When it comes to determining child custody, the court may decide that it is in the best interests of the children to spend equal time with both parents. In other situations, it is better for one parent to have primary custody while the other maintains visitation rights. Whatever the outcome, child custody agreements are court-ordered and violating a custody order can lead to penalties.
If one parent takes the children in violation of a child custody agreement, that parent could be charged with kidnapping. Often the biggest concern is the welfare of the children if they are unexpectedly removed from their custodial parent.
For example, one man was recently arrested for taking his two children from their mother; he did not have custody of them. The details of the incident are unclear, but when the mother realized the children were gone and that the father had taken them, she notified the authorities.
The local Sheriff’s Department issued an alert in an effort to track down the man and the two kids. They were concerned for the children’s safety. Within several hours, the man was located and the children returned to their mother.
When situation like this occur, law enforcement tries to figure out why the parent took the children in the first place. Though it is not clear what the custodial agreement is between the two parents, one could speculate that the father simply wanted to spend more time with his children.
Child custody issues can bring up a number of emotions. If one or both parents do not like the custody agreement that was reached, it can lead to poor decision making. This particular father may not have realized his actions could land him in jail, but if he is charged the consequences could impact his future with his children.
Source: Barron News-Shield online, “Man taken into custody,” Mary Glynn, 22 June 2011
