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HAVERHILL, N.H. (AP) — A mother who fled the country with her daughter more than a decade ago amid a custody dispute with her ex-husband reported to jail Monday.
Genevieve Kelley pleaded guilty in June to misdemeanor charges of custodial interference for taking her then-8-year-old daughter out of the country in 2004. Additional felony charges of custodial interference and witness tampering were dropped.
Under a plea deal, Kelley will serve 10 months in county jail. Her current husband, Scott Kelley, pleaded guilty to the same charges and was sentenced to five months.
The judge staggered the sentences — with Scott Kelley going first — so their 10-year-old son wouldn't be without a parent.
Grafton County Correctional Facility officials confirmed Monday that Kelley arrived at the jail as scheduled and was taken into custody.
Scott and Genevieve Kelley said they took the girl to protect her after accusing her father, Mark Nunes, of abuse. Nunes was investigated but never charged.
Genevieve Kelley surrendered to authorities in November. Scott Kelley was arrested in Atlanta in April, when he and the daughter, 19-year-old Mary Nunes, arrived on a flight from Costa Rica.
Mary Nunes said in a legal motion that her mother and Scott Kelley took her away from Mark Nunes to protect her. She said Scott Kelley was "the only man" she considered to be her father.
Genevieve Kelley's lawyer has said Mary Nunes intends to return to New Hampshire to live with the Kelleys when they've completed their jail terms.
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