Dad arrested in abduction of mother, 4-year-old daughter during visitation; dad had previous criminal history (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada)

Dad CHRISTOPHER ALAN MARTYN has been taken into custody on suspected abduction charges after he "allegedly" abducted his 4-year-old daughter and her mother during a scheduled child visitation pick up. Notice that the mom sought a "peace bond" (which I assume is the Canadian equivalent of an order of protection) after he threatened her. But despite all that, Daddy still had his child visitation rights, though he was supposed to have no contact with mom and make all visitation/access arrangements through her lawyer. Pure idiocy. What stupid judge thought that a guy who wasn't safe with Mom would be safe with her 4-year-old daughter? And notice that criminal behavior isn't new for Daddy either. This guy previously served time for manslaughter after he ran over a guy. And the judge didn't know about Dad's violent history? Or didn't care? Who was the moronic judge in this case anyway? Does any father with a pulse get automatic visitation/custodial rights? Sure looks like it.

http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Samantha+Martyn+mother+located+Regina+father+arrested/3246077/story.html

Samantha Martyn and mother located in Regina; father arrested

By Barb Pacholik, Leader-Post July 8, 2010 8:16 AM

REGINA — Restless worry gave way to exhausted relief Wednesday after a Regina mother and her four-year-old child were safely located, while the man at the centre of their disappearance was taken into custody.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m just ecstatic. I’m glad it turned out for the best,” said Sharon Sentes, the mother of Natasha Sentes and grandmother of four-year-old Samantha Martyn. “We stayed hopeful that everything would turn out fine. And thank God it did,” Sharon said in a brief interview shortly after learning of the pair’s return.

While Samantha appeared unharmed, police said her mother had some minor, “visible injuries,” but didn’t require hospital care.

Regina police investigators spent Wednesday questioning those involved in an Amber Alert that was issued after Natasha Sentes and her daughter disappeared Monday evening. When the Alert was issued, police expressed concern for the pair and said Samantha’s father Christopher Alan Martyn was suspected of abducting them. The 39-year-old Regina man served time for manslaughter in the early 1990s after running over an Oxbow businessman to whom Martyn owed money for car repairs.

“Right now we’re still treating it and investigating it as a suspected abduction,” Regina police spokeswoman Lara Guzik told reporters early Wednesday. “What we need to do is to figure out exactly what happened.” Charges still hadn’t been laid as of early Wednesday evening.

The hunt for the trio ended earlier in the day around 8 a.m. on a quiet, tree-lined, residential street in north Regina.

“Information was received by one of our investigators from a relative that the three were with him at that time,” explained Guzik. Relatives of Sentes said the young man who resides at the house at 1311 8th Ave. N. is not related to their family.

Neighbours saw plenty of police cars converge on the house, where the 2007 Ford Taurus that the trio was believed to have been travelling in was parked out front.

“I saw them put the handcuffs on,” said one resident as she left her home. “Excitement!”

Police said Martyn was taken into custody without incident.

Sentes’ sister Coralie was overcome by emotion after learning of everyone’s safe return. “It’s wonderful,” she said through tears. “I just want to say thank you to everybody. If you can just pass that on and let everybody know that we appreciate all their thoughts and their prayers,” she said. “It’s wonderful to know that everybody cares.”

At the very least, police said Martyn will be facing a charge of breaching his release conditions on a peace bond application. Estranged for a month from her former, long-time partner, Sentes had sought a peace bond against Martyn about three weeks ago on the basis that he had allegedly threatened her. He was released June 17 with a condition not to have contact with the 34-year-old woman except through a lawyer for the purpose of arranging access to Samantha. The application was to be back in court July 21.

Martyn picked up his daughter for a pre-arranged visit at 6:15 p.m. Monday from a Regina house, believed to be his parents’ home. The father and daughter were last seen three hours later in a local restaurant.

Sentes got off work around 10:30 p.m. from Evraz Place, where she worked in food services during a concert, and was supposed to pick up her daughter. Police haven’t said where that was to occur.

By 1 a.m. Tuesday, a friend of Sentes called police out of concern for the welfare of Sentes and her daughter. The Amber Alert was issued about 11 hours later, then subsequently expanded from Saskatchewan to also include Manitoba, Montana, and North Dakota.

Police have confirmed the trio did make it at least as far as Manitou, Manitoba, about 540 kilometres away from Regina. The father and daughter were captured on a video camera around 7 a.m. Tuesday at a service station in that community. It’s believed Sentes was in the front seat of the vehicle.

The video, released late Tuesday evening, shows the little girl dressed in pink and holding a treat in her hand, while Martyn carries two bottles of water. He holds open the car’s back door for his daughter before climbing into the front. It’s believed Sentes was in the passenger seat.

Guzik said more than 40 tips, including one that led police to that service station video, poured in because of the Amber Alert. Guzik was unsure exactly what prompted Martyn to return to Regina, but she did note the situation had become news provincially, nationally and internationally.

“We are pleased that everybody is home safe. And now it’s a matter of letting the investigation take its course. It takes time to be thorough, and we definitely at this point need to be thorough and accurate in our investigative process,” Guzik said.

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