A 23-year-old woman was given three years of probation for reportedly taking her child to California in violation of the father’s visitation rights. According to the child’s father, he had missed 20 scheduled visits with his child due to the fact that the mother could not be found. The father also stated that he believed the mother had taken their 4-year-old son to Mexico at some point. If she successfully completes the probation, she could have the charge expunged from her record.
The mother claimed that the boy’s father was welcome to join the two in California and that the issue was a misunderstanding due to a lack of communication between the two. In issuing his ruling, the judge in the case said that the pair needed to make raising the child a priority and that they needed to figure out a way to effectively co-parent the child.
The father of the child filed a criminal complaint in September 2011 after he could not locate the child or his mother. He also claims that since an arrest warrant only called for the mother to be taken back to Wisconsin from California, he had to drive there to pick up his son. According to reports, the child is currently living with his father in Wisconsin.
When both parents have custody rights to a child, neither parent can take the child away without the consent of the other parent. In extreme cases, a parent may ask a judge to alter the custody arrangement if it is in the best interest of the child. Parents who are concerned about their child custody rights being preserved may wish to speak to a family law attorney to ensure they are able to stay in their child’s life.
Source: Beaver Dam Daily Citizen, “Judge: custody case a ‘mess’“, Ben Rueter, June 09, 2014
