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Former Titusville Resident Indicted for International Parental Kidnapping
United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced today, October 15, 2009, that Chad Zachary Hower, formerly of Titusville, Pennsylvania, was indicted on May 12, 2009, by a federal grand jury in Erie on a charge of international parental kidnapping.
The one-count indictment named Hower, age 34, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment presented to the court, Hower retained his son outside the United States with the intent to obstruct the lawful exercise of parental rights. Hower is currently in custody in Bulgaria awaiting a determination from the Bulgarian authorities as to his extradition to the United States.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian A. Trabold, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of three years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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