Authorities were still investigating Wednesday after an Amber Alert was issued for a missing 2-year-old boy, then canceled after he was found in Orlando.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office said the father, Daniel Wheeler, 31, took the child, Bane, from Cedarview Learning Center Too on US 19 in Holiday just before 10 a.m. Tuesday.
- Amber Alert canceled Tuesday night after Bane Wheeler found
- Father said he did not break law, was fighting for son
- Case remains under investigation
The child and father were found Tuesday night at a Family Dollar on Edgewater Drive.
Bay News 9 spoke with the boy's father and mother after what appeared to be a battle over child custody and parenting time.
The boy was taken by his dad outside the Port Richey day care. Witnesses said Daniel Wheeler grabbed his son while the mother, Erica Wheeler, was distracted by someone who yelled out her name.
Daniel Wheeler said that the state of Texas determined a custody arrangement back in 2014. But since his wife moved to Florida, he said she has refused to let him see the boy.
Wheeler filed an emergency order for custody on Monday in Pasco County, but the judge there refused to hear the motion on an emergency basis.
"Does it violate me for not breaking the law? Because what I am told is I did not break the law if there's not charges," Daniel Wheeler said. "Do I, will I even be able to fight for him tomorrow? Because I will spend the rest of my life fighting for my son. That's what you do for your kids, especially when you are a real parent."
Bane Wheeler's mother said she did not want to do an interview, but was happy to get her son back.
Daniel Wheeler is on his way back to Tennessee, where he now lives. The case remains under investigation.