There may be plenty of couples in Clarksville that choose to have a child yet not marry or even cohabitate. If a couple does choose to do this, the hope may be that the two can work out some sort of agreed parenting plan that can be submitted to a family court. Once that has happened, such an agreement is legally enforceable. However, if no such agreement is ever reached, the issue of who lawfully has custody of the child may remain up in there, even with state guidelines in place addressing such matters.
Authorities in Washington have cited the lack of such a custody agreement has having complicated a case involving a couple and their 17-month-old son. Law enforcement officials are currently investigating whether or not the boy’s mother had a hand in his recently being abducted. According to reports, the boy’s uncle forced his was way into the home were the toddler was staying and took him at gunpoint. The uncle was found a few hours later and arrested on multiple charges, including kidnapping. Fortunately, the boy was also found safe. Authorities have yet to officially charge the mother.
The couple involved in this custody dispute had no agreement in place outlining who should legally have possession of the boy. In such disputes, officials may find that their hands are tied in terms of deciding who a child should be with. Creating a custody agreement or parenting plan may not necessarily be a difficult process. A couple simply needs to work together to come up with an arrangement that is in both their best interests as well as that of the child. They then may wish to seek the assistance of a family law attorney to help submit their agreement to the court.
Source: KAPP “Custody battle leads to kidnapping a 17-month-old boy” Redinger, Jade, Feb. 28, 2017