A Provo, Utah woman is charged with kidnapping after snatching her son’s alleged bully to force him to apologize, and then threatening her husband would beat him up.
According to court documents filed in Utah’s Fourth District Court, viewed by several local news outlets, in Sept. 2025, Shannon Tufuga, now 40, drove around her Provo neighborhood in search of the 11-year-old boy, identified as KB, whom she believed had been harassing her child.
When she spotted him riding his bicycle, she allegedly stopped her vehicle, confronted him, and made him get into her car without his parents’ knowledge or consent.
According to the Daily Mail, Tufuga explained in now-deleted Facebook posts that her son, the victim of the alleged bullying, is on the autism spectrum.
The boy apologized, but Tufuga wasn’t done
Once the boy was in her vehicle, prosecutors say Tufuga transported him to her home in Provo to force an apology to her son for the alleged bullying. After the apology was delivered, the allegations took a darker turn: Tufuga is accused of threatening the boy that her husband would “beat him up”, and telling him he was “lucky she did not run over his bike,” according to charging documents.
After the confrontation at her home, Tufuga then reportedly drove the boy back to his residence. Despite the return, charging documents say the boy has suffered “serious emotional distress,” including heightened anxiety and significant changes to his daily routines since the incident. The boy’s parents noted that he is now afraid to ride his bike in the neighborhood.
Tufuga could spend 15 years in prison
Tufuga was formally charged on Monday, March 24, 2026, with child kidnapping and aggravated child abuse, both classified as second‑degree felonies under Utah law.
These charges were originally filed at the first‑degree felony level but were reduced by the Utah County Attorney’s Office, which said the adjustment served the “interests of justice.”
If convicted, Tufuga could spend up to 15 years in prison, pay a $10,000 fine, or both.
The court documents make clear that taking a child without parental permission and using threats of harm—even to punish alleged wrongdoing—is a criminal offense, regardless of motive. Utah law defines kidnapping as taking, confining, or transporting another person against their will, and aggravated child abuse involves actions that intentionally or knowingly place a child in danger of serious bodily injury.
An initial hearing in the case has been scheduled for April 30 at the Fourth District Courthouse in Provo, where Tufuga is expected to appear. It remains unclear whether she has obtained legal representation.
Published: Mar 26, 2026 07:18 am