Seattle man who fled with son on sailboat pleads guilty



SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle man who fled the United States with his 9-year-old son on a sailboat has pleaded guilty to one count of international parental kidnapping.

Jeffrey Ford Hanson's son was visiting in July and was supposed to be sent back to his mother in Pennsylvania on Sept. 4, but the boy was not on the flight. The boy's mother contacted authorities and they issued a U.S. federal arrest warrant.

The FBI and Seattle police worked with local, state, federal and international partners and the boy was found in the island country of Niue (Nee-YOU-ay).

Hanson was brought back to the U.S. in November where he was formally charged in a Los Angeles federal court. He was then moved to Seattle.

Sentencing was set for June 6. Hanson faces up to three years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.