According to the Columbus Dispatch, an Amber Alert was temporarily issued in Ohio yesterday when the non-custodial parent of a five-year-old girl removed her from school.
The five-year-old girl was removed from her class at Slate Ridge Elementary School by her mother, Portia D. Martin, who does not have
custody of the child and has been ruled incompetent.
The incident began when Martin came to the school to observe her daughter's kindergarten class. Martin asked permission from school officials to observe the class and was given a visitor's badge. At the end of the day, Martin asked to take her daughter home. The teacher agreed, but told Martin that she needed to first check out with the front office. But instead of checking out, Martin took her daughter from the school within notifying any school officials.
When the child's father, who has
custody of the child, arrived at the school 20 minutes later to pick her up, school officials realized what had happened and immediately informed the police.
An Amber Alert was issued at around 1:40 p.m. but was canceled about 90 minutes later when the child appeared at the Reynoldsburg branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, a location about 3.5 miles away from the school.
As a result of the incident, Reynoldsburg school officials are now reviewing school security policies.
Assistant Superintendent for Reynoldsburg City Schools Daniel S. Hoffman said that there are no indications that school officials did anything wrong or failed to follow security protocol. The girl's father had listed Martin as the child's mother in school records, but nothing in the file indicated that Martin had been ruled incompetent by the court. Martin's condition was listed in the child's permanent district records, but not her school records.
Although the child was dropped off at the library apparently unharmed, Martin is likely to be charged with interference with custody.
To find out more about
child custody laws in your state, please click here to find a
family law attorney near you!