A Tremont man pleaded guilty Monday to kidnapping his son from his mother in Alabama and bringing him to Cleveland, hiding their identities for 13 years.
Bobby Hernandez, 53, entered a plea of guilty to two counts of kidnapping, 10 counts of tampering with records, two counts of interference with custody, and one count of forgery. All 14 counts, except forgery, were felonies.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Cassandra Collier-Williams accepted the pleas, found Hernandez guilty and set a sentencing date of April 13. Hernandez faces up to 54 years in prison.
"Most parents would rather be shot in the leg than have this happen to them," McGinty said. “This conviction is meant to send a message to anyone else who might seek to punish the other parent by kidnapping their child: There will be a high price to pay."
For the first time, McGinty revealed what the prosecutor's office believes to be a motive for the kidnapping.
McGinty Hernandez and his former girlfriend were ending their relationship in August of 2002 when he and their son disappeared. Police reports indicated Hernandez had told the boy's mother that if she ever broke up with him, she'd never see her son again.
Hernandez brought the boy to Cleveland where Hernandez created false identities for himself and his son, McGinty's office said. Hernandez was going by the name 'Jonathan Mangina.'
Cleveland police arrested Hernandez on November 2, 2015, after the FBI received a tip that he and his missing son were living in Cleveland.
Hernandez attorney told newsnet5.com that Julian Hernandez' college application process revealed an issue with his social security number. A school counselor then helped to locate the boy on the National Center for Missing adn Exploited Children's website.
RELATED | 18-year-old found in Cleveland after disappearing in 2002: 'I just simply want to be normal'
“We weren’t going to let this go and proceed lightly,” McGinty said. “Just think if this was your child or your grandchild, what a terrible thing it would be. You would wonder everyday what had happened to him.”
Court records alleged that Hernandez knowingly falsified records, provided a fake birth certificate to Julian's school, used a fake Ohio driver's license and changed addresses in Cleveland three times to continue to hide their whereabouts.
Hernandez' attorney, Ralph DeFranco told newsnet5.com that he will be pushing for probation.
"He’s been a model father this young man," DeFranco said. "He is a straight-A student, graduating from high school, an athlete and anticipating attending college so I think he’ll be alright."
Julian's family released the following statement last November:
"Our family was overjoyed this week to locate Julian and learn that he is safe. We want to thank everyone for their prayers and support during Julian's disappearance. Although we appreciate the interest our story has generated, we will have to decline any requests for interviews or additional information at this time. We ask that the media respect our privacy as we focus on Julian's well-being during this difficult time in his life."
