When the court creates an order for child custody, you and your ex-spouse must obey those orders. There are, of course, times when that might be impossible. For example, if your child falls ill, he or she may not be in a position to go to the other parent’s house because of a fever or sickness. On the whole, however, parents need to abide by the custody order.
When a parent doesn’t follow the custody orders on purpose and attempts to prevent the other parent from seeing his or her child, it’s called interference. Interference with child custody is a crime. Here’s an example.
If you and your spouse agree that your children may go on vacation in Florida but must return to Louisiana by the end of the month, it would be a violation of the custody order and your agreement to take the children to Florida this month and into next month without your permission. Parents who take their children from the other parent without returning them on the correct date can be accused of parental kidnapping, which is a serious criminal offense.
There are always exceptions to the rules, like if a parent flees with a child to protect him or her from the other parent. In those cases, it’s vital to get the authorities involved early on, so you know that you’re following the right legal pathway to restrict the other parent from seeing your child.
Your attorney can help you protect yourself and your child against interference or parental kidnapping. A good custody plan takes the potential for kidnapping into account when necessary.
Source: Daily World, “Interference with court ordered child custody is a crime,” Sheriff Bobby Guidroz, accessed Feb. 23, 2018
