© 2024 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Hakken Boys Mug For Cameras; Parents Held without Bond

Courtesy of Bay News 9

Put a kid in front of the camera and you will likely see some hijinks.

And that is precisely what happened today with 2-year-old Chase and 4-year-old Cole Hakken when their grandparents introduced them to reporters after a press conference. 

The boys faces were familiar. After all, their likenesses had been passed around on electronic flyers by police agencies and news outlets in the past week.

They were the subject of an international search after their parents, Joshua and Sharyn Hakken kidnapped them from their maternal grandparents' home. Not long after, word came that the Hakken's truck was found in a Madeira Beach garage. 

Turns out Joshua Hakken had bought a sailboat named "Salty." And the family sailed away only to run into rough weather which forced them to dock in Cuba. Cuban authorities allowed U.S. officials to bring the family back to Florida early this week. 

Grandfather Bob Hauser today told reporters that the goal now is to help the boys lead a "normal life."

He and his wife Patricia Hauser said they have not discussed the journey to Cuba with the boys, but they are "treating it like a vacation." 

Reporters asked about the boys' future, touching on the grandparents age.

Bob Hauser said, "(They are) putting a plan together working with the State of Louisiana and the State of Florida as to procedures and the process. I never realized it was so complicated."

Meanwhile, Joshua and Sharyn Hakken went before a Tampa judge today who ordered them held without bond. They face charges including kidnapping and interference with custody.

I love telling stories about my home state. And I hope they will help you in some way and maybe even lift your spirits.
You Count on Us, We Count on You: Donate to WUSF to support free, accessible journalism for yourself and the community.