The prospect of losing custody of a child is a devastating thought for most parents. Occasionally, we hear of cases in Texas in which custody disputes lead parents to take reckless actions.
It appears that an Amber Alert was issued this morning when the mother of an 11-year-old Dallas child fled with the girl in tow when a custody worker came to remove the child from the care of her mother. According to a local report, the mother has a history with drug use.
A history of substances abuse or domestic violence will greatly impact any child custody proceedings. At times, parents will be so desperate not to relinquish custody of their child that they will take illegal actions. Not only will this further damage access to their parental rights, but it very often results in criminal charges.
However, it isn’t just addicts that can be driven to make poor decisions when faced with the stress of a custody dispute. Further, these illegal actions can manifest themselves in seemingly-less-serious manners outside of abduction. Spying on an ex-spouse, refusing an ex-spouse visitation or bribing an official have all lead to repercussions as well. The most important factor that parents often lose sight of is that taking such action is not in the best interest of the child.
If an individual is worried about access to their child, that individual would secure a much better outcome by seeking the assistance of an experienced family law attorney that can guide them in a court-approved manner to secure visitation rights if the parent cannot have custody.
Custody disputes can be heart wrenching. However, it is unfair when a child gets caught in the middle. If a parent wishes to protect their parental rights, a favorable outcome is available if an individual pursues legal remedies.
Source: Fox 4 News, “Amber Alert for missing girl spreads to North Texas,” Alice Wolke, Nov. 20, 2012
- For more information about protecting access to a child in a legal manner, please feel free to visit our Houston child custody page.