Brian Christine extradited, arraigned on charges of kidnapping at gunpoint

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2001-12-15

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Brian Christine extradited, arraigned on charges of kidnapping at gunpoint The Associated Press ROSEBURG - Following extradition from Montana, Brian Christine was arraigned Monday on charges he kidnapped three of his daughters at gunpoint from Oregon child welfare workers. Christine, 28, was being held on $500,000 bail in the Douglas County Jail following arraignment via video connection from the jail on charges of robbery, kidnapping, custodial interference and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, deputies said. He was returned to Oregon on Saturday. No plea was entered. Christine and his wife, Ruth, were arrested separately in Montana, where they allegedly fled with a friend after the August kidnapping at an Interstate 5 rest stop south of Roseburg. Ruth Christine was returned to Oregon last week and remains in jail on $500,000 bail. The Christines' three eldest daughters, 6-year-old Bethany, 4-year-old Lydia and 3-year-old Miriam, were taken from their parents by state authorities a year ago following a complaint that the girls were being starved while the family, traveling from Indiana, lived in a converted city bus in Grants Pass. Authorities allege the Christines followed state child welfare workers after a supervised visit in Grants Pass. When they pulled into a rest stop, Brian Christine allegedly put a gun to the head of one of the workers and drove off with the girls in the van. Brian Christine was arrested two days later on an Oregon warrant after being pulled over for speeding outside Big Timber, Mont. The girls were found two days after his arrest at a home outside Missoula, Mont., with their mother and a man who allegedly helped the couple hide with their children. Matthew Gerawan was arrested on similar charges and has agreed to return to Oregon voluntarily after being freed on $500,000 bail.   Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.