Hartland Man Given Jail Time for Kidnapping Son

A Livingston County Circuit judge ordered Mark Grabowski to 90 days in jail Thursday on charges that he kidnapped his son in September, according to an article on LivingstonDaily.com.

Grabowski, a Hartland resident and former Detroit Lions defensive lineman, was found guilty of unlawful retention of a child by a parent. He has been credited 26 days for time already served, the Livingston Daily reports.

In September, the mother of 11-year-old Connor Grabowski-Cracchiolo reported that Connor was missing after Grabowski failed to return her son to her in Casco Township.

Connor was missing for a week until the FBI found him and his father in South Dakota. Connor was then returned to his mother, the custodial parent, and Grabowski was arrested.

According to The Livingston Daily, Grabowski said he took Connor away from his mother, Kelly Cracchiolo-Evans, because she was abusing him.

During the time he was missing, Connor appeared in a YouTube video, stating that he was not kidnapped but left on his own free will and that his mother was abusing him.

"I asked my dad to take me here," Connor says in the video.

Evans denied the allegations in court Thursday and was supported by a Child Protective Services employee, who said there was no evidence of abuse, the Livingston Daily reports.

Livingston County Sheriff Bob Bezotte said it looked like Grabowski had been planning the kidnapping for several months.