home when a probation officer came to check on her. If Trammelle’s probation is revoked for any reason, court documents stipulate that she will go to prison for 60 months.

“It’s our hope that she complies and gets the help she needs,” Landis said. “So we don’t have to see her again.”

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