Mother steals children and truck from grandmother's house, crashes

A 30-year-old Morgan County woman faces several felony charges once she is released from the hospital. Juanita Morales is accused of kidnapping her two children during an early-morning raid of a relative's residence.

Morales, according to the Morgan County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), took her two boys, ages 5 and 7, from their grandmother's home sometime around 2 a.m. Monday. 

Morales does not have legal custody of the children, MCSO stated. 

Morales allegedly stole a pickup truck and drove it from the residence. 

The grandmother called 9-1-1 at 5:40 a.m. in a state of panic.

A short time later, as deputies and personnel from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation "were just about to push the button to disseminate an Amber Alert on the two boys and the stolen pickup," Morgan County dispatchers received a call about a pickup matching the description of the stolen one being involved in a rollover accident on Interstate 76. 

Deputies arrived on scene just west of Fort Morgan and confirmed it was the same truck. 

Morales and the two boys were both take by ambulance to Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Fort Morgan. The boys suffered non-life threatening injuries and were released earlier Monday to family members. 

Morales is still being treated for her injuries from the crash. Once released into police custody, she will be preliminarily charged with First Degree Kidnapping, First Degree Burglary, First Degree Criminal Trespass, Motor Vehicle Theft, Identity Theft, two counts of Child Abuse, and two counts of Reckless Endangerment, per MCSO.