Pennsylvania Mother Defies Custody Order and Goes to Jail

By Sheryl Rentz on March 16, 2010

A timeonline.com article reports that a former Beaver County mother was sent to jail for up to six months for violating court orders when she took her son to Turkey without legal permission and then did not return until four years later. The woman had ignored multiple court orders demanding that she return her 11-year-old son to Beaver County.

When the couple initially separated in 2006, the mother was granted primary custody and the father was given visitation rights. Later that year, the mother took their son to Turkey for a vacation but did not return, despite a court order that stipulated they had to be back by the end of summer.

Subsequently, courts in both Pennsylvania and Turkey ruled that she was in violation of the custody order and was required to return to Beaver County with her son. She and the boy returned in late January 2010 so that she could attend a contempt hearing. The judge granted the father temporary primary custody and the mother was sentenced to jail.

It is not uncommon for parents to want sole custody of a child after a separation. There are many reasons a parent might be compelled to keep a child away from the other parent. If domestic violence or child abuse is a factor, there are legal avenues to pursue to protect the child. Whatever the case, spiriting a child out of state or out of the country only complicates the matter, and as in this case, may work against the parent who is trying to maintain full custody.

While all custody disputes have a measure of complexity, cross-state and international cases are particularly difficult. The experienced Philadelphia child custody lawyers at Sheryl R. Rentz are equipped to defend your rights as a custodial parent and to safeguard the well-being of your child. Please call the Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz for a free and confidential evaluation.

Source:http://www.timesonline.com/bct_news/news_details/article/1504/2010/february/02/mom-jailed-over-custody-dispute-could-be-released-friday.html