B.C. mother in Amber Alert case charged with 2 counts of abduction

Surrey RCMP say a mother who allegedly abducted her children earlier this month, triggering an Amber Alert that lasted more than a week in B.C., has been charged.

RCMP say that Verity Bolton, who is from Surrey, has been charged with two counts of abduction in contravention of a custody order. One of her male companions, Abraxas Glazov, has been charged with two counts of abduction of a person under 14.

The Amber Alert was first issued by Surrey RCMP on July 19, with Mounties saying that Bolton failed to return the children to their father — who is their primary caregiver — a day earlier.

Both children are from Surrey and had gone with their mother on a trip to Kelowna, according to RCMP.

Police went on to release numerous updates on the case over 10 days. On July 24, police said that investigators believed the mother and children had gone "off the grid" with two other men.

The Amber Alert was called down on Saturday evening, with police saying the two children had been located safely.

On Sunday morning, Cpl. Vanessa Munn said that the children, Bolton, Glazov and another man were found at a large rural property in Alberta, just outside the town of Edson.

"The property was not at all linked to the individuals that we were looking for. It was determined that they had rented the property," she told a news conference. "It is believed that the group has been at the property since approximately July 18th."

She said the Alberta RCMP Emergency Response Team was dispatched there on Saturday night.

"At approximately 7:20 p.m. [Saturday], the team entered the property where they located the two children and three adults," Munn said. "The children were taken to their father who was waiting at a local detachment in Alberta."

Both Bolton and Glazov are in custody in Alberta, awaiting their next court appearance. No weapons were involved in the arrest, and no one appeared to have any injuries.

The other man in the house was detained, but not charged. Munn said there is no evidence to indicate he aided or abetted the abduction effort.

She also said that police had received 435 tips from the public following the Amber Alert on July 19, including from as far away as New Brunswick.

"We sincerely appreciate the assistance from the public, media, and other policing and community partners, who all played an important role in this investigation," Munn said.