What to Know
- Ingrid Johnson was taken from her parents at the hospital two days after her birth after a court order was obtained by her grandmother
- The grandmother alleges abuse by the newborn's father on the child's mother and her two other children
- The father has denied the claims of abuse
The grandmother of a newborn at the center of a complex custody dispute between Miccosukee Tribal law and Florida state law says the baby's father's alleged abuse led her to seek a court order for temporary custody.
Attorney Spencer West says his client, Betty Osceola, just wants to keep her three grandchildren safe. To her this means keeping them away from Justin Johnson, the father of Ingrid Johnson, who was taken from her parents at the hospital days after her birth.
"The grandmother doesn’t want full custody of the baby, the grandmother doesn’t want full custody of the older children. She wants the children to go back to the mother, but she doesn’t want them to be subjected to abuse," West said Friday.
Justin Johnson and Rebecca Sanders celebrated their newborn baby’s birth last Friday. But two days later a Miccosukee Police detective took the infant away based on a tribal order. The grandmother was issued temporary custody by a tribal judge after claiming her daughter was not fit to care for the child. Johnson is not Miccosukee, but Sanders is a native of the tribe.
A tribal court sided with the parents Thursday and the baby was returned. But on Friday Sanders’ mother is speaking out again, accusing Johnson of abuse.
"I can tell you that he's broken the mother's nose, she's ended up in the hospital," West said. "She's been arrested for violence against him. This is a very volatile situation.
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The grandmother claims her daughter’s two older children reported Johnson for abuse. The two kids are not biologically related to Johnson. A statement detailed the Miccosukee Tribal Court restraining order filed by the mother in November of last year.
"The mother herself had taken out an injunction against the father for abusing on behalf of the older children," West said.
Johnson couldn't be reached for comment Friday. He denied allegations of abuse earlier in the week, calling them "false."
The two other children remain in their grandmother’s custody. Sanders is only allowed supervised visitation with her two older kids. Even though the baby is back with the mother, Miccosukee Social Services will remain involved.
