Girl reunites with family after she's allegedly kidnapped by dad
ONTARIO, California -- Emotional friends and family gathered at Ontario International Airport to welcome back an 8-year-old Big Bear girl more than a month after police say she was abducted by her father.
Misty Robledo hadn't seen her daughter Savahni since March 24. Savahni's father was supposed to have dropped the girl back off to Robledo after Spring Break.
Then, at the airport on Saturday, Savahni appeared at the top of the stairs before making it back into her mother's arms.
Robledo's situation was parental abduction. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department issued an arrest warrant for Savahni's father after he drove her to the Florida Keys, breaking all contact with Robledo.
Police caught up to him, just after he bought a sailboat. The father and daughter were living out of his truck, which was registered in Texas. His plan was to sail to Cuba, authorities said.
Robledo said he exploited fathers' rights groups to get resources.
"The cause is excellent and I support it, but there has to be a line between a healthy parent and an unhealthy parent," she said.
Now, all Savahni wants is pizza for dinner and a trip someplace fun.
"I want to go to Universal (Studios), it was fun there," she said with a smile.
"We are very blessed that they were able to work so fast," Robledo said.
The father, Warren Demers, is still Florida. The DA said he will be extradited back to California, something that could be a lengthy process since the 49-year-old father could fight extradition.
As for Robledo, she knows she has a long road ahead, but she says her daughter is resilient and this homecoming proves the strength of her community.
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