By PETER SUR
By PETER SUR
Tribune-Herald staff writer
A woman wanted for felony parenting interference in Montana was unaware that a bench warrant was issued for her arrest, said a deputy public defender.
Appearing Wednesday in 3rd Circuit Court, Angela Bryant, 45, was told to return before Judge Greg Nakamura in a week to resolve technical issues surrounding her extradition.
The unusual case stems from Bryant’s stepchildren, Megan, 15, Maxwell, 13, and Sebastian, 12, and their father James Bryant.
James Bryant had summer visitation rights for the children following his 2005 divorce from Kelly Bryant, who lives in Montana. Last August, the three siblings were supposed to return to their mother, but when their plane landed Kelly Bryant found out that the children were not on the flight.
The federal government got involved in the case after learning that James Bryant, his wife Angela Bryant and his children were living on a sailboat in the Bahamas, but authorities couldn’t do anything because they were outside U.S. jurisdiction.
Finally, an anonymous tip led to the discovery that Angela Bryant had flown to Hawaii to be with her mother. Arrested during a traffic stop on the Hawaii Belt Road near Keaau, Bryant told police that her husband and the children were in south Florida after sailing there two weeks earlier.
The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the boat as it was trying to return to Bahamian waters, and the children were reunited with their mother.
James Bryant was ordered held in Florida on $100,000 bond and charged with three counts of interfering with parenting, a felony that carries a maximum penalty in Montana of 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
Angela Bryant posted $10,000 bond. She appeared in court Wednesday with her mother to confirm that she is the same person wanted in Gallatin County, in southwest Montana, but she did not agree to waive the extradition process.
Bryant is applying for a public defender for the Hawaii proceedings, and she has hired an attorney in Montana.
Belinda Castillo Hall, who represented Bryant in court Wednesday, said Bryant was unaware a warrant had been issued for her arrest. She had seen her husband’s name on a website for wanted fugitives but did not see her own name.
Meanwhile, James Bryant was placed in custody in Montana to face charges. He was booked into the Gallatin County jail Thursday and is scheduled to make an initial court appearance Friday afternoon.
The Associated Press contributed.
Email Peter Sur at psur@hawaiitribune-herald.com.