The parents charged with kidnapping their children and sailing to Cuba are back on U.S. soil.
Joshua and Sharyn Hakken were turned over to American authorities Tuesday by Cuban officials. They were flown back to Florida overnight and the parents were taken into custody early Wednesday.
An Amber Alert was issued April 3 for 4-year-old Cole Hakken and 2-year-old Chase Hakken after authorities say their father, Joshua, 35, entered his mother-in-law's house in north Tampa, tied her up and left with the children last Wednesday.
The parents were booked into Orient Road Jail at 3:45 a.m. They had been on the run for a week. The children, 4-year-old Cole Hakken and 2-year-old Chase Hakken, were reunited with their grandparents, who have custody of the children, overnight.
At a press conference late Tuesday night, Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said the boys are "doing well."
Meanwhile, Joshua and Sharyn Hakken looked run down and did not answer questions as they were led into central booking.
Authorities say they docked the boat at Hemingway Marina in Havana, Cuba on Sunday because of rough weather.
Cuban authorities kept a close watch on the family then took them into custody and handed them over to the FBI for overnight extradition.
Both Joshua and Sharyn Hakken face charges of kidnapping, child neglect and interfering with child custody. Officials said they are scheduled to make their first appearances in court Thursday at 8 a.m.
According to the FBI, there won’t be any federal charges filed.
Escape to Cuba
FBI spokesperson David Couvertier said the U.S. State Dept. received information the family was in Cuba. He said they are still investigating how long the family was in the country.
Late last week, officials discovered that Joshua Hakken recently purchased a sailboat and at least one witness remembered seeing the family sail out of John's Pass towards the Gulf of Mexico.
Gee said there is a federal charge for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Joshua Hakken also faces the following state charges: kidnapping, interference with child custody, child neglect, false imprisonment, burglary, including a battery and grand theft auto. Sharyn Hakken faces kidnapping, interference with child custody, and child neglect charges.
Cuban authorities had no immediate comment on the current case.
Timeline of events in the case
April 11 - Hakken's first appearance in court scheduled for 8 a.m.
April 10 - Hakkens flown back to Florida. Joshua and Sharyn Hakken booked into Orient Road Jail.
April 9 - Cuba officials agree to return the family to U.S. authorities.
April 9 - CNN confirms Tampa family that has been the subject of an Amber Alert for almost a week is in Cuba.
April 8 - Search for missing family enters Day 6. Deputies receive dozens of tips over the weekend about potential sightings on the water but none pan out.
April 7 - Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, FWC and other agencies, including the FBI, continue to aid in the search for the family.
April 6 - The Amber Alert issued for the boys modified to include only states that border along the Gulf of Mexico.
April 6 - Florida Fish and Wildlife officers begin extensive search offshore from Pensacola to the Florida Keys.
April 5 - At least one witness said the 25-foot boat was spotted going underneath the John’s Pass Bridge.
April 5 - Detectives release information that Joshua Hakken had recently bought a sailboat. Boat is described as a 1972 Morgan 25M (25 foot) sailboat, blue bimini top, white mainsail, boat deck and cabin are white, hull is blue with “Salty” and a paw print in white on both sides with a white stripe near water line, bearing Flo.
April 4 - Official locate the vehicle they believe the boys were traveling in with their parents. The 2006 GMC pickup truck belonging to the family was located in the John's Pass Parking Garage located at 12901 Gulf Blvd in Madeira Beach.
April 3 - An Amber Alert is issued for the boys at 1:30 p.m.
April 3 (morning) - Police say Joshua Michael Hakken, 35, father of Cole Hakken, 4, and Chase Hakken, 2, kidnapped the boys from theor grandmothers home in north Tampa. Officials say the Joshua Hakken tied up his mother-in-law before taking the boys.
Previous attempt to take the children, officials say
According to authorities, Hakken was previously involved in an attempted armed abduction of their children in Louisiana.
Officials said they have so far been able to determine that Joshua Hakken was arrested in a hotel on multiple drug charges in St. Tammany Parrish, Louisiana, where he had just attended some type of anti-government rally.
Slidell police say were called to the hotel in June in reference to a disturbance involving Mr. and Mrs. Hakken. Police say when they arrived the parents were acting in a bizarre manner that alarmed officers.
Police say they were talking about “completing their ultimate journey” and were traveling across the country to “take a journey to the Armageddon.” Police say both of the children were present in the hotel at the time.
Police say based on the parents’ behavior and the fact narcotics and weapons were inside the hotel room, officers called the Office of Child Services, who determined the children were in danger and needed to be taken into custody and temporarily placed in a foster home.
"This is not really about anti-government at this point," said David Couvertier, FBI. "Individual beliefs, people in our country should believe in whatever you want to believe in. It's the manner in which the kids have been taken is what concerns law enforcement and the reason we've taken the steps we have taken."
Joshua Hakken was placed under arrest and charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and the use of a controlled and dangerous substance in the presence of minors. Officers also took custody of the guns.
Two weeks later, police say they were notified Joshua Hakken had shown up at the foster family home with a firearm demanding the return of his children. The foster parents called 911 and police say Hakken fled without his children.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.