Until a child is 18 years old, their parent is responsible for their physical and mental well being. However, it is possible for guardians to lose their parental rights, either through divorce or by being a negligent or abuse parent. One does not have to be a child abuse lawyer in Michigan to know that losing custody of one’s child is not only heartbreaking, but also life-changing. Simply coming and going with your minor is not as easily done, and can warrant criminal charges. Such circumstances are seen in a recent case, a Michigan mother was charged with kidnapping after taking her son from his Ottawa Hills home.
Investigators searched all day for Ronald Root, a young boy who was reported missing from his home in Ottawa Hills on September 14th. According to the police report, the boy’s mother, Katrina Root, 36, abducted her son as a result of a custody dispute with her ex-husband. Police eventually caught up with Root at a McDonald’s off I-75, where she pulled over after running out of gas–she called the boy’s father for money, and he called law enforcement.
Ronald’s family believed that he was in danger because Root, a sufferer of bipolar disease, had allegedly threatened to hurt both herself and the child in the past. Additionally, the mother did not have custody of the boy. This was enough for law enforcement officials to arrest Root, and slap her with kidnapping charges in Michigan.
As seen for Katrina Root, losing one’s custody rights is a big deal that comes with life-changing consequences. Your rights as a parent will seriously be compromised, and no longer will you be able to just come and go with your child. Doing so anyway can bring serious criminal charges on a person, that can result in serious fines or even incarceration. To ensure that this does not happen to you, it is important to contact a hard-working and knowledgeable Children’s Protective Services lawyer in Michigan. Doing so immediately is the first step one can take to ensure that both you and your family are protected.
