2 men sentenced to prison for plotting to kidnap newborns from Livonia Hotel

LIVONIA, MI — Two men involved in a plot to kidnap newborn twins from their mother last year were sentenced to prison last month, according to WDIV-Detroit. Curtis Lee Slay, 18, and Davion Demetrius Sherman Chandler, 20, each pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful imprisonment as part of a plea bargain that dropped several other charges against them.

On May 24, Chandler was sentenced to 3 to 15 years in prison, but was given 280 days credit for time served. On May 31, Slay received the same sentence.

As part of the plea negotiations, two counts of kidnapping — enticement of children, three counts of theft from a building and one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping — enticement of children were been dropped, as well as an additional charge of unlawful imprisonment.

The men were involved in a scheme that took place on August 20, 2023 in which two other suspects – identified as Shantell Re-Azia Jones, 23, and a 16-year-old girl – kidnapped the newborn twins Matthew and Montana Bridges. The women took the 2-week-old babies to a hotel room at the Quality Inn on Plymouth Road, between Merriman and Middlebelt roads, after their mother left the room for a moment to get a drink.

Police described the relationship between the mother and the suspects as that of “friendly acquaintances.”

An Amber Alert was issued the next morning and less than four hours later, someone dropped the babies off at the Detroit Police Department's 9th Precinct. Hours after the newborns were recovered, police arrested Slay, Jones and Chandler.

While Slay and Chandler have entered pleas in their cases, Jones faces a jury trial scheduled for November.