Boys Kidnapped to Cuba Emerge Playful at Grandparents' House
Joshua and Sharyn Hakken charged with kidnapping, child neglect.
April 11, 2013— -- The two children allegedly kidnapped by their parents and taken to Cuba earlier this week emerged from their grandparents' home in Florida this morning smiling and striking silly poses for reporters, who they thought were there to learn about their Cuba "vacation."
Cole and Chase Hakken, ages 4 and 2, respectively, were told by their maternal grandparents that photographers wanted to take their pictures after hearing about their "sailboat trip to another country and airplane trip back to America."
The children answered no questions about their ordeal or their parents, who lost custody of the children last year and attempted to take them back illegally via the trip to Cuba, authorities say.
Instead, the boys smiled, showed off a toy truck, said the cameras were "cool," and struck silly poses.
Meanwhile, their parents, Joshua Hakken, 35, and Sharyn Hakken, 34, were formally charged in court this morning with kidnapping, interference with child custody, and neglect.
Joshua Hakken was also charged with grand theft auto, false imprisonment, battery and burglary.
The boys had been in the custody of grandparents Bob and Patricia Hauser when they were allegedly kidnapped by their parents April 3. They were then returned to the Hausers' home Wednesday, after Cuban and U.S. officials brought the Hakken family home from Cuba and took Joshua and Sharyn into custody.
Patricia Hauser said the hours before the boys boarded their flight back to the United States were tense.
"They called us from Cuba and let us talk to the boys before the plane even left. Believe me, many tears were shed in that room, from us and this group you see here," she said, gesturing toward the Hillsborough County Sheriff's officers standing behind her.
"Then we became elated and could not wait for the plane to land in Tampa," she said.
The grandparents had not asked their grandsons any details about the kidnapping, which they said the boys didn't really understand to be a crime.
"They have been told everyone heard about their sailboat trip to another country and airplane ride back to America, and everyone wants to take their picture," Hauser told reporters.
"We have not asked the boys anything about their journey. We are just letting them tell us things as they come out, and treating it as they went on a vacation."
Bob Hauser called the ordeal a "nightmare," but said he is thrilled to have his grandsons home once again.
"You never expect something like this to happen to you, but I'll tell you, going through it, you just take one step at a time," he said. "And the focus had been on getting those boys home, and now the focus is that they can lead a normal life.
"Having the boys here is amazing."
The grandparents said they were deeply grateful to local and federal authorities, the media and the public for helping to bring the boys home.
READ MORE: Parents Isolated From Jail Population
Sharyn Hakken's former boss Darrell Hanecki, who spoke to ABC News overnight, said she was a good mother who quit her job to spend more time with her sons.
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