Lake in the Hills parents accused of kidnapping their 5-year-old daughter from DCFS have been granted pretrial release by a McHenry County judge.
Jeffrey S. Cook, 57, and Jessica L. Walsh, 29, are both charged with a class 4 felony count of child abduction for taking their daughter away from the Department of Children and Family Services Building in Woodstock Tuesday after learning they lost custody of the child.
Cook is also facing a charge of obstructing justice, a class four felony, while Walsh has a second, unrelated case where she is facing a class three felony charge of aggravated battery in public place from April 23.
If found guilty at trial, they could be sentenced from one to three years in prison for abduction and obstructing justice while Walsh could be sentenced up to five years in prison for aggravated battery.
Woodstock Police were contacted Tuesday, May 28, saying a child was abducted from the DCFS office at 113 Newell Street, police said in a news release Wednesday.
Officers responding to the scene were told the abducted child was recently appointed to the DCFS by the courts, authorities said, but the parents took the child when they learned custody was awarded to DCFS, authorities said.
The news release states Walsh is the biological mother of the child and Cook is the father.
After the abducting and leaving Woodstock, detectives were able to contact Cook but the Lake in the Hills man was uncooperative when asked to return the child, authorities said.
Woodstock Police contacted the Lake in the Hills Police Department who found Cook, Walsh and the child hiding inside their Lake in the hills home, authorities said.
Cook and Walsh were taken into custody without incident and transported to McHenry County jail, authorities said.
The child was evaluated by Lake in the Hills paramedics before being transported to the hospital as a precautionary measure.
Though prosecutors argued the two should remain in jail while awaiting trial, Cook and Walsh were granted release with conditions including they have no contact with the child, will be monitored by court services, surrender any FOID cards and passports they may have in their possession and submit to a psychological evaluation within 29 days.