HRS §707-726
When taking a child becomes a serious crime
This law makes it a serious crime to take or keep a child away from the person who has legal custody, especially if you take the child out of Hawaii. It also covers taking a child under 11 from their lawful custodian. There is a defense if you acted to protect the child from immediate harm and you reported it to the family court.
guardiansparents
The statute, as written — Custodial interference in the first degree
(1) A person commits the offense of custodial interference in the first degree if: (a) The person: (i) Intentionally or knowingly violates a court order issued pursuant to chapter 586, or intentionally or knowingly takes, entices, conceals, or detains the minor from any other person who has a right to custody pursuant to a court order, judgment, or decree; and (ii) Removes the minor from the State; (b) The person intentionally or knowingly takes, entices, conceals, or detains a minor less than eleven years old from that minor's lawful custodian, knowing that the person had no right to do so; or (c) The person, in the absence of a court order determining custody or visitation rights, intentionally or knowingly takes, detains, conceals, or entices away a minor with the intent to deprive another person or a public agency of their right to custody, and removes the minor from the State. (2) It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under this section that the person had "good cause" for the violation of a court order issued pursuant to chapter 586, for the taking, detaining, concealing, or enticing away of the minor, or for removing the minor from the State; provided that the person asserting the affirmative defense filed a report with the clerk of the family court detailing the whereabouts of the minor, the person who took, enticed, detained, concealed, or removed the minor or child, and the circumstances of the event as soon as the filing of the report was practicable; and provided further that the person asserting the affirmative defense also filed a request for a custody order as soon as the filing of the request was practicable. As used in this section, "good cause" means a good faith and reasonable belief that the taking, detaining, concealing, enticing away, or removing of the minor is necessary to protect the minor from immediate bodily injury. (3) The identity and address of the person reporting under subsection (2) shall remain confidential unless the information is released pursuant to a court order. (4) Custodial interference in the first degree is a class C felony.
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.