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Mindy McCready Misses Court Deadline to Return Son

Mark Humphrey, AP

A court order has been signed by a Lee County, Fla., judge to take Mindy McCready's 5-year-old son into custody and return him to his grandmother. The troubled country singer missed her 5:00 PM deadline Thursday (Dec. 1) to bring Zander back to her mother, who has had legal custody of the boy since 2007.

"As quickly as folks can find the child, we'll just as quickly return the child," Children's Network spokeswoman Aimee McLaughlin tells Fort Meyers' News-Press. "Then, we will make arrangements to bring child home in the least traumatic and least stressful way."

Florida authorities are now most likely working with police in Nashville, Tenn., to find Mindy and Zander. The singer told the Associated Press she has been in Music City with her son since shortly after Thanksgiving. She claims she took him for his own safety, accusing her mother of physical and emotional abuse. Her mother, Gayle Inge, vehemently denies those claims.

"I'm doing all this to protect Zander, not stay out of trouble," Mindy wrote in an email to the Associated Press. "I don't think I should be in trouble for protecting my son in the first place."

Zander's father, Billy McKnight, does agree that his son is safe with the singer. He told NBC's 'Today' show that he spoke to his ex and their son over the phone yesterday.

"He did sound healthy and OK. He wasn't crying or scared," Billy insisted. "I think she believes she has a case and doesn't realize she's pushing her luck on this one."

Mindy also contends that she cannot obey the court order because she is too pregnant to travel. The 'Guys Do It All the Time' singer claims to be seven months pregnant with twins, though her rep tells People magazine she's only six months along.

Since selling more than two million copies of her 'Ten Thousand Angels' album in the mid '90s, Mindy has gone from country star to tabloid fixture. She has been jailed twice on drug and alcohol-related crimes and hospitalized twice for alleged suicide attempts. She weathered countless media headlines when a decade-long affair with married baseball star Roger Clemens was exposed, along with the embarrassment of a leaked sex tape less than a year later. She has sued her mother and the National Enquirer's parent company, American Media Inc., over a story titled 'Mindy McCready Doesn't Deserve to Have Child Back.' And she was once arrested for allegedly assaulting her mother.

Mindy seemingly turned her life around last year after successfully kicking her drug and alcohol addictions on the reality TV show, 'Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew.' She released a new album, 'I'm Still Here,' in the spring of 2010 and started work on her own reality show, a book and a movie. "All of these things are tools to get across to the world: this is who I really am," Mindy told The Boot last year. "If you're going to love me, then love me for who I really am. If you're going to hate me, then hate me knowing all of the facts, and not because of some story you heard. I want people to not count me out and not pass judgment until they hear the real story and they really do know me."



Watch Mindy McCready's 'Ten Thousand Angels' Video


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Jill

I wonder what her first fiance Dean Cain thinks of all this? He must have thought something wasn't right with her mind or something else when they split up.

December 03 2011 at 7:35 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jim Parks

She has turned her life around. It is time for grandma to give back her child.

December 02 2011 at 8:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Jim Parks's comment
Eabdeb8176

Ummm no she hasn't. otherwise she wouldn't have taken her child when she doesn't have custody of him. She hasn't owned up to her troubles and still needs help. Her ex boyfriend (father of her son) has cooperated with CPS and has completed classes and has been working with them to become a bigger part of his son's life. Mindy hasn't. She's still has drug problems.

December 03 2011 at 7:00 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Russ Marshall

come on granny lighten up, let the mom have a few extra hours with her child

December 02 2011 at 7:23 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
jerettnmelanie

Good for her, if her son is being abused...keep him hidden...I know of an underground railroad, for parents who are hiding kids from abusive parents...keep it up MIndi...do what is right for you child....this mother is behind you all the way.

December 02 2011 at 7:16 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to jerettnmelanie's comment
Eabdeb8176

you might want to read more into this before saying that. MindY hasn't cooperated with authorities and this is just the latest incident. Zander's dad has completed the program CPS has in place and sees his son often. Mindy still doesn't have her life together and still has a drug problem. She did drugs while pregnant with Zander and has tried to commit suicide 3 times since 2005. Before during and after her pregnancy with Zander.

Zander's own father will tell you he's not being abused and it was an incident of domestic violence in which Mindy was the aggresser that Zander was placed in his grandparents custody. Time to stop watching too many lifetime movies.

December 03 2011 at 7:06 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mike

strange story, yet so is she apparently. Someone sent me the link to her sex tape yesterday. She was actually quite attractive whenever that was taken. Not a country music fan so don't know if she is a good singer or not. I just hope the little boy comes out of this intact both physically and emotionally.

December 02 2011 at 6:56 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
danny

Two things: One, "Idiot". Two: "Not rehabilitated">

December 02 2011 at 4:54 PM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
Mike Hulgin

She best do as the Courts ask her 2 do. If not she is Jai; Bound 4 sure. They run her Life as long as she keeps her Son. The Courts Frown Heavily on situations such as this. Get in the Game Mindy. Yor gonna get Booked, and that process sucks and U know it !!

December 02 2011 at 4:32 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Billotti's

Hopefully all her bad decision making will turn around and she will become the "Britney Spears" comeback of Country music in the future. She just needs to do the right thing and quit making bad choices.

December 02 2011 at 4:31 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
salabob

I feel so badly for Mindy at this point. I met her in the late 90's when she was just startin out. She was a sweet, humble talented young lady. She seemed very vulnerable. Obviously, she could not handle all of it and has been through the wringer. Sure hope her little boy and the twins will be o. k. Sad, sad, sad.

December 02 2011 at 4:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
sinckart

Boy it must be awesome to be a White Woman in America. You can get away with Kidnapping( McCeady), Murder ( Casey Anthony, Laura Bush), Child Molestation (Debra Lafarve and a slew of others) DUIs (Linsay Lohan). Where does it end? Let any of these instances be a Man, a Black, Brown or Asian ... they would have been slaughtered and thrown under the jail.

December 02 2011 at 3:11 PM Report abuse -6 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to sinckart's comment
Joyce

Yes it is nice being a woman You should grow up and see how it feels to be a adult

December 02 2011 at 6:33 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply

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