Mindy McCready, Son Zander, Found by Police in Arkansas

Country star Mindy McCready and her 5-year-old son Zander were taken into custody last night after police found the pair hiding in a closet of an Arkansas home believed to be owned by the singer’s boyfriend.

“The child appeared to be in good condition when we found him … he was in the closet with his mother,” chief deputy U.S. Marshall David Rahbany said in a statement.

Although McCready, 36, has been accused of stealing Zander from Gayle Inge, the child’s maternal grandmother who obtained custody in 2007 after Mindy fell into a series of troubles including drug abuse, drunk driving and a suicide attempt, the singer insisted that she was unable return the boy because she was pregnant and could not travel.

Florida Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Terri Durdaller said that her agency was working with Arkansas state officials to bring the youngster back to Inge’s home in Florida.

“We feel sorrow for Zander because he’s traumatized, and for Mindy,” Mrs. Inges said after hearing news that the two were found. “We just hope she does the right thing from here on out and that this is a wake-up call for her.”

According to CNN, McCready was not charged with a crime Friday even though she legally had violated a custody arrangement and judge’s order.

Authorities added that it is unclear whether she faces any future charges.

“I’m doing all this to protect Zander, not stay out of trouble,” Mindy wrote in an e-mail to the Associated Press on Thursday. “I don’t think I should be in trouble for protecting my son in the first place.”

via CNN