From the Peoria Journal Star...

Doris A. Garretson, 68, was arrested Tuesday night in Tulsa, Okla., after a neighbor recognized her grandson's photograph on a missing children's flier at the post office.

Jonathan Smalley, 6, formerly of Peoria, was found in the small apartment where he lived with Garretson....

In March 2005, Jonathan and Garretson disappeared from Peoria. Garretson, who at that time had custody of Jonathan, failed to appear in court for a custody hearing, Peoria police said in a news release issued Thursday. Her no-show prompted a judge to give custody of the boy to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services....

Tulsa police didn't charge Garretson with anything since the incident originated in Illinois. Adams said he didn't know why she moved to Tulsa....

At the time of her arrest, Garretson told officers she took her grandson because he was not receiving proper medical care in Illinois for his cerebral palsy, Adams said. "She was not able to confirm or prove he was receiving any medical treatment here," he added.

Jonathan also had not been going to school. Garretson said she had been home-schooling her grandson, Adams said. In Oklahoma, home-school providers must be certified. Garretson was not, Adams added....

"DCFS worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to locate this child and we are relieved to see this search come to a successful conclusion," said DCFS spokesman Kendall Marlowe. "Arrangements are being made to return this child promptly to Illinois where he will be placed with a foster family."

Let's start with this...

In Oklahoma, home-school providers must be certified.

No, they are not. Oklahoma has the most sensible homeschooling laws in the nation. The only requirement are that you teach a certain list of subjects. One does not need to be certified to homeschool.

Now that we know the reporter is lazy and doesn't bother to actually get the facts, look at the rest of the story. Why would they take the child away from his grandmother, who was obviously taking good care of him, so he could then be put with strangers? Oh, that's right, because the grandmother offended a judge by not showing up for a custody hearing. Why we can't can't let that happen, can we. Have to teach her a lesson by traumatizing her grandchild, placing him in a system notorious for neglecting and abusing children. Make the little bugger suffer so we  can send the message that we "care" about children.

We aren't told why there was a custody hearing in the first place. We aren't told where the child's parents are and why they are involved. We are only told that the grandmother, out of concern for her grandson hid from authorities, who we know will now punish the child for her actions. I can't say I blame her one bit.

BTW, I phoned the reporter and informed her of the error, but I doubt she'll bother to actually check things out.