WILLMAR - Charges were dismissed this week against a mother accused of failing to deliver her son to his father in violation of a court order.
A trial was scheduled to start Tuesday for Amy Winterfeldt, who faced two felony-level charges of depriving another of parental rights. But the charges were dismissed on the eve of the trial by District Judge David Mennis.
In throwing out the case, the judge cited lack of venue and a lack of clarity in the court order spelling out the child custody arrangement between Winterfeldt and her ex-husband, Bruce Gomm.
Winterfeldt, 45, formerly of New London and now of American Fork, Utah, was the focus of a multi-state search in July 2014 when she failed to show up in Appleton, Wisconsin, to turn over the child to her ex-husband, who had been granted sole custody after the couple’s divorce was finalized that month.
She was arrested a few days later during a traffic stop in Ohio.
The child, who was 4 years old at the time, was with her, along with two other children.
Her attorney had filed a motion to have the case dismissed on two grounds: that Kandiyohi County lacked the venue to file charges and that the court order was too unclear to support the charges.
Winterfeldt also was acquitted back in June on separate charges of malicious punishment of a child. Both charges were gross misdemeanors. That case went to trial and a jury found her not guilty.
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