A “hysterical” woman called 911 after her son snatched a child over whom she has legal custody.
Deputies responded to a possible child kidnapping and custody interference at an undisclosed Groveland residence around 1 a.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Prior to the deputies’ arrival, the complainant advised that her son, 36-year-old Aaron Robbie Phillips, came to her residence and retrieved a child.
One of the deputies then called the woman to inquire more about the situation. She was “hysterical” that the juvenile, whom she has court-ordered full custody of, left her residence due to an altercation and went with Phillips. She adamantly stated that Phillips had been suspended multiple times for not having a valid driver’s license and was currently a drug addict, the report said.
The complainant was worried for the juvenile’s safety.
At that point, the woman informed the deputy that Phillip had “dope” on him and was “with dope friends.” She did not want the juvenile involved in that life. When dispatch spoke to her, she demanded deputies to go get Phillips and the juvenile. The report noted that she told the deputies to do whatever it took to bring the juvenile back to her safely.
While on the way to the residence to verify child custody paperwork with the complainant, the deputy spotted a possible vehicle that Phillips was driving. While he and another deputy canvassed the area per the complainant’s request, the other deputy located a white Ford F150 that matched the description. A check of the license plate yielded positive results for the vehicle in question, the report said.
By the time one of the deputies arrived at the residence, he found the proper paperwork advising that the complainant did indeed have full custody of the juvenile. She had hundreds of related documents, the report said.
The deputy then spoke to the complainant’s husband, the father of Phillips and who shared custody of the juvenile. He informed the deputy that he overheard the complainant tell LCSO that her son possibly kidnapped the juvenile and that their life was severally at risk due to Phillip’s narcotics use. He told the complainant that he believed LCSO needs to exercise the law to safely retrieve the juvenile, but she needed to stop interfering with law enforcement and changing the incident circumstances several times, the report said.
Once the complainant eventually regained her composure, she explained that the juvenile had been having troubles at home and in school because of her phone. When she tried to take the phone, it angered the juvenile, and she tried to get it back. In doing so, she scratched the complainant’s arm, the report said.
The complainant responded by providing corporal punishment to the juvenile that caused them to rebel. At that point, the juvenile called Phillips to pick them up so they could leave the residence. The complainant had not given Phillips permission in any way to take custody of the juvenile without her being present. She again advised due to her son being heavily dependent on narcotics and his unstable living situation that she feared for the juvenile, the report said.
Around this time, another deputy was headed northbound on U.S. Hwy. 27 when he observed a truck matching the description given by other deputies. He turned around and verified the tag number while catching up to the truck. Phillips stopped at the red light on U.S. Hwy. 27 and County Road 561 before running the light onto 561, the report said.
The deputy turned on his blue lights and went to stop Phillips. He turned onto County Road 561-A and began traveling east, never exceeding 55 mph. He then turned onto Hancock Road after stopping for a four-way intersection, the report said.
Phillips began to travel south, hitting the speed of 62 mph. He slowed to 52 mph before turning north on Ronald Reagan turnpike. Once there, Phillips’ speed stayed around 55 mph. Another deputy was able to deploy stop sticks, and all four of his tires began to deflate. He eventually stopped on the turnpike and was taken into custody, the report said.
The deputy read Phillips his rights, which he waived. He then stated that he went and got the juvenile because his mother was drunk. He also advised that the juvenile told him that she had slammed her head across a drawer. When asked why he did not call law enforcement, Phillips stated he did not want to get his mother arrested. He also did not pull over because he was scared, the report said.
At the time of the stop, the deputy observed Phillips to be in a normal, quiet state of mind. Another deputy later met with Phillips to obtain signatures for his citations, but he was pacing and appeared to be under the influence of a substance. He ran into a wall of his own will and could barely comprehend instructions. His eyes were glassy and bloodshot red, as well, the report said.
A check of Phillips’ license revealed 16 suspensions, one of which was from Jan. 25. He had a revocation for 60 months and 15 other suspensions. He also had six prior driving while license suspended charges, the report said.
The Alabama native was subsequently arrested and charged with interference of child custody (domestic), driving while license revoked (habitual) and fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement officer. He was taken to Lake County Jail with bond set at $40,000.
