Missing Children on Sailboat

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by minaret

Too true. When they took his kids he was out of state, he lived in Florida and they gave the kids to a foster family in Louisiana where he was arrested. I would not be OK with that.

Ah... Not Actually Minaret. The children were at their grandparents home, with the wife's mother and father. On April 3rd, the guy got into their house, pulled a gun on the grandparents to ensure no resistance, bound them up and hit the road with his wife and the boys. Why the wife went along with all of this is beyond me but she did so, confirming that she isn't any more of a rocket scientist then is the husband.

Any chance this family, and particularly the little boys, had at a normal life went right down the toilet with such behavior.

The news on the story is being followed fairly closely at Bay News 9 - Tampa News, Weather, Traffic, Entertainment, Politics

[minaret]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

Ah... Not Actually Minaret. The children were at their grandparents home, with the wife's mother and father. On April 3rd, the guy got into their house, pulled a gun on the grandparents to ensure no resistance, bound them up and hit the road with his wife and the boys. Why the wife went along with all of this is beyond me but she did so, confirming that she isn't any more of a rocket scientist then is the husband.

Any chance this family, and particularly the little boys, had at a normal life went right down the toilet with such behavior.

The news on the story is being followed fairly closely at Bay News 9 - Tampa News, Weather, Traffic, Entertainment, Politics

Read the whole story. The first incident where he showed up with a gun demanding his kids back was at the foster families home in Louisiana. Note that when they said no he ran away instead of shooting anyone. The kids weren't moved back to Florida with their grandparents for some time.

[boatman61]

There's a lot of condemnation of the parents being generated from assumptions based on what seems like dubious info from the media and the 'law'....
Makes me wonder how these folk would react in this situation...
just sit back and say... "Ahh well... no worries Honey.. get yer knickers off and we'll make a couple more..."
Seems to me a non caring parent would be relieved to have the responsibility taken of his back... not risk life and liberty to get them back...
My 0.0000001centime

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by minaret

The kids weren't moved back to Florida with their grandparents for some time.

But the point is that they WERE moved back to Florida, and legal custody was granted to the grandparents, along with full visitation rights for the parents. They could see the kids anytime they wanted. They could spend as much time with them as they wanted.

Instead of spending time with their kids while they worked out the legal issues, though, they kidnapped them. Now they won't get to see their kids whenever they want, they'll only get to see them on visitation days. Dumb. Really, really dumb.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by jeanathon

Yes that is what I said. Reading it is a great skill!

You're right. My mistake. I hastily assumed that you were saying Cuba did not make the list of countries with which we have an extradition treaty. A closer look shows that the list was of those countries we do NOT have an extradition treaty with, and Cuba is NOT on that list. Oops. Color me embarrassed.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

You're right. My mistake. I hastily assumed that you were saying Cuba did not make the list of countries with which we have an extradition treaty. A closer look shows that the list was of those countries we do NOT have an extradition treaty with, and Cuba is NOT on that list. Oops. Color me embarrassed.

To err is human. No big deal. As long as you're correct more than 50% of the time you're good to go.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

But the point is that they WERE moved back to Florida, and legal custody was granted to the grandparents, along with full visitation rights for the parents. They could see the kids anytime they wanted. They could spend as much time with them as they wanted.

Instead of spending time with their kids while they worked out the legal issues, though, they kidnapped them. Now they won't get to see their kids whenever they want, they'll only get to see them on visitation days. Dumb. Really, really dumb.

Being a dumb trusting.. till proved otherwise... schmuck...
I'm still leaning in favour of the parents..
Its hard to think with your head and not your heart when you feel you've been personally wronged... they'd not been accused of maltreatment of the children.. who looked remarkably well and happy in the pic's... no abused, starved look with dead eye's there.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I'm still leaning in favour of the parents..

Not sure what you mean. Are you suggesting that what the parents did was NOT dumb? Given the outcome, which was virtually guaranteed right from the moment they stuck a gun in grandma's face, I don't see any other way to describe it.

If you are saying that they shouldn't have had custody taken away from them in the first place, I can see a reasonable argument for that. But then, that was my point in the posting that you quoted. If they had a reasonable argument for getting custody back, it was really, really stupid to go about it the way they did. They've gone from a situation where they had a chance to get their kids back, to a place where they will never again see their kids without a prison guard supervising the visit.

Thinking with their hearts instead of their heads? More like not thinking at all. They have made their own situation 1,000 times worse than it was. That's just dumb.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by boatman61

There's a lot of condemnation of the parents being generated from assumptions based on what seems like dubious info from the media and the 'law'....
Makes me wonder how these folk would react in this situation...
just sit back and say... "Ahh well... no worries Honey.. get yer knickers off and we'll make a couple more..."
Seems to me a non caring parent would be relieved to have the responsibility taken of his back... not risk life and liberty to get them back...
My 0.0000001centime

I work with the court system here as part of my retirement job. What we see over and over again is something very similar to this. Parents do really crazy stuff with kids, and often even give kids up voluntarily, then decided they want them back, with this cycle repeated over and over. It's fun to just have kids when you feel like raising them, and then drop them off with someone when you don't and then complain that the world doesn't serve you properly.

[Boatguy30]

I should point out there was some amount of seamanship involved to sail from Tampa direct to Havana with 2 small children on a 25 footer.......

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

Not sure what you mean. Are you suggesting that what the parents did was NOT dumb? Given the outcome, which was virtually guaranteed right from the moment they stuck a gun in grandma's face, I don't see any other way to describe it.

If you are saying that they shouldn't have had custody taken away from them in the first place, I can see a reasonable argument for that. But then, that was my point in the posting that you quoted. If they had a reasonable argument for getting custody back, it was really, really stupid to go about it the way they did. They've gone from a situation where they had a chance to get their kids back, to a place where they will never again see their kids without a prison guard supervising the visit.

Thinking with their hearts instead of their heads? More like not thinking at all. They have made their own situation 1,000 times worse than it was. That's just dumb.

I'm not saying it was not dumb... the planning was bad... the execution could have been a lot better and the destination was bound to be a problem given their nationality..
Better to have disappeared into the Bahamas and laid low amongst the Islands.. hell even the ICW would have been better in the back waters of NC to Georgia...
Fake ID's are easy enough to get... if you know where to go..
Had they tried the legal route and been knocked back..? were the GP's becoming awkward...? a lot of unknowns..
Easy to make judgement calls and decisions when it not me.. or you..

[Amapola]

The maternal grandparents were awarded custody of the children because of drug charges against the parents parents.

[s/v Beth]

I'm with boatman on this one. They never willingly gave up their kids. They had them taken away and they were disparate to get them back. Not bright? Absolutely. But not good parents? I think you would have to go beyond the story to figure that out. Sorry I just don't believe much the news says anymore.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Amapola

The maternal grandparents were awarded custody of the children because of drug charges against the parents parents.

Please correct me if I missed something. I was unable to find anything in any of the links that indicate any drug but Pot. If that is the criteria for child endangerment the state needs to get ready to place a few million more. Has the police record been made available yet? I continue to see nothing but inuendo.

As long as the system's machine only spoon feeds what they want you to believe I will assume the books are cooked. How do you tell if a politician is lying - lips are moving.

The synopsis for this could read; Engineer, veteran & father of two, along with his wife abandons all personal property and his country in a desperate attempt to regain his children wrongfully taken by the state. Taking nothing from their former life but the family dog, they fled the country in a small sailboat, runnig at night for safer shores.

It resembles "Sound Of Music". We don't know what really happened here and the authorities aren't talking. Remember, "inocent until proven guilty"

[endoftheroad]

I didn't read a couple pages but WOULD somebody get me an address in Cuba so I can send these guys some money and a congratulations.


Edit;
Sorry....I just read the two pages.
Didnt know they were back from Cuba.