Florida mother pepper-sprayed foster parents before driving to Georgia with her sons

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — A 40-year-old Florida woman was arrested in Georgia after deputies said she took her children without permission and left abruptly.

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According to deputies in Manatee County, Fla., Lachina Cropes, 40, took her biological sons from a home on Rye Wilderness Trail on Sunday.

Authorities said Cropes, did not have custodial rights to the children.

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Deputies said before Cropes got away she pepper-sprayed the foster parents.

On Monday, Manatee County deputies, with the help of the Georgia State Patrol, found Cropes and her sons in Peach County.

She was arrested and charged with two counts of battery and interference of child custody.

Her sons, a 10-year-old and an 8-year-old, were unharmed during the incident. They are safe and are returning to foster care in Manatee County.

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