The custody battle of a former football player has taken a bitter turn and Minnesota readers may be interested to learn the facts. The a district court recently issued a stay on the custody case of Mark Grabowski over his 11-year-old son, after he was accused of parental kidnapping. The judge also issued an order that suspended the father’s right to visit his son.
Prior to this incident, he had joint physical custody of his son with his wife. But his child custody agreement was suspended after he failed to return his son to his mother and the child was reported as missing. Shortly after that, the child was seen in an online video in which the boy claimed that he was not kidnapped and he just wanted to be away from his old life and start a new one. He also stated in the video that his mother abused him mentally and physically. The child was safe and was returned to his mother’s sole custody after a few weeks.
After that, his father was charged with unlawful retention of a child by a parent and his visiting rights were also suspended. He is out on a personal bond of $50,000 and is on an electronic tether.
The judge declined to lift the visitation suspension until she receives further information about the apparent kidnapping incident and also ordered a psychological evaluation of the child because she feels that the child may have been abused by both parents. The Circuit Court judge also ordered the attorney to submit the report of the child’s therapist to the court.
The Grabowski’s attorney commented that his parenting time has been suspended despite the fact that the child went with him willingly and not by force.
Child custody disputes can be difficult to resolve. However, it is always a good idea to get the best information about the potential legal options before any other action is taken.
Source: Detroit Free Press, “Ex-football player Mark Grabowski in custody battle” Christina Hall, Nov. 6, 2012