Man Agrees To Joint Custody After Abandoning His Son
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A Lakeville man agreed Wednesday to begin working towards joint custody of his 11-year-old son, whom he was convicted of abandoning after he unexpectedly drove to California in July.
Wednesday's agreement came at a child protection hearing in Dakota County, but there is no word yet on when Steven Cross will start spending time with his son, Sebastian Cross.
The boy's mother, Katik Porter, also agreed to being working towards joint custody. Sebastian will being spending time with Porter, whom he thought was dead, soon.
The fact that his mother was alive was revealed to Sebastian in his father's July 18 goodbye note, which read: "To my son: If this paper is wet, it's because I am crying so bad. You know your dad loves you more than anything. This economy got (illegible) there are no jobs for architects so I have to go because the sheriff will take the house July 27. There will be no more me … Some good news is your mother is still alive. Though I do not think it is for the best."
A jury convicted Cross of gross misdemeanor child neglect in January.
