Father 'who kidnapped sons and fled with them to Cuba on a sailboat' declared insane

Joshua and Sharyn Hakken 'kidnapped sons from her mother's house' last April after she was granted custody of Cole, 4, and Chase, 2

Judge will decide on treatment facility for Mr Hakken on March 4 and examine psychological reports on Mrs Hakken



Boys tracked down in Cuba and safely returned to their grandparents

A Florida engineer accused of abducting his children and sailing with them to Cuba has been found insane and will likely undergo treatment for mental illness before he can stand trial.

Circuit Judge Chet Tharpe said on Wednesday that he'll decide on a treatment facility for Joshua Hakken on March 4. He'll also examine psychological reports on Hakken's wife, Sharyn.

Authorities say the couple kidnapped their two young sons from Mrs Hakken's parents last April after they lost custody following run-ins with police.



Arrest: Sharyn Hakken, left, and her husband Joshua, right, allegedly kidnapped their sons, aged two and four, a week after Sharyn's mother had been granted custody of the boys last April



Chase, two, and four-year-old Cole were safely returned to the care of their grandparents last April after allegedly being abducted by their parents The Hakkens sailed to Cuba, where they were apprehended by U.S. authorities and sent back to Tampa. The grandparents now have custody of the two children.

Prosecutors released evidence showing Joshua Hakken believed the federal government was targeting him because he had uncovered a secret plot to poison Americans with airplane chemicals. Jail cell footage released in September showed the couple discussing the plot to allegedly kidnap their sons - and desperately urging each other to stay quiet. Joshua and Sharyn Hakken are seen embracing, kissing and apparently talking about what they will say about the kidnapping on the video released by prosecutors. Prosecutors also shared a bizarre love letter Sharyn Hakken sent to a 26-year-old woman whom she met in prison, in which she tells the former inmate she is '100% committed to you and our relationship'.

Caught on camera: Joshua Hakken embraces his wife Sharyn in jail shortly after they are arrested for kidnapping their two toddler sons and fleeing to Cuba. The video shows them discussing the plot The Hakkens have been charged with kidnapping, interference with child custody and neglect in April after they allegedly kidnapped their sons from the boys' grandparents, who had been granted custody of them just a week earlier. After the couple were tracked down in Cuba and returned to the U.S., they were held in a Hillsborough County jail, where surveillance cameras filmed their conversations on April 10. 'Be careful what you say to your cellmates,' Joshua Hakken, 45, says to his wife. 'No one can know about this.' RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next Canadian reporter, 25, drove 500 miles to Washington state... 'Somebody's failing these kids': Mother loses both of her... Share this article Share 'I know, I know, I know,' responds Sharyn Hakken, 34, later adding, 'I said too much on the plane', as her husband comforts her, ABC News reported.

The couple, who have both pleaded not guilty to the kidnapping charges, also apparently discussed their release from jail.

'When everything goes down I'll come find you,' Joshua Hakken said, with his wife adding: 'If I get out before you, I promise I'll wait for you.'



Prosecutors plan to present the footage as evidence at a trial later this year.

They also released photographs taken inside the Hakken's sailboat that show two child car seats, a gun and ammunition.

Found: The couple's boat, 'Salty', is pictured moored at the Marina Hemingway complex in Havana on April 9 last year, six days after the couple allegedly set sail from Florida with their sons on board Prosecutors said the Hakkens had become paranoid about living in the U.S., claiming the government was trying to hack their computers and poison them. They had asked 11 countries for asylum, documents show. They lost custody of the boys last year after police officers in Louisiana found them and the children in a hotel room surrounded by weapons and drugs. On April 3, Joshua Hakken allegedly forced his way into his mother-in-law's home, tied her up and put the boys in his car, before setting sail for Cuba. Officials in Cuba learned that the parents were wanted in connection with a kidnapping and contacted U.S. authorities, who flew them back. When the boys were returned, their maternal grandparents Patricia and Bob Hauser revealed that the youngsters, who were not harmed, did not know they were allegedly kidnapped.

'They have been told that everyone heard about their sailboat trip to Cuba - "another country", as they call it,' Mrs Hauser said at a press conference.



'And their airport ride back to America, and that everyone wants to take their picture... We are treating it as if they went on a vacation.'

Mr Hauser said that they had never imagined they would be bringing up Cole and Chase - but that the 'smart, chatty' boys were a joy each day.



'It was initially a change of life-style for us, but having these boys here is just amazing,' he said.





