My son’s mother is a drug addict. When she did her last stint in rehab last year, her mother quit letting my son contact me. When she returned from rehab in late August, her mother had her arrested for domestic violence against her. While this was going on, the grandmother sold/abandoned her house and moved to Virginia. I filed custody papers immediately and was awarded full custody. What steps do I need to take to ensure no problems will arise when I pick my son up in Virginia? Can I just go up there and pick him up? Do I need the Police? Do I need to forward the court order to Virginia? HELP!!!! I want to pick my son up ASAP
#1 by Maxi on July 9, 2010 - 7:35 am
Contact the police in Virginia, tell them the situation, take your paperwork with you to show them, ask the police to attend with you to collect your son.
#2 by HOW LIFE WORKS on July 9, 2010 - 8:31 am
hello this is kidnapping call the cops, bring your papers
#3 by ouragon on July 9, 2010 - 8:38 am
Custody is a civil matter. The police will not get involved in it. Contact the court clerk where the order was decided and ask for advice. I suspect you need to attempt to pick up your child. If the grandma won’t produce him, you’ll have to return to court, where the judge will require her to produce the child under threat of Contempt of Court, which is a jailable offense. Good luck.
#4 by JP on July 9, 2010 - 9:19 am
I would go to the police with all of the info you have. Tell them your concerns. Be careful not to upset the child anymore that he already is. I would contact the police first and tell them you are coming and ask if they need anything else from you to help you. I would hate for you to get there and something come up. You need to check with the courts there to make sure she has not filed any other papers to go against you.
#5 by Judith on July 9, 2010 - 9:28 am
Definitely a good idea, to have the police escort you to her house. That way, she’ll know you mean business with the law on your side, and you’ll have their reports to back you up, when this all goes back to court again !!
#6 by ♥The Mrs.♥ on July 9, 2010 - 10:12 am
If you think there will be issues I would think you could ask for a police to be present.
#7 by George McCasland on July 9, 2010 - 11:05 am
I’m with Dads House Educational Groups for fathers. I have 21 years experience of working with fathers.
http://Dads-House.org/
You need to go to Virginia, to the county court house where the grandmother resides.
Register the order there and have it certified and stamped by the Clerk of the Court.
Contact the police and request officers join you at the grandmother’s home to act as “Keepers of the Peace”.
Carry a recorder in your pocket to keep a record of your contact. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO TELL HER YOU ARE RECORDING.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5912703_it_s-use-family-law-cases.html
Be cordial. Remind her that you will continue frequent contact between them. Consider following a long distance visitation schedule. This is one I suggest fathers request when a court is willing to allow a mother to move out of state with his child. Ignore the part about a Certified Bond.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5956851_put-living-100-miles-apart.html
If she refuses, the officers may or may not take action. Since this is not the mother, they should remove the child from her care, but they may ask that you first file an Interference With Custody Report and get a Warrant To Enforce from the prosecutor, so plan for being there a few days just in case.
Join Dads House and see if we have any members living in the area who can take you in and be of help.
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