Three arrested for taking baby from neglectful custodial dad, returning child to out-of state mother (Bay County, Florida)

This is a weird story. UNNAMED DAD appears to be custodial, or at least have extensive custodial time. He is in Florida, sleeping, while the one-year-old baby was unattended, playing in the living room (basically child neglect, or borderline child neglect). Daddy's roommate, the roommate's mom, and the roommate's sister apparently come by the house and become disgusted, and out of concern for the child's welfare, take the child with them. Sleeping beauty dude apparently wakes up around midnight and realizes the baby is gone (Wow, dude. You finally noticed.) Then these concerned people somehow made contact with the grandparents, who picked up the baby and returned her to the (apparently non-custodial) mother in Alabama.

But notice that Daddy isn't getting hammered for neglect. The people who intervened on this child's behalf are being charged with "interference with child custody."

But how or why did sleeping beauty dude get custody? No explanation. Needless to say, it's INSANE that an out-of-state father would even get visitation with an infant this young. And notice that all the comments are pro-daddy. I'm sure if mom was caught snoozing while a one-year old was wandering around unattended, there would be NO sympathy.

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/taking-28441-bay-county.html

3 charged with taking baby from sleeping dad
April 28, 2010 6:46 AM
Florida Freedom Newspapers

BAY COUNTY -- A woman and her grown children were arrested Tuesday on charges of taking a one-year-old child from its father and sending it to Birmingham, Ala., according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.

Jeannette James, 49, of Harbor Boulevard, was charged with interference with child custody. Her daughter, 25-year-old Christina James, also was arrested on the charge. Her son, 24-year-old Joshua James was charged with being a principal to the crime.

The child’s father (Joshua James’ roommate) called 911 from his home on Beach Drive about midnight Tuesday when he couldn’t find his child, according to the BCSO. Authorities issued a lookout alert.

Deputies arrived and spoke with Joshua James, who said he didn’t know where the child was, but his sister Christina might. Deputies then found Christina and her mother Jeannette, who eventually said she came over to the Beach Drive home and saw the child’s father asleep and no one awake to watch the child, who was playing in the living room.

“Jeannette James stated she was concerned for the welfare of the child and that she and Christina and Joshua took the child without telling the father,” BCSO spokeswoman Ruth Corley wrote Tuesday.

Jeannette said she met the child’s grandparents at the state line and gave them the child. The grandparents, in turn, were to take the child to its mother in Birmingham.

Authorities in Alabama made contact with the mother, who did have the child. She and the father agreed to make custody arrangements later, Corley said.