A tip from a neighbor in Guntersville, Ala., helped authorities find three children taken by their grandmother about four years ago from the Collegedale area.

Guntersville police took Maria Mendez into custody and booked her on charges of custodial interference Tuesday night after a neighbor alerted authorities that the children were in a park.

Ms. Mendez was supposed to give the children back to their mother in Collegedale in December 2004 after the mother returned from prison in Florida, said Sgt. Randy Barber with the Collegedale Police Department detective division who’s been investigating the case for about a year and a half.

Instead, Ms. Mendez called Sarai Brooker and told her she would not be getting Alex Harmon, 13, Jasmine Harmon, 8, and Graciella Pinckney, 7, back, Sgt. Barber said.

Police have tried to locate her since Sgt. Barber filed a report a year and a half ago.

“I knew we’d eventually get a break and we finally did and they were taken into custody,” he said.

See tomorrow’s Times Free Press for complete details.

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