A Cincinnati man had an emotional reunion on Wednesday night with his seven-year-old daughter after Delta Air Lines allowed the wrong person to pick her up in Houston.
On August 11, Kiante Butler took his daughter, Angelina, to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and put her on a flight to Houston to visit relatives down there. Later that day, he found out that when the relative who was supposed to meet Angelina arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, someone had already picked Angelina up–even though that person wasn’t on Delta’s unaccompanied minor list. If that wasn’t frightening enough, Butler was horrified to learn who that person was–her mother, Jennifer Lopez.
Back in 2008, Lopez and two accomplices attacked Butler and kidnapped Angelina and another child. Lopez was sent to prison, but unknown to Butler she was paroled in March. Butler walks with a limp as a result of that savage attack six years earlier; indeed, he didn’t talk on camera to reporters because he’s still shaken up by it. I know the feeling. Many of you know that I was married to an emotionally abusive and controlling woman for three years. She goaded her son and a girl staying with us into beating me up. When I went to the police and had her son arrested, she retaliated by having me framed on false charges that I made the girl watch X-rated movies. I’m still scarred by it eight years later, so I have some idea what Butler feels every day. Indeed, his lawyer, Umeka Lewis Piccolo, said that the discovery that Lopez had somehow gotten her hands on Angelina stirred up “feelings he never experienced before.”
On Wednesday, Butler flew to Houston, and that night he and a Fort Bend County sheriff’s deputy drove to Lopez’ home. With the deputy’s help, Butler was able to get his daughter back. They stayed in Houston for a few days to tie up some legal loose ends and spend time with relatives before heading back to Cincinnati.
This stunt could send Lopez back to prison. According to WKRC-TV in Cincinnati, she was under a court order to stay away from Angelina. It’s hard to believe that violating that order wouldn’t be grounds for revoking her parole. Lopez’ mother might have some explaining to do as well. WCPO-TV in Cincinnati reports that Lopez’ mother told her daughter that Angelina was coming to Houston; Lopez’ mother still has contact with Butler.
A few people I’ve talked to have wondered how in the world any parent would allow a seven-year-old to fly alone. But from the sound of it, the real fail was that Delta somehow allowed Lopez to take Angelina when she wasn’t authorized to pick her up. Delta has apparently conceded as much; Piccolo says that Delta has admitted its unaccompanied minor policy was not followed.? Delta says that it is conducting an internal review of how this snafu happened. Given the circumstances, I have to hope that somebody gets fired. If I were Butler, that’s about the only way I’d even consider not suing Delta for child endangerment.
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edited by hl
Darrell Lucus is a radical-lefty Jesus-lover who has been blogging for change for a decade. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook.
