Source: Tulsa World, Okla.自存倉Aug. 13--Gov. Mary Fallin's office today said she will not act on an extradition warrant from South Carolina for Dusten Brown, the father of Baby Veronica, until he has a chance to contest the warrant in court."Governor Fallin has spoken personally with South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley about the case," her office said in a statement."Mr. Brown has chosen to contest the legality of his arrest warrant in Sequoyah County Court, as (is) his right. The court will hear his case on September 12, approximately one month from now."Governor Fallin believes that Mr. Brown should have the opportunity to argue his case in a court of law, and she will not act on the rendition order before that date," the statement said."However, the governor encourages both the Capobianco family and Mr. Brown to reach a resolution outside of court as quickly as possible."Wanted in South Carolina for not returning his 3-year-old daughter to her adoptive parents, Brown on Monday turned himself in to authorities in Sequoyah County but was released after posting a $10,000 bond.On Monday, Haley signed warrant seeking Brown's extradition to South Carolina, which was sent overnight to Fallin's office.South Carolina is asking Oklahoma to send Brown there to face a charge of "custodial interference," which carries up to five years in prison."As a mother, my heart goes out to Veronica, who has been placed in a terrible situation. I can also imagine the pain that both her adopted and biological parents are feeling," Fallin said in the statement issued Tuesday."As governor, my job is to ensure the law is upheld. My legal staff and I are currently reviewing the request for rendition of Mr. Brown to South Carolina. Should that request adhere to the letter and spirit of the law, I will sign it. My hope, however, continues to be that sending Mr. Brown to face criminal charges in South Carolina is unnecessary."To be clear, the legal system cannot deliver a happy ending in this case. Only Mr. Brown and the Capobianco family can do that. For Veronica's sake, I urge them to reconcile and to come to an agreement that best serves their child and grants all parties some measure of peace."The developments were the latest in a bitter custody dispute between Brown and Veronica's adoptive parents, Matt and Melanie Capobianco, who are seeking to have Veronica returned to them South Carolina after the state Supreme Court there granted them custody of the girl.However, Cherokee Nation courts name three of Dusten Brown's family members as joint guardians, giving them the power to make legal and medical decisions for Veronica and complicating the issue for South Carolina courts.The whereabouts of Brown and Veronica have not been publicly disclosed in recent days.Defense attorney Clark Brewster, who has taken several high-profile cases in Oklahoma over the years, will fight extradition."I suspect that's going to be a serious challenge of whether that's (custodial interference) a crime in this state," Brewster told the Tulsa World on Monday. "That's a very unusual statute in South Carolina. We'll argue that it's not an extraditable charge."Read more in Wednesday's Tulsa World.TimelineSeptember 2009: Baby Veronica born in Oklahoma, taken to South Carolina for adoption.January 2010: Father, Dusten Brown, signs away custody but files an appeal a few days later.December 2011: Baby Veronica returns to Oklahoma after a fa迷你倉新蒲崗ily court in South Carolina grants custody to the father.July 2012: South Carolina Supreme Court upholds the custody decision.January: U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear an appeal from the adoptive parents, Matt and Melanie Capobianco.April: U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in the case.June 25: U.S. Supreme Court rules that federal law doesn't require that Veronica be given to her biological father. The court did not clear her adoptive parents to immediately regain custody.July 9: Cherokee Nation District Court officials confirm that Dusten Brown's mother and father, Tommy and Alice Brown, have filed for adoption of Veronica -- in line with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's dissenting opinion.July 17: Cherokee Nation courts name three of Dusten Brown's family members as joint guardians, giving them the power to make legal and medical decisions for Veronica and complicating the issue for South Carolina courts. Later that day, the South Carolina Supreme Court terminates Brown's parental rights and gives full custody to the adoptive parents.July 24: Christy Maldonado, Veronica's birth mother, files a lawsuit with several other women who have placed children for adoption, seeking to have part of the Indian Child Welfare Act declared unconstitutional.July 26: Dusten Brown files a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case and require South Carolina courts to hold a best-interest hearing for Veronica.July 31: Prior to a hearing on transition details for Veronica, a Cherokee Nation attorney appointed for Veronica files a federal lawsuit in South Carolina seeking to temporarily stop the hearing and hold a best-interest hearing. It is denied.Aug. 2: The U.S. Supreme Court denies Brown's July 26 petition. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor were the only dissenters.Aug. 5: A South Carolina judge orders Brown to surrender custody "immediately" after he didn't bring Veronica to a court-ordered visitation with the adoptive parents in South Carolina.Aug. 9: South Carolina officials issue an arrest warrant for Brown. He is expected to be taken into custody in Iowa, where he is training with the Oklahoma National Guard.Aug. 10: National Guard officials grant Brown requested leave from training after he is subpoenaed to appear in Cherokee Nation tribal court for an emergency hearing in Tahlequah.Aug. 12: Brown does not appear at the emergency hearing. He turns himself in to authorities in Sequoyah County and is released after posting $10,000 bond. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley signs a warrant for Brown's extradition and sends it to Gov. Mary Fallin for her approval.Aug. 13: Fallin declines to sign off on the warrant, saying Brown has a right to contest extradition in court. She says she will not act upon the warrant until after Brown's next extradition hearing on Sept. 12.Upcoming court actionWednesday: South Carolina Family Court will hear motions from Brown and the Cherokee Nation.Aug. 23: Deadline for Brown to contest South Carolina's order in Oklahoma court.Sept. 4: A Cherokee tribal court will consider extending a temporary guardianship for Veronica's stepmother and grandparents, potentially claiming jurisdiction over the case.Sept. 12: Brown to return to Sequoyah County Court for a hearing on his extradition.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at .tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉出租
文章標籤
全站熱搜
