The Wyoming Highway Patrol says an Amber Alert issued in February led to the 1,000th successful recovery of an abducted child.

According to an announcement on Friday, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported the recovery as the 1,000th nationwide. 

During that incident, a Fremont County woman abducted four children, the patrol says. While the woman was the children's mother, she did not have custody.

According to the statement, 30-year-old Stacia Potter-Norris took four children from their home outside of the Wind River Reservation, where the tribe had placed them for their protection. A tribal court had also issued a protective order to keep Potter-Norris away from the children.

Police got their first lead following the AMBER alert when Potter-Norris stopped at a glass company to have a rear window of her vehicle replaced. She didn't have any money but offered to sell guns in exchange for the work. Potter-Norris reportedly left her phone number with the clerk, who turned it over to law enforcement. Another lead came when a homeless man saw the vehicle described in the alert at a truck stop. He reportedly watched Potter-Norris swapping her vehicle with someone she appeared to know.

The original vehicle was found behind a Home Depot.

Police were able to use the phone number Potter-Norris gave the store clerk to track her movements to the Denver area. The Wyoming Highway Patrol subsequently requested that Colorado issue an AMBER Alert, which led to someone calling in Potter-Norris's vehicle. The children were then found safe in a Motel 6 room, but Potter-Norris had fled.

She was later found and arrested on felony charges.

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