Lawyer says blowtorch mom to plead guilty

MIAMI, July 10 (UPI) -- The attorney for a Miami mother says the woman will plead guilty to charges she kidnapped her son and threatened to use a blowtorch on him.

Attorney Maria Elena Perez said her client Alejandra Arriaza has agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors that will help the 39-year-old mother avoid a 20-year minimum mandatory sentence, The Miami Herald said Friday.

"She is probably going to spend the rest of her days trying to make up for this with her children," Perez said. "She never intended for anyone to be harmed."

Arriaza stands accused of helping her boyfriend Angel Ponce, 37, kidnap her 17-year-old son, on April 9.

The mother-of-two allegedly then called her ex-husband and told him a blowtorch was being used on their son.

The Herald said authorities have also named Ponce's nephew, Joel Boza, as an alleged co-conspirator in the kidnapping plot.