A rather unusual situation is taking place with Jett and Harper. In this unit, Jett is filing for divorce from Harper. The couple have no children, but they do have a loving dog,

A rather unusual situation is taking place with Jett and Harper. In this unit, Jett is filing for divorce from Harper. The couple have no children, but they do have a loving dog, Express. Harper has decided to take Express without Jett’s knowledge to a cabin an hour north of where the couple lives so she can think and regroup. Read the articles below and research dognapping cases that may help should the court need to decide if Harper does not return with Express. Compare how the courts view kidnapping cases against how they have begun to view dognapping cases.

Read the article “Daughters Stand by Father After His Sentencing” by Alexis Chiu. It tells the story of the Fagan parental kidnapping case that was headline news back in 1998 when Stephen Fagan was arrested for kidnapping his daughters and keeping them in Palm Beach, Florida, for almost 20 years. He took the children to Florida in violation of the custody orders when the children were only 2 and 5 years old, telling them that their mother had died in a car accident.

Also, read an editorial about this case, titled “The Father Was Always There for Them” by Ellen Goodman.

Now go to the discussion and respond to the following:

Do you agree with the editorial? Whether you agree or not, what about the editorial struck you?

If you had been the judge in this case, how would you have ruled?

Would you have given the same punishment? Lighter? Stiffer? Why?