TAMPA, Fla. – A sailboat is a new clue for authorities investigating the case
of a suspected father who kidnapped his two sons, 4-year-old Cole Hakken
and 2-year-old Chase Hakken from their grandparents’ home in Florida,
after the grandmother was tied up.
On Friday, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s detectives said that 35-year-old
Joshua Michael Hakken recently bought a 25-foot, 1972 Morgan sailboat
with a blue hull. On Thursday, the truck was also found in which the family
had been travelling.
According to the officials, Hakken and his wife and mother of the boys,
34-year-old Sharyn Patricia Hakken are the suspects in the abduction.
The news release said both suspects are anti-government and have attempted
a previous abduction at gunpoint in Louisiana.
On Wednesday, Hakken entered his mother-in-law’s house north of Tampa,
tied her up and fled with his 2 sons authorities said. His mother-in-law
called 911 and reported that Hakken kidnapped his sons.
On Thursday, FBI Special Agent Dave Couvertier said ,”It’s
the manner in which the kids were taken that concerns law enforcement”.
On Friday, authorities released photos of the boat including a photo of
the couple on the dock but didn’t say when Hakken bought the boat.
On Thursday, the family tried to sail to the Gulf of Mexico in the boat
and according to a report, they could have confronted storms along Florida’s
West Coast. The boat was described as “having a blue Bimini top,
white mainsail, and a blue hull with the word ‘Salty’ and
a paw print in white on both sides, with a white stripe near the water
line. There is possibly a yellow horseshoe life preserver on deck”.
On charges of abduction and several other counts, an arrest warrant has
been issued for Joshua Hakken by the Hillsborough Sheriff’s office.
Authorities said that last year, Joshua Hakken lost custody of his sons
after he was arrested in Louisiana for drug possession. After his release
from jail, he tried to take them from a foster home at gunpoint. The 2
boys named Chase Hakken and Cole Hakken had been living with their maternal
grandparents since last year, officials said.
A Louisiana court informed Hakkens, Joshua Michael and Sharyn Patricia
on Tuesday that they had been deprived of their parental rights.
Information about the kids abduction has been put on billboards in the
Southeast and Southwest said Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
Col. Donna Lusczynski.