LANCASTER, N.H. — A mother and stepfather from New Hampshire entered surprise guilty pleas Wednesday to charges they fled the country more than a decade ago with the woman’s daughter amid a custody dispute.
Genevieve and Scott Kelley pleaded guilty during a pretrial hearing to misdemeanor charges of custodial interference.
Additional felony charges of custodial interference and witness tampering were dropped.
The plea deal calls for Genevieve Kelley to serve 10 months in jail after Scott Kelley serves five months; the sentences were staggered so their 10-year-old son will not be without a parent.
The couple took then-8-year-old Mary Nunes out of the country in 2004. They said they did it to protect the girl and accused her father, Mark Nunes, of abuse.
Mark Nunes was investigated but never charged, and investigators said they thought he was unfairly accused.
Genevieve Kelley, 51, turned herself in in November, saying she wanted to go to trial. Scott Kelley, 50, was arrested at the Atlanta airport in April when he and Mary Nunes, now 19, returned to the U.S. from Costa Rica. Nunes was allowed to continue her trip because she was not charged with a crime, though authorities would not reveal her final destination.
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