Kidnapping suspect gets $250,000 bond

Couple shocked over judge's decision to let go teen accused in possible child-selling case

Web posted December 15, 1998

By Margaret N. O'Shea
South Carolina Bureau

AIKEN -- A circuit judge set a $250,000 bond Monday for Kristen Thompson, who is accused with another teen-ager of holding a North Augusta family at gunpoint in August -- possibly, investigators say, to get their unborn child for sale.

Ms. Thompson, 18, allegedly has been involved with a child-selling ring, but she has never been charged in connection with stealing or selling babies, Solicitor Barbara Morgan said.

Kristen Thompson gives her mother a hug after her bail hearing.RON COCKERILLE/STAFF

The child-selling allegations were part of a report by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation after Ms. Thompson was arrested in Columbia County.

Tony and Karen Chiera watched the court proceedings in disbelief with their month-old son, born since the alleged kidnapping occurred, sleeping in an infant carrier at their feet. They say Ms. Thompson and a companion terrorized them after answering an advertisement they placed to buy a Winnie-the-Pooh comforter for their nursery.

Mr. Chiera told the court their lives haven't been the same since they were forced to lie on the floor at Ms. Thompson's home with their daughters, then 8 and 10, while Ms. Thompson and a companion, Nick Hall, held them hostage.

``My wife was pregnant,'' he said. ``We were begging and pleading for our lives.''

Mr. Hall, 18, is free on $100,000 bond, which the Chieras did not oppose after praying about it, the husband said.

``He held the gun, but it was clear to us that she was in control,'' Mr. Chiera said.

Only later did the couple learn that the unborn baby might have been the target, they said.

``That frightens us even more,'' Mr. Chiera said, ``because we have our baby now and she knows where we live. She wrote us a letter from jail, claiming that she was being held hostage, too. We don't believe it.''

Over Ms. Morgan's vigorous opposition, Circuit Judge Henry Floyd set a bond that will allow the Beech Island teen-ager to get out of jail under house arrest -- a move that sent the solicitor scrambling to determine if Aiken County has a system to monitor confinement at home for anyone who is not on parole.

Three relatives agreed to secure the bond with their homes, which they'll lose if Ms. Thompson fails to show up for trial early next year.

The judge ordered as speedy a trial as the state can prepare.

Ms. Thompson has been jailed at the Aiken County Detention Center since August, except for time in Columbia for a mental examination ordered by another judge in September.

Her family had said she had emotional difficulties.

The mental evaluation, just completed, showed that Ms. Thompson has antisocial tendencies, but is mentally competent. For court purposes, that means knowing right from wrong and having the ability to conform to society's standards.

Ms. Thompson is charged with four counts of kidnapping, four counts of pointing and presenting a firearm, and possession of a controlled substance, an anti-depressant she had when arrested.

In Georgia, in a separate incident, she is charged with stalking, making terroristic threats on the telephone and attempted arson. Those charges stem from an alleged attempt to firebomb a deputy's home.

The alleged kidnapping incident in South Carolina occurred while Ms. Thompson was free on bond from the Georgia charges.

Margaret N. O'Shea can be reached at (803) 279-6895 or scbureau@augustachronicle.com.