Father convicted of kidnapping son from protective custody sentenced to 36 years to life

A Shasta County man who was convicted in March 2018 was sentenced today for the kidnapping of his infant son.

David Watson was sentenced in Superior Superior Court to 36 years to life in prison. Watson convicted of kidnapping while personally using a knife and parental child abduction. 

In September 2016, the Shasta Interagency Narcotics Task Force conducted a probation search at the home where David Watson and Christina Bell had been residing. Bell, who was home at the time with the couple’s 5-month-old baby, was arrested for child endangerment and drug-related charges. 

As a result of the search, the child was placed in protective custody and Shasta County Children’s Services placed the child with Bell’s mother, who resides in Sacramento County and obtained legal temporary guardianship of the baby. On October 12, 2016, Watson and Bell went to have a supervised visit with their child at the home of Bell’s mother. 

During that visit, Watson removed the child from the residence, pulled out a knife and proceeded to leave with the baby. Watson and Bell returned to Shasta County with the child. 

The next day Bell was arrested on October 13, 2016. Watson was found with the baby and arrested on October 15, 2016. On January 30, 2017, Christina Bell pled no contest to child abduction and was sentenced to 364 days in jail.