The father of the three missing Morenci boys is being charged with three counts of parental kidnapping, Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said in a press conference at 3 p.m. Tuesday.Weeks said John Skelton was taken from the mental health facility where he had previously been held and moved to the Lucas County Jail in Toledo. The charges are in Lenawee County, but he was arrested in Lucas County because he had been held in a mental health facility there.When a criminal suspect in one state is arrested in another, authorities must go through an extradition process to transfer the suspect to the jurisdiction where the crime was committed. The suspect may challenge the extradition in court, but some choose to waive the hearing and accept being moved to where the crime happened.Weeks said Tuesday afternoon the extradition hearing to bring John Skelton to Lenawee County could happen as soon as Wednesday, but he hadn’t spoken with court officials in Lucas County to find out when that hearing would happen.Sgt. David Aungst of the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Department said he doesn’t know when to expect Skelton to be transported from Toledo to Adrian.Weeks said he didn’t know if Skelton had obtained an attorney yet.The news of Skelton’s arrest came as search crews continued to comb the countryside for signs of Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton. The boys were last seen on Thursday and reported missing on Friday after John Skelton didn’t return them to their mother’s house as scheduled.The search is set to resume at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Missing boys’ father being charged with parental kidnapping
Reporting by David Panian and Erik Gable / The Daily Telegram
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
