Kidnapped boys safe with family; Father charged in connection with incident

HOUSTON

The father is in custody, charged with aggravated assault of a family member. Authorities say his girlfriend cooperated with efforts to reunite the boys with the mother, and they're not planning to charge her with a crime at this time.

"I'm more grateful, I thank God -- everyone who prayed for them, everyone for coming together and bring them to me," said the boys' mother, Jasmine Porter.

Porter is breathing a sigh of relief that two brothers, Jayce Teel, 1, and Jeremiah Teel, 4, are now safe with her. The three were staying with family friend Tanisha Ogletree at an apartment complex on the northwest side when law enforcement says the boys' father, Jeremy Teel, showed up Wednesday and took them.

"I'm not sure. I just know their daddy came, and it just went out of control, that's all that we know," Ogletree said. "I'm just glad it's over. I'm glad she got her kids back and I'm glad they're safe."

The sheriff's office says Jeremy took the boys at gunpoint. A long afternoon and night followed. Jeremy was tracked down and arrested, but the Harris County Sheriff's Office tells us he wouldn't help find the boys.

The sheriff's office investigation led to the mother of Jeremy's girlfriend who provided the woman's name -- Jasmine Scott -- and then it led right to Scott herself. She had the boys, and cooperated with authorities, much to the relief of friends in the complex.

Relieved family friend Rodney Winfrey, Jr., said, "Real moms take care of their children, their sons, their daughters," Rodney Winfrey Jr., Me, I'm just a family man."

The entire family reunited in their grandmother's living room. Mom and kids were laughing and joyous, while grandmother hopes her family learned a lesson from the traumatic events.

"I'm not going to close my door, these are my grand kids, this is my child. I'm not going to shut our doors of course, but I'm certainly not going to hold her hand," grandmother Cindy Porter said.

Take ABC13 with you!
Download our free apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices

Copyright © 2024 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.