Katryna “Katie” Bell of Carson City appeared virtually in the Carson City Courthouse Wednesday afternoon for her arraignment. She is accused of kidnapping multiple children between Friday, September 12 and Sunday, September 14.
Bell’s initial $25,000 bail was raised to $75,000 during her bail hearing, and she remains in custody at the Carson City Jail. If she makes bail, she will be under conditions such as wearing a GPS monitoring system, staying away from areas where children congregate, and breaking no laws.
She is facing four counts, three of them Category A felonies. Because of their felony status, Judge Melanie Bruketta stated that she was not allowed to enter pleas during the arraignment hearing.
However, the fourth charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, is a misdemeanor, and Bell’s current public defender issued a “not guilty” plea on her behalf. For that charge, she is facing up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine not including administrative fees.
She is also facing two felony kidnapping of a minor charges and one attempted kidnapping of a minor charge.
Court discussions surrounded scheduling, as Bell has apparently not waived her right to a speedy trial. The right is granted under Nevada state law, which means that a defendant has the right to their trial beginning sixty days after their arraignment hearing, and their pretrial hearing must be held fifteen days after their arraignment hearing.
Bell has requested a court-appointed attorney, but there was discussion regarding a potential conflict of interest from the public defender’s office. Due to this, conflict counsel will be sought and Bell will be appointed a new attorney prior to her preliminary pretrial hearing.
It’s funny to hear you crying in court, saying you wanted to get the kids home safely. But you took them from somewhere they were safe.
Mother of child speaks out
In every court proceeding, Marsy’s law gives victims a chance to address the court.
Two mothers of the children involved in the incident attended the arraignment hearing on Wednesday. The mother of the child we referred to as NI did not wish to speak herself, but Prosecutor Leslie Buttori addressed the court on her behalf.
She said that the mother wants the court to know that since the incident on Sunday, “her son is not doing well.” She said he is struggling with the repercussions of what happened, and his mother is trying to support him as he processes the incident, but it has left a significant impact on him.
The mother of the child we referred to as ML in our story spoke to the court, and appeared visibly shaken from what had occurred.
According to the report provided by the Carson City Sheriff’s Office, Bell had offered to take ML to the park, and ML had told her to lie to his mother and say she had a son named Hunter so she would let him go with her.
“I have a lot of questions,” ML’s mother said. “Why would an adult think it’s okay to come and lie for a 12-year-old child, to convince their mother to let her take them away? Why was this person in our neighborhood if she doesn’t live there? Aside from all that, the false pretense that she gave to take my son — why would you leave my son stranded somewhere he didn’t know?”
According to the report, ML had been given a ride to John Mankins Park by Bell, and when Bell was stopped by deputies, she was on her way back to the park to look for him.
In court, ML explained that she and her family are new to town, and ML was not familiar with the park or the neighborhood.
“Thank god [the deputies] found him before she came for him,” ML’s mother continued. “He thinks he did something wrong. But this is an adult — you don’t lie for kids, you don’t take kids away from somewhere you don’t know.”
ML’s mother said that since moving to the area, she has been trying to build a community, and part of that is meeting new people and having to trust them.
“This has shattered that,” ML’s mother said. “I never let my kids go anywhere, I never let them leave on their own. But I’m trying to build that community, but now it has completely closed that experience.”
She said that both she and her children now have lost trust in others.
“It’s funny to hear you crying in court, saying you wanted to get the kids home safely,” ML’s mother said. “But you took them from somewhere they were safe.”
Bell’s next court appearance is scheduled for September 26, 2025 at 9:30 a.m.
