WASHINGTON — In the midst of some of the worst fighting in Ukraine is an American toddler whose dad desperately wants him home. Cesar Quintana plans to leave for the war zone next week to get back his 2-year-old son, Alexander.
Cesar Quintana was at Ukrainian Embassy in D.C. Wednesday applying for permission to go look for Alexander and his mom, Antonina Aslanova Quintana. The dad had sole custody of his little boy, but a little over a year ago, his mother defied a California judge's order, took Alexander from his father's home near Los Angeles, slipped out of the country and took him to Ukraine, where she grew up.
Outside the embassy, Cesar Quintana gathered with his mother, his brother and supporters to pray.
"And so we claim this ground for Alexander, even for his mother, and we pray for them, that they would be safe," Noelle Hunter, of the iStand Parent Network said, as she joined hands with the family.
In war, all too often it's the innocent who pay the most terrible price. The Quintana family has spent weeks asking God to protect all the children now in danger in Ukraine, but especially Alexander.
"I'm worried he's hurt," said Alexander's grandmother, Florencia Gomez, clutching tight to the toy moose the little boy didn't get to take the last time she saw him. "I guess you can live without gas or electricity. But no water?"
Antonina Aslanova Quintana grew up in Mariupol, according to Cesar Quintana, and that's where she and Alexander were the last time he spoke with his son via FaceTime in early March. The southern Ukraine city is now surrounded by Russian troops. The maternity hospital hit by a missile is a mile or so from Aslanova's home.
"I love him more than my own life," Cesar Quintana said about his son. "I'm going to go to Ukraine. A lot of people have told me not to do it, it's too dangerous. But I'm going to bring my son home."
The Orange County District Attorney has asked the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice to help expedite Alexander's return under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. But Ukraine is under martial law, and its judicial system is unlikely to have time for a child custody hearing.
Russia has never been a "good partner on international child abduction," according to Hunter. So if Russian troops seize Mariupol, it would likely become impossible to get Alexander out.
Cesar Quintana said his wife sunk into despair after Alexander's birth; the boy had a twin, but the second child did not survive. He says she self-medicated to treat her depression, and court records show she was repeatedly arrested for driving while intoxicated.
"Unfortunately in the United States every year, between 800 to 1000 American children are removed from the US and taken to a foreign nation," Hunter said.
Hunter has personal experience with custodial abduction. Her own daughter was taken by her father to Mali, but she was able to bring her daughter home.
At the embassy, Quintana got himself on a list of volunteers allowed to join the war effort. He plans to fly to Poland sometime next week, make his way across the border, and then get to Mariupol any way he can.
"I'm going to find him," he said.
The family is not certain where Alexander and his mom are now. But Cesar Quintana dreams of a miracle, dreams he'll find his little boy safe again.
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The victim was taken to a nearby hospital for help and is expected to be okay.
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Author: Alanea Cremen
Published: 11:17 PM EDT March 15, 2022
Updated: 11:17 PM EDT March 15, 2022
WASHINGTON — A juvenile was taken to the hospital after being stabbed on a Metrobus Tuesday evening, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
A WMATA spokesperson says the stabbing happened aboard a Metrobus on the W6 route. First responders arrived to help the victim near Bruce Place and Jasper Place in Southeast just after 6 p.m.
The bus operator reported hearing a fight on the bus before coming to a stop. The people believed to be involved in the fight ran away but one juvenile victim was found not far away from where the bus stopped.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital for help and is expected to be okay.
The bus was taken out of service following the attack and officials are investigating.
No suspect information has been released at this time.
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