Deseret News | Mother's 8-month ordeal ends with father's arrest

Reader comments
Mother's 8-month ordeal ends with father's arrest

Anonymous | 6:48 p.m. Feb. 18, 2009

I'm so glad she got them back relativelty quickly, although I'm sure each and every day was pure agony. Hopefully the mental damage can be undone because they were returned while still very young. I have a dear friend whose son was taken by his father when very young. She too got him back less than a year later. He is all grown now with a family of his own and seems none the worse for wear. He has a great relationship with his mom and even travels from a foreign country where he is now living, to visit her.

justme | 6:49 p.m. Feb. 18, 2009

I'm glad the children have been found and that they seem to be well. This guy seems to be an obvious crackpot, why did she marry him and have two chldren with him in the first place? Does she think living off the land, off the grid, is a good idea too? All these anti-tax, anti-government anarchists are always the first to call the police and expect everyone to "hop to it" as soon as they want help.

You can't have it both ways.

Time | 8:09 p.m. Feb. 18, 2009

I am glad they found these kids, But, the DNEWS needs to learn how to add correctly. They state its been 8 months to the day, Its been 7 Months to the day since July 18. I know 8 months sounds better than 7 for the story, but how clueless is the writer of this story to miss this basic math skill.

Comments continue below

Fathers rights? | 4:34 a.m. Feb. 19, 2009

In Utah fathers are given no rights to custody of children but fathers do have just as much right to custody as a mother. What the bigger issue is are the rights of fathers in divorce cases. He was forced to take actions that he deemed were his right to do. Although they were living off the land it was a choice he made to remain with his children and a life style to fight the injustice of the Utah courts. The only laws broken here are missed court appearances and by default judges decisions. If a mother had done this to take children and hide them from a father, she would be hailed a hero, even in the same adverse conditions. What the father did is more often done by women but they are never chastized or criticized or chased down by law enforcement, so why can't the father be hailed a hero too? Women and judges don't think men don't have feeling for their children but they are both in denial. And women think men can't raise children, but they do it all the time and with very good results and happy families.

Cheated by Utah | 8:15 a.m. Feb. 19, 2009

For much of my Daughters' 20 years of life I was kept from them by the State of Utah, Montana and the ridiculous system of Divorce in Utah. in 1979 I divorced their mother, paid my Child Support every month, had contact with my 2 children by phone for the first couple of years, after my ex took them out of state without my consent or knowledge. I barely was able to pay support, much less an attorney and the free legal services will not help a single father. I tried, after 20 years of Both states refusing to reveal the location of them, my daughters figured out who kept us apart and contacted me. Luckily they had not been brain-washed. After seeing the squalor and poverty my ex kept the kids in, it is a shame the welfare system allowed her to do this, I could have provided a much more stable life for them. Maybe I could have received the thousands of dollars that my ex wasted on herself and her affairs with men and used the monies for the children. Now the children see who is the dead-beat and it isn't me.

Rob | 8:17 a.m. Feb. 19, 2009

I think Fathers have as important role in their children's lives. When there is a court order to appear in court you have to appear in court. That is the law. This case has nothing to do with the Mom not letting the Dad see his children or any neglect or abuse from the Mom. This was a divorce case where the Mother followed the visitation schedule and the Father decided for no real reason to take off with the kids. That is abusive to the children. This was not his right to steal the kids away from the Mom. He wasn't even doing simple basic things like having coats for his kids when it was 20 degrees outside. He can live off the land all he wants but when it is hurting the kids then he is doing the wrong thing. What else was going on? Were the kids getting three meals a day? This is not about a Father's rights. This is about selfishness and total disregard for his children by taking them away from their Mom.

Granny T. | 8:28 a.m. Feb. 19, 2009

Men need to put coats on children when it is 20 degrees outside. Duhhhhhhhhhhh.

re: Cheated by Utah | 9:08 a.m. Feb. 19, 2009

After my parents divorce in the mid-80s, my mom forced us to move out-of-state too. She wouldn't let us talk to Dad until the day we left and everything was loaded. She treated Dad bad and regularly criticized him in front of us. In all those years Dad never let us down. He always paid child support, and because Mom was bad with money he regularly paid extra - often without being asked to do so. He traveled several time a year to visit us - sometimes just for one game or performance. he was not a rich man by any means. Every Sunday he called us, without fail. If found out years later that my mom had violated the divorce agreement by moving us away, as she knew the no one would do anything about it. In the end, all of Mom's criticisms and actions backfired on her. We only saw a loving and devoted father.

If this man told lies about their mother these kids will never forget they were used as pawns and manipulated, and they will love and appreciate their mother even more as they grow into adults.

Thanks | 9:27 a.m. Feb. 19, 2009

Kudos to those astute people that noticed the family outside without coats on. Smart thinking! Just keeping an eye out for those seemingly small things obviously made a big difference. I will be more aware from now on.

What?? | 9:36 a.m. Feb. 19, 2009

Hey Granny T, way to classify all men as being stupid. Evidently, you've had a lot of men issues throughout your life and think we are all the same. I am a loving father of a beautiful daughter and will soon have a baby boy. I would never leave either of them in the cold without a coat. Maybe you need to go back to school and learn a thing or two about generalization. Duhhhhhhhhhhh.

C.L. | 9:51 a.m. Feb. 19, 2009

Children need both parents. The biological parents of these kids should have had joint custody, then peace would be served. Something is truly wrong with Utah's justice system. Being handicapped all my life, I STILL cannot obtain Social Security benefits. Oregon's laws are more lenient and my family there had no problem obtaining their benefits for a simple disability. Something needs to be corrected here in Utah giving their people what they deserve.

The way it is | 9:56 a.m. Feb. 19, 2009

Utah does not view the father as equal to the mother. The father loses in most cases. My ex-sister-in-law took my nieces and nephew out of state before even filing for divorce. Even after the divorce she continually keeps the kids away from scheduled visitation and the State does nothing about it. That is the way it is here in Utah and apparently this man knew it was hopeless for any fairness here in Utah

lgu | 11:32 a.m. Feb. 19, 2009

dear "What??": Reread your comment carefully and then think about generalizations and also, about jumping to conclusions.

K | 12:01 p.m. Feb. 19, 2009

In a divorce children need both parents. I think they should get both parents everyday but that's just not possible. It is wrong for another not to handover the children at the appointed time to the other. It deprives the children of the other parent.

The dad taking the children and splitting for months seems a more unfair arrangement to me than 5/2 per week. Also unfair but now the dad will never see the kids again.

I hate divorce.

Sue | 1:00 p.m. Feb. 19, 2009

In every situations that I read on this site, people continually talk about Utah being backward, not fair to different groups, and on and on.
I have lived in Virginia, North Carolina and now California and I can tell you that those states are the same or very similar to Utah in regards to the laws.
My son in Virginia has been through so many court sessions with documentation stating his ex wife's mental problems, witnesses, documentation stating that she alienates the kids, etc. Same result--he has to pay child support and doesn't get to see his kids because she makes it impossible. The judge just keeps letting her get away with it.
So, it's not just Utah. It's the culture that says all mothers are wonderful and all dads are scum.

Be good to each other | 5:32 p.m. Feb. 19, 2009

Am I too unrealistic to just ask people to be less selfish, be more deliberate in selecting a spouse and in having children, and then, most importantly, keep your vows to one another and STAY MARRIED? Divorce is a harmful and shameful thing, and anyone who has chosen to walk this road should be ashamed of themselves, particularly if children were also involved. CUT IT OUT, PEOPLE! This is not a game, and failure should not be an option.

washcomom | 9:59 p.m. Feb. 19, 2009

That gray area needs to be more of a stream than a chasm. It's great to hear that the kids were found ALIVE and the dad was arrested for attempting to cross borders.

When State lines are crossed, that's when the warrants should be made - not when the Country's borders are crossed. In the midst of a divorce battle, the children should stay in the state of divorcement, even in the city of divorcement filings, until all is done. Once they are taken out of that area - boom! The law should go forth to prosecute.

Good luck, Mom!

Lancaster PA | 6:54 p.m. Feb. 22, 2009

Wayne Brown & his kids stayed at our Hotel in Strasburg, PA for two weeks. The guy was a little eccentric, but not appearing to be kidnapping material. He had a traveling buddy as well, which none of the news stories go into. Apparently this guy was snowballed too. Wayne really wanted to get "in" with an Amish family and work for room & board. One of my employees tipped off the police two days before the arrest. I think that's what really got the local police aware of the situation.
Wayne claimed all along that his wife was killed in a car accident. We believed him...Who knew?? It just goes to show that you never really no someone as good as you think you do.

Carissa | 2:37 p.m. Feb. 23, 2009

How do any of you commenting know for sure that joint custody would be best? You are not living with / lived with the father or mother. You are not the family dr or psychiatrist. No one should make such blanket statements. Mental health issues can be very complicated to diagnose and understand, especially when you are not living the situation. Worrying about your children when a spouse has mental health issues is something that you will only really understand if you are dealing with it. Please don't judge the whole case on your experiences alone. Every case is different but most importantly the children need to be protected. When the parent with mental issues doesn't tell the truth or believes their own thoughts are correct and propogates these ...it can be time consuming and difficult to really find the actual truth out.

nancy | 3:21 p.m. Feb. 23, 2009

Here in Canada ( North of Montreal) a man killed both his small kids this week, during his weekly visitation. The police need to take reports much more seriously when the parent does not return the kids on time, be it the mom or the dad.
Also, kids never know the whole story. I know someone who left her husband and the kids hated her for it. How could she tell them the truth that he had been seeing a prostitute and she is still being tested for AIDS? They think their dad is this great guy. So there is always alot to each story that we never get to know.

TT | 3:32 p.m. Feb. 23, 2009

Just a sad situation all around, I am a mom of 2, my kids are 10 and 8 years old, their father has not seen or supported them in the time since we have been gone, (7 years) I have given him the option to come and visit whenever he wanted to, plans were made and then something always came up, I finally got sick of talking to him,he would always call when he was drunk, and cut off contact. Am I wrong? I dont think so. In a few cases kids really are better off without their biological father, they have been raised by my fiancee for the past 6 years, and he is truly the best thing to ever come into their lives. Whatever this guys reasons for taking his kids, I am not saying he doesnt love them, but the way he did it is wrong, those kids must have suffered very greatly on an emotional level, the boy is autistic, my oldest son is autistic as well, and I can only imagine what that poor child has been through.

carlos | 8:45 a.m. March 17, 2009

Par for the course... Cops do nothing but buy a new round of donuts when parents abduct.. well, that's not entirely true.. sometimes when the abductor is a non-custodial male they do the right thing. Parental abduction is child abuse. Whether it's the mother or the father abducting the children it should always be treated as a criminal matter. I called the Durham, NC police when my son was abducted to Mexico and they asked me what I wanted them to do?! They didn't file a police report or enter my son in the NCIC missing persons database. They told me "you know he's in Mexico right?", "well then he's not missing" (I only traced them to Mexico via tracing emails). Neither my wife nor I had a formal custody order though we lived together. I had to hire a lawyer and get an emergency custody order before the police would even file a report or list my son in the NCIC. If you want the police to do anything to find your children just tell them they're missing and in danger, don't mention that it's parental abduction.

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