Amber Alert: 4-year-old Cole and 2-year-old Chase Hakken,4/3/2013 SAFE

[grace-land]

http://myfox8.com/2013/04/08/search-for-u-s-couple-their-missing-sons-focuses-on-cuba/

Search for U.S. couple, their missing sons focuses on Cuba
Posted on: 10:08 pm, April 8, 2013

(CNN) — The search for a U.S. man who allegedly abducted his two young sons last week focused Monday on Cuba, with a Florida sheriff’s department saying it had received information that the man, his wife and sons had arrived in the island nation, possibly by sailboat.

A State Department official in Washington told CNN that the U.S. Interest Section in Havana “is aware of this case and is in contact with local authorities to get more information.” The official would not comment further, citing “privacy considerations.”
 ::snipping2::
In Havana, Lynn Roche, an official with the U.S. Interest Section, said section officials couldn’t discuss any case of an American who hasn’t signed a privacy act waiver.

And an official with Cuba’s foreign ministry said Monday evening that his agency was unaware of the case and had not received any requests for help from U.S. officials.
 ::snipping2::
There is no extradition treaty between Cuba and the United States, although there have been recent cases in which Americans sought for crimes in the United States and discovered in Havana have been sent back by the Cubans.

The FBI currently estimates there are around 70 fugitives from U.S. justice in Cuba, which is one of the reasons Cuba remains on the U.S. list of countries that support state terrorism. Most of the American fugitives in Cuba have been there for decades and have ties to revolutionary movements or radical groups.
 ::snipping2::

[grace-land]

http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2013/4/9/amber_alert_sheriff_.html

AMBER ALERT: Sheriff's office says missing family may be in Cuba
Last Updated: Tuesday, April 09, 2013, 10:27 AM

TAMPA --
The Tampa family that has been the subject of an Amber Alert for almost a week may be in Cuba.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, information was received on Monday indicating the family arrived in Cuba via their sailboat.

El Nuevo Herald, the Miami Herald's Spanish-language newspaper is confirming the Hakken's are in Cuba. The family is being attended to by U.S. consular officials. A spokesman for the sheriff's office says it is working with the FBI and the US State Dept. to confirm this.
 ::snipping2::
Late last week, officials discovered that Joshua Hakken recently purchased a sailboat and at least one witness remembered seeing the family sail out of John's Pass towards the Gulf of Mexico.

Now, officials are saying the series of events appear to be a well-planned parental-child abduction as the Hakkens managed to stay a step ahead of authorities and may have made it to foreign soil. Authorities say it may be difficult for the U.S. to extradite them.

The sheriff's office can't answer many more questions because the FBI and US State Department are now involved.

Cuba has no international or bilateral treaties in place with the U.S. dealing with parental-child abduction.

Also, the state department says Cuba does not participate in the Hague Convention, which is an agreement between some 70 countries to return U.S. children that have been abducted.

And, Cuba does not recognize U.S. court orders. That means even though the U.S. took child custody away from the Hakkens, in Cuba officials eyes, Joshua and Sharyn Hakken are still the boys parents.
 ::snipping2::

[grace-land]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/09/us/florida-children-abducted/

Hakken family located in Cuban marina 
updated 12:15 PM EDT, Tue April 9, 2013

 ::snipping2::
On Tuesday, CNN spotted the sailboat at the Hemingway Marina in Havana.

A man on board identified himself to CNN as Josh Hakken, but declined to answer questions. Cuban security at the scene asked a CNN reported to leave.

The man, who fit Hakken's description, was with a woman who fits the description of his wife. A child was seen playing in the back of the blue sailboat.

The family survived a treacherous journey on rough seas to get to Cuba.

Authorities believe Josh Hakken abducted his sons Chase, 2, and Cole, 4, early Wednesday after breaking into the Florida home of the children's grandmother and tying her up.

The U.S. Interest Section in Havana "is aware of this case and is in contact with local authorities to get more information," a State Department official in Washington told CNN Tuesday. The official would not comment further, citing "privacy considerations."

But a source close to the search told CNN that Cuban officials are cooperating with U.S. authorities in the case. The source declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.
 ::snipping2::

[grace-land]

http://tbo.com/news/crime/arrival-in-cuba-of-hakkens-sons-not-yet-confirmed-b82475725z1

CNN: Hakkens, getaway boat in Havana marina
Published: April 9, 2013


PHOTO FROM VIDEO
This video footage from CNN shows one of the boys on the deck of the boat as it is docked in Cuba.

 ::snipping2::
It is about 330 miles from Tampa Bay south to Havana, Cuba’s capital on the northwest shore.

It wasn't immediately clear what, if anything, authorities could do to retrieve the family from Cuba.

The Hakkens' legal status in communist Cuba would be in question. Americans are allowed by their own country to obtain Cuba travel licenses only for academic, religious, journalistic or cultural exchange trips.

According to the State Department website, “entering Cuban territory, territorial waters or airspace (generally within 12 nautical miles of the Cuban coast) without prior authorization from the Cuban government may result in arrest or other enforcement action by Cuban authorities.”

The sheriff's office has issued an arrest warrant for Joshua Hakken on charges of kidnapping and several other counts.

[grace-land]

http://www.melfortjournal.com/2013/04/09/man-who-fled-florida-after-taking-two-sons-sighted-in-cuba

Man who fled Florida after taking two sons sighted in Cuba    
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 1:46:44 CST PM

HAVANA - A man accused of kidnapping his two young sons in Florida and fleeing with them by boat was seen in Cuba on Tuesday, where he was believed to be holed up with his wife and children at a marina outside the capital.

Reporters from Reuters and other media outlets attempted to speak with the man, Joshua Hakken, when he appeared briefly to stow away some gear and secure the hatch on a small blue and white sailboat named Salty at the Hemingway Marina near Havana.

But Hakken, a stocky man who was bearded and wearing shorts and a dark green baseball cap, shook his head ‘no’ when asked if would answer any questions.

He then disappeared into a nearby building, which was roped off, and a Cuban man who identified himself as a “dockmaster” said Hakken and his family were clients of the marina and did not want to be interviewed.

Plainclothes security guards equipped with walkie-talkies at the marina prevented reporters from asking any further questions of Hakken, a fugitive from U.S. justice, after he entered the dockside building.

It was unclear exactly when Hakken arrived in Cuba or whether Cuban immigration or U.S. consular officials were dealing with him and his family inside the building.

The cockpit of the Salty, which has a distinctive paw mark emblazoned on one side of the hull, was cluttered with various items including two child car seats with towels draped over them and a travel carrier for a dog or cat.
 ::snipping2::

[grace-land]

 

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/04/09/missing-florida-children-located-in-cuban-marina/
Cuba Will Turn Over Missing Florida Family
April 9, 2013 5:05 PM

HAVANA, CUBA (CBSMiami) – Cuba said late Tuesday afternoon it would send a Florida couple who allegedly kidnapped their own children back to the United States after the family fled to a Havana harbor.

The family was located by a CNN reporter Tuesday when he ran into the father, Josh Hakken, Tuesday on a boat named Salty at a Havana marina. Cuban security asked CNN to leave the scene when the family was first spotted.

Foreign Ministry official Johana Tablada told The Associated Press in a written statement Tuesday that Cuba had informed U.S. authorities of the country’s decision to turn over Joshua Michael Hakken, his wife Sharyn and their two young boys. She did not say when the handover would occur.
 ::snipping2::

[grace-land]

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_hillsborough/cnn-did-get-video-of-the-hakken-family-aboard-their-sailboat-at-hemingway-marina-in-Havana

Cuba to turn Amber Alert parents over to US.
Posted: 4:29 PM
Last Updated: 19 minutes ago

 ::snipping2::
Oppman said he spotted one of the little boys playing aboard the boat but could not identify which one.  He also spotted Sharyn Hakken and briefly spoke with her.

"I said, 'You know people are very worried about if your children were OK.  I said people are very worried about your children.  Are they OK?'  She said yes.  She nodded her head and indicated that both are OK," Oppman said.

Also spotted on board was Joshua Hakken.  Oppman said he did approach him and asked him if he was Joshua.

"He said, 'Yeah I am Josh, who are you?'"

When Oppmann told Hakken he was a reporter, Hakken allegedly got upset and stormed off the boat.

Oppman recently tweeted his sources are telling him U.S. and Cuban officials are cooperating to protect the Hakken children.

[sharon]

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Cuba-Says-It-Will-Turn-Over-To-United-States-Parents-Who-Allegedly-Fled-With-Kidnapped-Children-202195721.html

Cuba Says It Will Turn Over to United States Parents Who Allegedly Fled with Kidnapped Children
Cuba says it will turn over to U.S. Florida parents who allegedly fled with kidnapped children, The Associated Press reports.
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2013  |  Updated 7:46 PM EDT

Cuba said it will turn over to the United States a Florida couple who allegedly kidnapped their own children from the mother's parents and fled by boat to Havana, ending days of drama that recalled the Elian Gonzalez custody battle of more than a decade ago.

Foreign Ministry official Johana Tablada said in a written statement Tuesday that Cuba had informed U.S. authorities of the country's decision to turn over Joshua Michael Hakken, 35, his wife Sharyn, 34, and their two young boys. She did not say when the handover would occur.

 ::snipping2::

Hakken lost custody of his sons last year after a drug possession arrest in Louisiana and later tried to take the children from a foster home at gunpoint, authorities said. A warrant has been issued for his arrest on two counts of kidnapping; interference with child custody; child neglect; false imprisonment and other charges.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Hakken entered his mother-in-law's Florida house last Wednesday, tied her up and fled with his sons. Federal, state and local authorities searched by air and sea for a boat Hakken had recently bought. The truck Hakken, his wife and the boys had been traveling in was found Thursday, abandoned in Madeira Beach, Florida.

Their flight to Cuba recalls the child custody case that set the two Cold War foes feuding in 1999. That year, 5-year-old Elian Gonzalez was found clinging to an inner tube off Florida after his mother and others drowned while fleeing Cuba toward American soil. The boy was taken to Miami to live with relatives, but his father in Cuba demanded the boy be sent back.

U.S. courts ultimately ruled Gonzalez should be sent back, though his Miami relatives refused to return him. In April 2000, U.S. federal agents raided the family's home and he was returned to Cuba soon after. He has since grown into a young man and joined a military academy.

At the Havana marina on Tuesday, the family showed no sign they knew a decision about their fate had been made. The four strolled by an outdoor restaurant as security officials kept reporters at a distance.

The youngest child was seated in a stroller and the elder boy sat down on a curb. A woman who resembled Sharyn Hakken was seen on the boat.

Cuban officials told reporters not to take pictures of the family or the boat, which bore the name Salty and had a paw print on its side.

Andrew Zych, a Canadian docked in a sailboat steps away from the Hakkens, said the family had arrived recently and seemed normal.

"I liked the way they played with the kids," he said, adding he was surprised to learn of events in the U.S.

[grace-land]

http://www.610kvnu.com/world/bb49d3f103a38d2d8712ccc861e8fc21

Cuba Will Turn Over American Parents Who Fled to Country with Kidnapped Children
Posted today at 5:21pm

Hillsborough County Sheriff(HAVANA, Cuba) -- Cuban officials said Tuesday they will turn over the American parents who are accused of fleeing to the island country from Florida with their kidnapped sons.

It was not immediately known when Cuba planned to turn over Joshua Hakken, 35, his wife Sharyn Hakken, 34, and their two young sons, Cole, 4, and Chase, 2.

The Hakkens arrived in the Hemingway Marina in Havana on April 7 aboard their sailboat, Salty Paw, under unfavorable sailing conditions, according to a statement from the Cuban Foreign Ministry.

The next day, Cuban officials said they became aware the Hakkens were wanted in an abduction case and contacted U.S. officials in Havana.

Cuba does not have an extradition treaty with the United States. However, the Cuban Foreign Ministry said it remained in frequent diplomatic communication with U.S. Interests Section in Havana regarding the situation.

The Hakken family was spotted by ABC News Tuesday getting off the boat in Havana and being escorted by government officials. Joshua Hakken and his sons were accompanied to a restaurant on the marina by dozens of Cuban government officials, while Sharyn Hakken was seen being driven away in a government vehicle, according to an ABC News producer in Havana.
 ::snipping2::
-------------------------
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/cnn-spots-hakken-family-in-havana-marina/2114034
Cuba returning Hakkens to U.S.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 12:31pm

 ::snipping2::
She did not say when the hand-over would occur, but the Associated Press reported Tuesday evening that reporters saw Sharyn Hakken leaving the dock of Havana's Hemingway Marina in the back seat of a Cuban government vehicle, and workers later said that all four Hakkens had been taken away.
 ::snipping2::

[cw618]

great news,
 
i was worried,if josh was an accomplished sailor,a little about the Marina Hemingway

Marina Hemingway, run by the governmental Cubanacán, is Cuba's largest marina with an official capacity of up to 400 vessels. In reality, there are closer to 100 slips that are usable - the others needing repair and installation of basic marina services (power & water).

Mariners will find the entrance to the marina challenging and should only be attempted in relatively calm conditions. Vessels must navigate a very narrow channel with shallow coral on either side to enter Marina Hemingway. Nighttime entry is particularly dangerous and should be avoided as the channel marker lights are difficult to distinguish from city lights in their background.

Vessels approaching the entrance to Marina Hemingway should hail the port captain on VHF channel 16 or 72, or over SSB 7462.
http://www.hemingwaycuba.com/marina-hemingway-cuba.html

[cw618]

Florida abduction: A libertarian washed ashore in the worker's paradise
By Matt Smith, CNN
updated 8:29 PM EDT, Tue April 9, 2013
vid @ link
 ::snipping2::
(CNN) -- Online acquaintances wished fair winds and following seas to Joshua Hakken as he fled to Cuba, a strange refuge for a professed fan of Ron Paul.
 
Hakken, his wife and their two sons, 2-year-old Chase and 4-year-old Cole, were at a marina on the communist-ruled island when CNN found them aboard their small sailboat Tuesday. Florida authorities believe Hakken sailed there after abducting the two boys from the Tampa home of their grandmother, who was granted custody after Hakken's 2012 arrest on drug charges in Louisiana.
 
"This all just seems like the government is yet again making real criminals out of non-violent peaceful freedom lovers," wrote one commenter on "Adam Vs. The Man," a libertarian web forum.
 ::snipping2::
Both Hakken and his wife, Sharyn, held professional engineering certificates -- hers in civil engineering, his in the mechanical and fire-protection specialties, according to state records.
 
After high school, he attended the Air Force Academy in Colorado from June 1996 to May 1998, academy spokesman Meade Warthen told CNN. Online, Hakken said he left because of a previously undiagnosed spinal condition; Warthen said the academy couldn't comment on the reason for his withdrawal
 ::snipping2::
The couple's legal woes began last June with what police called a "disturbance" at a hotel in Slidell, Louisiana, just east of New Orleans.
 
"When police arrived, both Mr. and Mrs. Hakken were acting in a bizarre manner that alarmed officers," a Slidell police statement recounts. "They were talking about 'completing their ultimate journey' and were traveling across the country to 'take a journey to the Armageddon.' Let it be noted that both of their children were present in the hotel room at the time."
 
Police said they found both drugs and weapons in the room and called in the state Office of Child Services, which "determined that the children were in danger" and took them into their custody. Hakken was charged with marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and the use of a controlled substance around minors; "Officers also took custody of several weapons for safe keeping."
 ::snipping2::
The children were put into foster care with a family in Tangipahoa Parish, north of Lake Pontchartrain. Two weeks after the arrest, the foster mother called 911 and told dispatchers, "I need a cop now. I have a guy at my house with a gun."
 
"I have two foster children, and it's their dad ... I don't hear banging, but I'm not getting out 'til a cop car gets here," she said.
 
Hakken left without the boys, who later were sent to live with Patricia Hauser, Sharyn Hakken's mother, in Tampa. On April 2, a Louisiana court terminated the couple's parental rights, investigators say.
 
The following day, Hillsborough County authorities say Hakken entered Hauser's home, tied her up and took off in her Toyota Camry with the boys. Three and a half hours later, surveillance video captured their recently-purchased sailboat heading into the Gulf of Mexico.
more @ link
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/09/us/florida-hakken-profile/index.html

[grace-land]

http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/article/310069/250/Authorities-headed-to-Cuba-to-pick-up-the-Hakkens

Authorities headed to Cuba to pick up the Hakkens
11:31 PM, Apr 9, 2013

TAMPA, Florida -- Cuba has agreed to return the Hakken family to the United States. 10 News has learned all four family members will be coming back to Tampa.
 ::snipping2::
The U.S. says it's received exceptional cooperation from Cuba.
 Cuba tipped off the State Department to the Hakkens' presence on Sunday, and from that moment the plan to return them was on.

Right now, it's not clear when the handover will happen. When the family arrives they'll be checked out at the hospital, the parents will be arrested, and the boys will be reunited with their maternal grandparents, who have permanent custody of them.
 ::snipping2::

[grace-land]

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_hillsborough/fbi-agents-say-they-treated-the-kidnapping-of-the-hakken-boys-as-a-hostage-situation

FBI agents say they treated the kidnapping of the Hakken boys as a hostage situation
Posted: 12:09 AM
Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

TAMPA, FL - FBI agents and Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies say the Hakken family is in custody and headed back to the Tampa Bay area.

According to agents, Joshua and Sharyn Hakken are handcuffed, and not seated with their children.  They also said there are victim's advocates and counselors working with Cole and Chase.
 ::snipping2::
GRANDPARENTS MAKE STATEMENT
Bob and Pat Hauser said they did have a phone conversation with their grandsons before they took off for the U.S.  They said they are thankful to all the law enforcement that helped in this search and for bringing these boys safe.

"The Cuban government was amazing," said Bob Hauser.
 ::snipping2::
WHAT'S NEXT
FBI agents could not say if the Hakkens tried to run or cooperated with the authorities.  They also could not say whether there were guns on board the sailboat.

In the next 24 hours, the Hakkens will be booked into the Hillsborough County Jail and the children will be returned to their maternal grandparents.

The Hakkens are also facing federal charges.

The family dog, a rat terrier name Natti, was also on the sailboat.  FBI agents say they have custody of the dog and the dog will be given to the boys once they land.

[Nut44x4]

Safe
will move

[MuffyBee]

Safe
will move

Thank you Nut.  I hope the children can be reunited with their grandparents & their little dog "Natti" soon.

Joshua and Sharyn Hakken are headed to jail where they belong. 

[grace-land]

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_tampa/Hakken-parents-arrested-and-charged-children-safe-

Hakken parents arrested and charged, children safe
Young brothers back safe with their grandparents
Posted: 8:21 AM
Last Updated: 14 minutes ago

TAMPA - Joshua and Sharyn Hakken are now behind bars after days of running from the law with their children.

They were booked into the Orient Road jail in Hillsborough County around 4:00 Wednesday morning.  Both of them shackled at the ankles and the wrists with nothing to say to reporters who fired questions at them regarding the alleged kidnapping.

The Hakkens are facing a slew of charges including kidnapping, interference in child custody, child neglect and grand theft auto after allegedly abducting their children from their maternal grandmother's Tampa home.
 ::snipping2::
Both Sharyn and Joshua Hakken are scheduled to make their first appearances in front of a Hillsborough County judge Thursday morning at 8:00.

[grace-land]

Video at link

http://abcnews.go.com/US/parents-cuba-kidnap-case-isolated-jail-population/story?id=18920393#.UWYIrL4o7IV

Parents in Cuba Kidnap Case Isolated From Jail Population
April 10, 2013

The American parents accused of fleeing to Cuba with their kidnapped sons are being isolated at a Florida jail for their safety as they await their first court date, a jail official told ABCNews.com.

Although Joshua Hakken, 35, and Sharyn Hakken, 34, are being held in their own cells at the Hillsborough County Jail, they are receiving no special treatment, Corporal Howard Lindsey said.

"In any case that is high profile, when they first arrive here we try to segregate them from the general population until the hype calms down," Lindsey said.

The Hakkens were returned to the United States early this morning in the custody of FBI agents before they were booked into the Hillsborough County Jail.

Their sons, Cole 4, and Chase, 2, who were also on board the flight from Cuba, were returned to the custody of their maternal grandparents.

A few hours before the plane landed, authorities held a news conference and said both parents are facing kidnapping, child interference with child custody and neglect charges. Joshua Hakken is facing grand theft auto, false imprisonment, battery and burglary. Hakken is also facing a federal charge for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. The couple is scheduled to make their first court appearance on Thursday.
 ::snipping2::

[grace-land]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57578940/u.s-couple-who-fled-to-cuba-with-kids-vowed-journey-to-the-armageddon/

April 10, 2013, 3:55 PM 
Police: U.S. couple who fled to Cuba with kids vowed "journey to the Armageddon"

TAMPA, Fla. Joshua and Sharyn Hakken seemed to have a charmed life, doting on their two young boys, buying a comfortable home and building successful careers as engineers. It all derailed last year when police in Louisiana found the family inside a hotel room with drugs, weapons and promises from the parents to take "a journey to the Armageddon."
 ::snipping2::
Friends of the couple said the family seemed happy and had no marital problems.

"This is a train that went completely off the tracks, and I don't have any explanation for how it can go off the track that badly basically in a year and a half. It's very bizarre," said Darrell Hanecki, who employed Sharyn Hakken for nearly a decade at Hanecki Consulting Engineers.
 ::snipping2::

[grace-land]

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/article/310241/8/Could-the-Hakkens-ever-get-parental-rights-restored

Could Joshua and Sharyn Hakken ever get parental rights restored?
4:46 PM, Apr 10, 2013

 ::snipping2::
Sharyn, whose charges suggest was part of the plan, faces two counts of kidnapping and interfering with child custody. Joshua faces the same, plus a false imprisonment charge for tying up his mother-in-law during the kidnapping.

If convicted on the charges, the Hakkens like face several years behind bars, but it's feasible that one or both of them could be released while their sons are still minors.

DCF officials say if the grandparents -- still technically foster parents -- legally adopt the boys, then Sharyn and Joshua would lose any chance of ever having their parental rights restored.

But if the Hausers don't adopt the boys, the Hakkens could eventually try to re-establish ties.

"They're going to have to go through a home study. They're gonna have to get a background check, they're gonna have to go through that entire process," said Terri Durdaller, a spokesperson for DCF.

In the end, the Hakkens may actually want the grandparents to adopt the children. The Hausers would then at least have the authority to let the Hakkens visit the kids, which the state would ban them from doing.

Although the Hakkens could be assigned a bond on Thursday, don't expect the couple to be released any time soon. The federal government has also placed a "hold" on Joshua and Sharyn for "unlawful flight."
 

[grace-land]

http://www.thespectrum.com/usatoday/article/2073559

Fla. couple accused of kidnapping kids denied bail
Apr. 11, 2013 10:29 AM

A judge ordered two Florida parents charged with kidnapping their boys in a custody dispute and fleeing to Cuba by sailboat to remain in jail without bond until at least Monday.

Prosecutors requested a pretrial detention hearing set for Monday morning, the Tampa Bay Times reported, during which witnesses could be brought forward to make a case for denying the couple bail.

"If in fact (prosecutors) present the proper evidence, you can be held without bond for the duration of your case," Circuit Judge Walter Heinrich explained to the couple during their first court appearance Thursday morning, according to the Times.

Heinrich also ordered Joshua and Sharyn Hakken to have no contact with any of the victims or witnesses in the case. The two face charges including kidnapping, child neglect, false imprisonment, burglary and interference with custody.

The Hakkens are being represented by public defenders after they said they did not have enough money for private council, according to WTSP-TV.
 ::snipping2::