Mother and Child Reunion in Woodland, California

By Bill Lindelof
The Yolo County District Attorney has announced that his office has reunited a mother with her 6-year-old son, whose father had refused to allow him return to Woodland, authorities said.
District Attorney Jeff Reisig said the child visited his father, Rene Vidales, in San Bernardino County last summer and did not return from that trip.
The boy's mother, Angela Vidales of Woodland, had telephone conversations with the boy during the past few months, but Rene Vidales refused to return the boy, district attorney's officials said.
Superior Court Referee David Reed on March 18 ordered that the mother be given sole physical custody of the boy. Reed signed a protective custody warrant for the return of the child.
"The reunification of mother and child was very rewarding," said Angela Smith, and enforcement officer with the Yolo County DA's office. Smith and investigator Virginia Stroski recovered the boy from a school in San Bernardino County.

MAN KILLS HIS OWN SON TO AVOID CHILD SUPPORT...SAD.

By JANET McCONNAUGHEY, Associated Press Writer Janet Mcconnaughey, Associated Press Writer Sat Jan 3, 8:23 pm ET
NEW ORLEANS – A man who initially told police gunmen kidnapped his 2 1/2-year-old son was arrested Saturday, accused of committing an "extremely hideous" murder because he was ordered to pay child support, Police Superintendent Warren Riley said.
Danny Platt confessed, told police where to find the child's body and will be booked on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Ja' Shawn Powell, Riley said at a news conference.
"He had said he would kill either his wife or his child before he paid child support," which he recently had been ordered to do, Riley said.
Riley said he did not know the amount of child support and would not describe how the boy was killed, saying the coroner would do that after the autopsy was complete. The coroner's spokesman did not immediately return a call.
"The mother is in a safe place," Riley said.
Although he had visiting rights, Platt, 22, of New Orleans, had never visited the boy until he picked him up Friday, Riley said.
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