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Fatherhood is Dangerous
November 17, 2012 permalink
In 1996 nine-year-old Amber Rene Hagerman was abducted and murdered near her home in Arlington Texas. An alert system was named in her memory, the Amber alert, used to help prevent similar tragedies in the future. According to the British Columbia RCMP, activation of an Amber alert requires ALL of the following conditions:
- The victim is under the age of 18
- Police have reasonable grounds to believe that the victim has been abducted
- Police have reasonable grounds to believe the victim is in imminent danger
- Police have obtained enough descriptive information about the victim, abductor and/or the vehicle involved
- Police believe that the alert can be issued in a time frame that will provide a reasonable expectation that the child can be returned or the abductor apprehended
Source: RCMP, British Columbia
This week Robert Barnett slipped out of a supervised visit with his three-year-old son Alvin Barnett near Sparwood British Columbia and did not return. Police issued an Amber alert for the boy. He was found unharmed in nearby Whitefish Montana the next day still with his father.
In child protection cases found by fixcas, more mothers than fathers have been hunted for taking their own children. So this week's case is not an instance of selective persecution of fathers. What is unusual is the Amber alert.
What qualified this father as an imminent danger to his son? The enclosed article from the Huffington Post issued before the boy's capture gives no reason to believe the father was dangerous. Ordinarily when the police are looking for someone, they mention every known defamation. In the Barnett case the only negative fact (from another news source) was that he had been accused of a traffic violation several years ago. The article did not say he had been convicted as charged. But no history was necessary for Barnett — in today's culture, fatherhood is enough to qualify a man as a danger to his child.
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Amber Alert: Alvin Barnett Believed To Be Abducted By Father
SPARWOOD, B.C. - The search for a three-year-old boy from southeast British Columbia's has gone international, with authorities on both sides of the border saying they believe the child is in the United States with his father.
Police issued an Amber Alert on Thursday afternoon for Alvin Barnett, who they believe was abducted by his father, 39-year-old Robert Barnett, in the Elk Valley area near Sparwood, B.C., before they crossed the border and into the U.S.
Jennifer Viets, Montana's Amber Alert co-ordinator, said the vehicle the father and son are believed to be travelling in crossed the border near the city of Eureka around 3 p.m. MST.
"We're pretty worried about the safety of the little boy, so that's why were using every possible resource to try to find him," she said.
"If anybody sees anything or has any information, they should call 911, especially if they see him. They should not approach the vehicle or the gentleman. We do consider it a dangerous situation."
According to officials on both sides of the border, the pair may be travelling in a 2002 blue Subaru Outback with B.C. license 347 SBL.
Alvin is three-feet-two inches tall and 35 pounds, wearing a red shirt and blue jeans, while his father is described as five-foot-five with green eyes, reddish blonde hair and a scar over his right eyebrow.
RCMP spokesman Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said he doesn't know whether or not Barnett holds dual nationality with Canada and the U.S.
"Information was disseminated to our counterparts at the Canadian Border Service Agency and U.S. border crossing points in the Elk Valley area, and at this point in time we do remain in contact with our U.S. law-enforcement counterparts," he said.
Moskaluk said the child and father were together during a supervised parental visit, indicating the father had limited access to his child, and as a result the incident met the criteria for an amber alert.
He said he didn't know why the father may have been on a supervised visit.
Viets said as soon as officials in her state were notified of the Amber Alert by the Mounties, the criminal justice system broadcast to all state and local police and sheriffs agencies the information and to be on the lookout for the vehicle, child and suspect.
At the request of the Elk Valley RCMP, officials then issued the Amber Alert, notifying the public and press.
"We have shared out Amber Alert with the state of Idaho and they're re-broadcasting it there," she said. "We've also done a multi-state broadcast to all the western states like Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada so that other states are aware of it in case they pass through Montana undetected."
She said Montana is a big state that takes several hours to cross but because Barnett is believed to have crossed in the afternoon it's possible he could have made it into another jurisdiction.
"We're getting tremendous support from law enforcement everywhere, trying to help with this," she said.
Eureka is a small city with a population of about 1,037 people according to the 2010 census, said Viets.
She described the area surrounding Eureka is mountainous, with lots of trees, campgrounds and cabins, and while beautiful it is rough territory, especially if the suspect plans to head off road.
"And we do have snow in that area right now. It's another complication."
--by Keven Drews and David Lang in Vancouver
Source: Huffington Post
Amber Alert Cancelled: Robert Barnett Arrested After Alleged Abduction Of Son
Robert BarnettThe Amber Alert for a three-year-old boy from southeastern B.C.'s Elk Valley has been cancelled after he was found safe in Montana.
B.C. RCMP confirmed Alvin Barnett is safe on Friday morning after his father Robert Barnett, 39, allegedly abducted him during a parental visit.
An Amber Alert in B.C. and Montana was triggered on Thursday afternoon. Montana officials had said they believed the boy was in "imminent danger."
A witness in Whitefish, Montana, about 80 kilometres south of the Canada-U.S. border crossing where Barnett's car was lasted spotted recognized the vehicle parked on a side street on Friday morning, said RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk.
He said the boy is tired and hungry but in good condition.
Robert Barnett is currently in the custody of police in Montana, but could face charges once he's returned to B.C., said Moskaluk.
Source: Huffington Post
