When a family is going through a child custody battle, emotions tend to run high. The care and custody of a child is a serious matter, and in many cases, both sides feel strongly that they are not being treated fairly, or that the child at the center of the dispute is not having his or her needs adequately met. However, parents in Punta Gorda and across the nation must take care to avoid acting against their own best interests when it comes to a contentious custody case.
An example is found in the arrest of a man connected to a custody battle. The 23-year-old is the uncle of the child involved. In a recent incident, he broke down the door of an apartment where his 17-month-old nephew was staying, and brandished a firearm as he left with the child. That prompted an emergency report to police.
The man was found and arrested early the next morning. The child was located in the care of his mother, and was unharmed. It is unclear if the mother was also involved in the abduction, and police have not yet charged her with any crime.
As this case demonstrates, it is easy to allow one’s emotions to overrule reason in the heat of a child custody fight. Very often, the individual who improperly removes a child from the care of another person does so in the belief that he or she is doing what is right. However, taking these types of drastic actions will only further complicate a child custody case, and is something that Punta Gorda residents should avoid at all costs.
Source: yakimaherald.com, “Yakima police say custody dispute was behind child’s abduction“, Feb. 28, 2017
