thank you for coming for this. This significant development in a case was
brought to our attention from out of state actually On five November, a five
year old boy was the result of a parental abduction by his father. Jacob
Claire that occurred in the state of Tennessee several days later or in the
interactions in between then and now. The Jacobs niece Claire was also, I'm
sorry Amber Claire was also um taken from Kentucky to the state of
California. This was brought to our attention over time. A car. The car
being used by Mr Clare was located in the city of san clemente. That car
originally was abandoned. The car later was updated and associated with an
aggravated kidnapping that occurred out of Tennessee which brought that car to
the attention of the Orange County Sheriff's Department Over the last
several days, we've had numerous notifications and sharing of
information about this incident, hopefully bringing it to the attention
of local residents to locate Mr Clare and the two Juveniles at the Juvenile
and Child who was with him. I'm proud to announce that early this morning as
a result of the intervention of one of our residents, uh the three were
located in South Orange County. Uh Jacob Claire was taken into custody as
a result of a warrant that was in the system from the texas Bureau of
investigations for aggravated kidnapping. Both Children were safely
brought into our custody as well. And we brought to resolution something that
we hoped would happen which is a safe return eventually later denied of both
the Children to their parents, which that reunification is currently being
planned. I can tell you that Mr Mr Claire Jacob Claire 35 of Kentucky is
being interviewed by our by our investigators. That investigation is
ongoing and if there are local charges that will be brought that has not yet
been determined. But we're looking at all angles as a result of his
interactions. Well in the state of California, the warrant is out of the
state of Tennessee. Uh he will be kept in custody in Orange County jail
pending extradition back to the state of Tennessee to face charges for
aggravated kidnapping, which is the charge that was listed on the warrant
for Mr Clare. Uh These circumstances, positive outcomes don't happen without
the action and intervention of residents, we rely on a residence to be
co producers of safety in Orange County. Going back to Sir Edward peel the
community as a police and the police is the community. It takes people to act
out and get involved in order to bring these things to positive resolution.
And I'd like to tell uh say a special thank you to the lady Julia bonin who
was responsible for acting on her intuition and bringing the information
to our attention the letters to the location of Mr Clare at Doheny State
Beach and without that I'm sure he would have hopefully been located but
he was located and brought those Children back safely into our custody
to be reunited with their parents. So my story is short. I'll ask how about
if you listen hear from MS bond first and then I'll come back up and answer
questions at that time. So I'd like to introduce Julia Bonnin
and I'm gonna get a round of applause
No. Yeah I'm sorry.
Help you out there. Hi. Um My name is Julia Bonnin and I live in dana point.
Just one tone north of sanctimony. Um And as nervous as I am to be up here, I
just want to say to everybody that you just have to trust your instinct and
your gut when you see these things because I almost didn't act upon it. I
was driving my son to school um Mhm. To middle school and saw the three
individuals and I had seen on social media their photos in our town and I
thought when I first saw that there's no way that they were still here um
They had to have been you know left town already and they weren't still in
the area. Um I saw it on friends, social media pages. All of our
community was sharing it. I follow O. C. Sheriff department and I continued to
take my son to school with that instinct that it was them and I drove
another half mile and as we pulled up to school where I was supposed to be
volunteering this morning I looked at my son and I said I have to go back I
think it might be them and I have to make sure. Um so I dropped him off at
school and turned around and headed back north and parked and got out of my
car and took a photo and called um dispatch and reported what it was. And
they said thank you after they connected me to the state or Doheny
state park police. And I continued then after to head back to school to
volunteer and again turn back around because I thought I can't leave uh I
have to make sure that I follow them and Wait until I know that whether it
is or not. And just 10 or 15 minutes later I received another phone call for
me to meet where they were and they had them in custody and it was just a
really good feeling. So I have Children of my own and I would want somebody to
do the same. So that's my story and how it how it came about Julia. What was it
about them that made you realize a what were they doing? Um There was a blurry
picture that was put out last or this morning from the O. C. Sheriff, I think.
I mean it's been going around with other people but it was pretty much the
same image. Um she was holding the little boy's hand and he had a shovel
in his other hand and the dad was you know much taller. But he also I struck
me because he had a sweatshirt on and a hat and sunglasses and camo pants and
um and it just, it was strikingly similar to the images that were put out.
Was there anything about their interactions that was unusual or No, I
was actually apologetic when I called dispatch because I wasn't, you know, I
had a feeling that it was, but there was nothing abusive or the kid looked,
he looked happy. No, he looked happy and just skipping along. And um so
that's where you were, where they were when you saw them on what they were
doing originally when I saw they were just walking, they didn't have the
backpacks that I had originally seen in the photos. Um They were walking
northbound on PCH um there's like a little sidewalk area and when I first
saw them and then when I came back probably 10 minutes after I dropped my
son off, they had entered um the state park don't need state beach right there.
And that's when it becomes there's a separation with a train track and a
fence from where I was so that they continue to head north. But I was on
the other side of the tracks just trying to keep visual of them,
a right between um palisades drive and beach road right there And so they
didn't have their backpacks
where they were coming from, where they were going. No, just heading heading
north when you were watching them because they put out. Yeah, I mean I
took a picture and was a little bit, I felt like I had that barrier but I
didn't approach or say anything or you know, um but I have to make the phone
call and let let let the detectives and the sheriff's do their job and state
police and it was a really neat. Um I mean everybody was kind and helpful and
appreciative so following in your car. Um I was in my car and then parked and
then got out and I was on the sidewalk. Um but again there was a fence and a
train track and then um where they were was there was a divide between us. So
there was quite a bit of space. Most people don't act on their instincts.
Why did you? Um because I have Children myself um and I would want them. You
know, we have constant conversations with my own Children just about things
at school and watching out for each other and friends. And that's when you
have an instinct like that. You can't, I like my friend said, I would have
regretted it had I not turned around um I just would have lingered with me. Um
There's been times before where you, I think you see something and you don't
say anything and you kind of wonder, but um this feeling just didn't go away.
It was very much instinctual and very much a gut feeling that it just it
stayed with me. I tried to leave a couple of times even after I reported
it and it just that my stomach, the pit in my stomach was just there. Have you
spoken with their families back in Tennessee and Kentucky? Um No not yet.
But um I just know that that moms probably can't wait to hug her baby. So
the lieutenant was history 70 in the morning. Um I believe it was about 8 50
when I called the first sighting was probably about a little before 8 40
maybe
about them. Yeah it was as they passed by. Um but again I wasn't up close it
was more and then I did the comparison of the picture that I saw as I after I
reported it because I just kept questioning myself. But when I pulled
them both up on my phone you can see the resemblance. Did you hold it up or
were you kind of just like you're on the phone? Um mm just just held it up
there. I mean I wasn't right on him so it was more like a zoom zoom in on them.
You said you see there on the beach at that time um dough Heaney. There is um
it's like a state park and then a parking lot so it was walking along and
then yes, so when when I pulled into the parking lot uh noah was playing in
the sand with one of the deputies. So
what was the feeling when you found out you were right?
Um, I couldn't stop shaking. I'm tearing up. It was, I just wanted to go
hug him, but I didn't because I mean some strange lady running across just
saying, you know, we did it. But um, I just, I was thankful and
just grateful that I followed my instinct. You stuck around and watch
the arrest and everything. Um, he was already in custody when I came into the
parking lot. Um, it was a very peaceful um, arrest and there wasn't, you know,
it was and then the detectives came and just gave my statement to ever needed
it. And then they released me after about an hour just, but I just sat on
the beach and watch the waves and I mean, it couldn't have been more
beautiful moment right there that, you know,
No, not that I saw and what were the girl, no, acting like after the, after
the dad was arrested. Um, mm well let's speak on all of us. You know this. Wait
on. Yeah, I mean, they were in good spirits. So
were you tempted to to interrupt them at all? Is there any temptation to
before you called in toy with the Oh, jeez, no. And because you knew that he
had
potentially um, I had seen that. But also I just had an instinct that was
them, but I called and got ahold of somebody fairly quickly and I could see
the state puller that they connected me right away with the state park. So I
knew that they were, I saw those members there, and then I saw the
Sheriff's department pretty quick on the scene.