A Tennessee woman received 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to international parental kidnapping, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Monday.
Kate Carson, a 38-year-old from Lewisburg, relocated to Portugal with her nine-year-old son in 2023, according to the DOJ. At the time, Carson was going through a custody battle with her ex-husband. The Detroit News reported that Carson and her ex-husband divorced “soon after” the birth of their son in 2014.
A family court judge had allowed Carson and the son to take a visit to Portugal, but they were still required to come back to America, the DOJ stated.
However, Carson sent a letter to notify the judge that she would not be returning to America, the DOJ noted.
After the son’s father began using his rights in the International Criminal Court, Carson and the son fled to Indonesia, which does not have an extradition treaty with America, the DOJ said.
Even after fleeing, the DOJ stated Carson attempted to pay the son’s father money to stop his pursuit of getting custody and ending his cooperation with law enforcement.
By October 2024, Carson had become an international fugitive after being indicted by a Nashville grand jury for international parental kidnapping, the DOJ noted.
Indonesian immigration authorities attempted to expel Carson from the country, but she did not comply. Thus, they detained her where she briefly escaped from an Indonesian detention facility and went to another part of Indonesia with the son and family members, the DOJ stated.
However, Indonesian immigration authorities were able to apprehend Carson and send her back to America.
The son was reunited with his father and is undergoing counseling services, the DOJ said.
Carson will be required to serve one year of supervised release following her completion of her prison sentence. The DOJ stated a judge has prohibited Carson from contacting the son without approval from a family court.
“Protecting vulnerable children from harm is the highest priority of our office,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “Kate Carson kidnapped her young son in full defiance of family court orders because she thought she knew better. She is now being held accountable for her crime and will face the consequences of her decisions.”
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected].
