US couple in jail after fleeing to Cuba with kids
Source: Agencies |
April 11, 2013, Thursday
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A Florida couple accused of kidnapping their two young sons and fleeing by boat to Cuba were handed over to the United States and imprisoned and their children were returned to their maternal grandparents, who have official custody, authorities said yesterday.
Joshua Michael Hakken and his wife, Sharyn, were being held at the Hillsborough County Jail on charges of kidnapping, child neglect, and interference with custody, according to the jail's website. Joshua Hakken also was charged with false imprisonment.
His bond was set at US$154,000. No bond information was listed for Sharyn Hakken. Both are expected to make their first appearance today in Hillsborough County Court. The couple will not face federal charges.
US authorities say Hakken kidnapped his sons, 4-year-old Cole and 2-year-old Chase, from his mother-in-law's house north of Tampa, Florida.
The boys' grandparents were granted permanent custody of the boys last week. "Our grandchildren are safe," the grandfather, Bob Hauser, told a news conference with the sheriff's office late on Tuesday. "We had an opportunity to talk with them before they left Cuba."
Bob and his wife, Patricia Hauser, asked the news media to give them at least 24 hours alone with the boys, the sheriff's department said in a statement. They planned to make a public statement, possibly today.
Lost custody
Hakken lost custody of his sons last year after a drug possession arrest in Louisiana and later tried to take the children from a foster home at gunpoint, authorities said. A warrant had been issued for his arrest on two counts of kidnapping; interference with child custody; child neglect; false imprisonment and other charges.
Hakken entered his mother-in-law's Florida house last Wednesday, tied her up and fled with his sons.
Cuba tipped the State Department off to the Hakkens' presence on Sunday, and from that moment "diplomatic contact has been exchanged and a professional and constant communication has been maintained," Cuban Foreign Ministry official Johana Tablada said.
A reporter spotted the couple and the children beside their boat at the Hemingway Marina in Havana on Tuesday. There was no sign of tension or distress between the family members.
The US and Cuba share no extradition agreement but the island state has cooperated in returning several criminal fugitives to US in recent years.
In 1999, 5-year-old Elian Gonzalez was found clinging to an inner tube off Florida after his mother and others drowned while fleeing Cuba. The boy was taken to Miami to live with relatives, but his father in Cuba demanded the boy be sent back.
US courts ultimately ruled Gonzalez should be sent back, though his Miami relatives refused to return him. In April 2000, US federal agents raided the family's home and he was returned to Cuba soon after.
Joshua Michael Hakken and his wife, Sharyn, were being held at the Hillsborough County Jail on charges of kidnapping, child neglect, and interference with custody, according to the jail's website. Joshua Hakken also was charged with false imprisonment.
His bond was set at US$154,000. No bond information was listed for Sharyn Hakken. Both are expected to make their first appearance today in Hillsborough County Court. The couple will not face federal charges.
US authorities say Hakken kidnapped his sons, 4-year-old Cole and 2-year-old Chase, from his mother-in-law's house north of Tampa, Florida.
The boys' grandparents were granted permanent custody of the boys last week. "Our grandchildren are safe," the grandfather, Bob Hauser, told a news conference with the sheriff's office late on Tuesday. "We had an opportunity to talk with them before they left Cuba."
Bob and his wife, Patricia Hauser, asked the news media to give them at least 24 hours alone with the boys, the sheriff's department said in a statement. They planned to make a public statement, possibly today.
Lost custody
Hakken lost custody of his sons last year after a drug possession arrest in Louisiana and later tried to take the children from a foster home at gunpoint, authorities said. A warrant had been issued for his arrest on two counts of kidnapping; interference with child custody; child neglect; false imprisonment and other charges.
Hakken entered his mother-in-law's Florida house last Wednesday, tied her up and fled with his sons.
Cuba tipped the State Department off to the Hakkens' presence on Sunday, and from that moment "diplomatic contact has been exchanged and a professional and constant communication has been maintained," Cuban Foreign Ministry official Johana Tablada said.
A reporter spotted the couple and the children beside their boat at the Hemingway Marina in Havana on Tuesday. There was no sign of tension or distress between the family members.
The US and Cuba share no extradition agreement but the island state has cooperated in returning several criminal fugitives to US in recent years.
In 1999, 5-year-old Elian Gonzalez was found clinging to an inner tube off Florida after his mother and others drowned while fleeing Cuba. The boy was taken to Miami to live with relatives, but his father in Cuba demanded the boy be sent back.
US courts ultimately ruled Gonzalez should be sent back, though his Miami relatives refused to return him. In April 2000, US federal agents raided the family's home and he was returned to Cuba soon after.
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