By Shavonne Walker

shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

Ohio authorities say a Salisbury woman and four other people remain in police custody after they were charged with abducting her 7-year-old daughter from the father’s home.

The mother Stacey Ratcliff, 30, of Salisbury; Johnny Miller, 24, of Salisbury; Maleah Leppanen, 30, of Salisbury; Mary Livengood, 26, of Salisbury and Travis Holcomb, 30, of Dallas, N.C. were all charged with aggravated burglary and kidnapping.

Reportedly, the incident was the result of a child custody battle.

A statement said the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio reported on Tuesday just before 9 a.m. the girl’s father, Chad Ratcliff, said his daughter had been abducted from his home at 49510 Eagle Ridge Road in Racine, Ohio.

Chad Ratcliff said the sitter told Chad his estranged wife, Stacey, and a black male took the child and left in a blue Dodge Durango. The vehicle had North Carolina license plates.

When the sitter attempted to stop the vehicle by jumping on the hood, the black male, carrying a pistol, hit him over the head.

Ohio authorities immediately issued an Amber Alert for the girl, Dakoda Ratcliff. In addition to the alert, authorities with the Ohio State Patrol, Pomeroy (Ohio) Police, Ravenswood (West Virginia) Police, Jackson County (West Virginia) Sheriff’s Department and the West Virginia State Police responded to the Ravenswood Bridge and Interstate 77 in an attempt to locate the Dodge Durango.

The Meigs County Sheriff’s Office received a call at 9:23 a.m. from West Virginia authorities that the vehicle was found at a Walmart in Ripley, West Virginia. The child was at the store with three women and two males who were being detained, the statement said.

Officers with the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office, West Virginia State Police and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office responded to Ripley and took the group into custody.

Chad Ratcliff was reunited with his daughter in Ripley. The Durango was impounded and towed. All charged remain in West Virginia where they are awaiting an extradition hearing.