Renton woman charged with kidnapping pleads not guilty

Prosecutors formally filed charge of kidnapping in the second degree

A Renton woman charged in a Seattle kidnapping case pleaded not guilty to a charge of kidnapping in the second degree at her arraignment on Aug. 31.

According to police documents, 40-year-old Rakesha Davis lured a 3-year-old child into her vehicle with ice cream in a Seattle neighborhood prior to driving away.

After learning of Davis’s identity and speaking with occupants at Davis’s home address at an apartment complex in Renton, Davis arrived with the kidnapped child in her arms, according to police documents.

Police arrested Davis and transported her to the King County Jail for investigation of a kidnapping.

King County prosecutors formally filed the kidnapping charge against Davis on Aug. 22.

According to documents, Davis experienced delusions of saving the child, with occupants at Davis’s home address advising police of her history of mental illness.

Davis’s defense team filed a motion for her release on personal recognizance at her first appearance hearing on Aug. 18.

The court denied the defense team’s motion at her arraignment, maintaining her bail — set at $350,000.

She will face a jury trial in King County Superior Court, scheduled for Oct. 19, 2023.

The court scheduled her next hearing for Sept. 19.

The court ordered Davis to have no contact with minors, including her own children, without adult supervision, in addition to standard conditions.