The father of a 4-year-old boy has been engaged in a dispute with the child’s mother for nearly a year. He has made serious accusations against her and, at one point, took his son to live in another state. Since that time, however, the judge who oversees the case has repeatedly ordered the man to return his son to the state in which the mother lives. Kansas parents facing similar child custody problems may want to follow this case.
The mother reportedly suffered from substance abuse problems in the past, thus prompting the court to prohibit her from parenting her child. Such restrictions are no longer in place. However, the child’s father has refused to bring him back, despite at least six separate court orders to do so. In light of the man’s refusal to return the child, the judge has issued a warrant for his arrest.
At this time, the man is facing both criminal contempt and civil contempt proceedings. The judge in question said she is frustrated that the case has been delayed multiple times in the past 10 months. She herself has plans to retire come December and is therefore considering transferring the case to another judge to avoid additional delays down the line.
The father of the boy said his son has been receiving mental health therapy to help him cope with the child custody situation. He also stated that he believes it would be a detriment to his son to move him back to Illinois when he has been making great progress during therapy sessions. This is the type of situation where it can greatly benefit a concerned parent to act alongside an experienced Kansas family law attorney rather than try to resolve such problems without legal support.