Fugitive mother arrested

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Sept. 18) UPI - Police said Saturday a
California fugitive mother who had been on the run for weeks
since losing custody of her daughter has been arrested in
Pennsylvania.

Authorities said a train passenger tipped off authorities after
seeing a television show featuring Catherine Thomas, 46, of
Thousand Oaks, and her 5-year-old daughter, Courtney. Thomas was
arrested at a Pittsburgh rail station.

Thomas had lost custody of her daughter to a male friend who had
no biological ties to the child in July. She is accused of
taking the child during a regular visitation July 29 and
fleeing.

Police said Thomas and her daughter were identified after being
featured on the CBS program "Eye to Eye With Connie Chung"
Thursday night.

The child was taken into protective custody and was expected to
be returned to Kevin Thomas, an openly gay man who had legally
changed his surname to match the girl's name.

Catherine Thomas, meanwhile, was being held on an arrest warrant
for felony child abduction.