Custody & Kidnapping

In general, a child’s parents are supposed to be the ones responsible for protecting the child. If someone else believes a child is being put in danger, s/he may have a few options but each may have consequences that are hard to predict. For example, a person may decide to make a report to the Child Protective Services agency in the state or to the police to report that a parent is exposing a child to danger by violating a protective order issued on the child’s behalf. If a respondent/parent is found to be in violation of the terms of a protective order, s/he can be arrested for violating the order. However, it may be the case that the petitioner/parent on the order may also be subject to penalties for ignoring the terms of an order put in place on behalf of the child - the penalties may be criminal ones and/or abuse/neglect charges from the Child Protective Services agency. Such penalties may lead to various outcomes, including one or both parents being arrested, a child being placed in foster care or the care of another relative, or other possible consequences. I want to emphasize that I am only speaking generally and I cannot say what may typically happen in STATE or what may possibly happen in your FILL IN’s case. Perhaps you may want to talk to a lawyer to seek advice as to what your options are and what the possible consequences may be to taking each option. Here is a link for lawyers in STATE, some of which may be free if you qualify. HYPERLINK
Also, in some situations, a non-parent who feels that a parent is unfit to raise may apply for custody. I don’t know if this is something you want to explore again but here is some basic custody information in case you are interested. HYPERLINK Again, talking to a lawyer about the chances of winning a custody case (if this is something you are thinking of), may be helpful to figure out what you want to do.