A 55-year-old physician suspected of attempting to kidnap her 12-year-old son and kill a court-appointed observer during a custody visit in Goleta has been extradited back to Santa Barbara County.
Dr. Theresa Lynn Colosi of San Jose was returned from Whitefish, Montana, on Thursday by law enforcement, according to Raquel Zick, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
Colosi was being held without bail at Santa Barbara County Jail.
She appeared in court Monday for arraignment on four felony counts and one misdemeanor, according to Deputy District Attorney Wes Meyer, but the matter was continued until Friday.
Colosi, 55, an orthopedic surgeon who practices in the Bay Area, allegedly assaulted and seriously injured the observer — identified as Cindy Hann — during a court-ordered supervised visit with her son, Zick said.
The attack occurred Dec. 8 in the parking lot at Zodo’s Bowling and Beyond at 5925 Calle Real in Goleta.
In the criminal complaint filed Tuesday, Colosi is accused of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, attempted kidnapping of a child, attempted child stealing and disobeying a domestic-violence court order.
She also faces special allegations including causing great bodily harm and use of a deadly weapon, which was identifed as a “metal compressed gas canister.”
“During the visitation, Colosi began to act suspicious while walking with her son, which caught the victim’s attention,” Zick said. “Colosi then swung a metal object at the victim, hitting her in the head several times.”
Hann told the boy to run into Zodo’s for help, and Colosi began following him, but then ran to her vehicle and fled the area, Zick said.
Detectives discovered that Colosi had chartered a private jet that departed Lompoc Airport at around 10:48 a.m. to Glacier International Airport near Kalispell, Montana, Zick said.
“Detectives also learned that prior to the incident at Zodo’s, Colosi gave away her belongings, withdrew $900,000 from her bank account, and chartered the flight with fictitious names for herself, her son, and her dog,” Zick said.
The investigation revealed that Colosi was staying at an address in Whitefish, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Whitefish officers set up surveillance on the residence, and observed a taxi picking up a woman matching Colosi’s description, police said.
Officers conducted a high-risk traffic stop of the taxi, Zick said, and Colosi was taken into custody without incident.
Details on Hann’s condition have not been released. The boy’s name also was not released.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.