A 36-year-old woman is facing felony charges after she failed to return her child back to the care of her ex-husband, who has custody of the child. Her case should serve as a reminder to all parents in Missouri with child custody and visitation orders in place.
In this case, the parents had been fighting for some time over child custody. Over the summer a judge granted the father sole custody. With this ruling, the mother was granted summer visitation.
However, the mother violated the terms of the visitation agreement and did not return the child to their custodial father.
The case did not end there though as authorities had a hard time locating the woman as the wrong addresses were given in the divorce agreement.
A warrant ended up being issued for the mother’s arrest. Police found out where the mother was staying and she was arrested from a friend’s home. The child was sent back to go live with the custodial father, who has sole legal custody.
For parents in Missouri, this case shows the importance of following all court orders. If a parent does not agree with these orders, this is where an attorney can step in to look into the possibility of a child custody or visitation modification. Typically, these modifications are requested when there is a substantial change in circumstance, such as belief the custodial parent is on drugs or there has been major changes in work hours.
Additionally, this case proves a mother is not guaranteed custody in a divorce. In fact, there are more and more fathers with sole custody raising their children. This is important for a father to keep in mind when going through a divorce.
Source: KXXV, “Belton Woman Arrested In Child Custody Interference Dispute,” Colton Scott, Sept. 13, 2013
