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Hitting the streets in support of dad

Herald Bulletin - 7/19/2018

July 19--ANDERSON -- About two dozen family members and friends of an Anderson man whose three children were summarily taken away from him after his partner died unexpectedly last year took to the street in protest outside the Madison County Government Center on Wednesday.

Antonio Vasquez Patlan lost custody of the children last year when their mother, Amanda Pitts died, said his friends, one of whom is Patlan's former wife.

Although before she died Pitts expressed a desire for the children to remain with their father, according to the protesters, a distant uncle from Noblesville the children barely knew was granted custody. The court officer who made that decision, they said, was then-commissioner Jason Childers.

"These children were legally kidnapped by the uncle," said Emily Hartzler, a legal assistant who works for an Indianapolis lawyer who is now representing Patlan.

The three children are a 10-year-old boy, and twin 8-year-old-girls, family members said.

The group protested outside the government center for about two hours, hoping to raise awareness about the father's plight, and to demonstrate that fathers also have rights when it comes to raising children.

They said a hearing on the case is scheduled for Tuesday morning in Madison Circuit Court Division 1.

Like Stu Hirsch on Facebook and follow him @stuhirsch on Twitter, or call 765-640-4861.

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(c)2018 The Herald Bulletin (Anderson, Ind.)

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