Pennsylvania, USA: Child-welfare authorities seize newborn baby whose father is sex offender

Child-welfare authorities seized a newborn from a hospital Friday and placed the baby in a foster home because his father is a convicted sex offender. A judge granted the mother supervised visitation rights but prohibited visits from the father.

"There's no happy ending in these things. It's what we think is the best interest of the children," Gerard Campbell, executive director of Schuylkill County Children and Youth Services, which took custody of the baby over the mother's objections.

The baby was born Tuesday and the agency obtained an emergency court order Wednesday authorizing it to take the infant after arguing that his safety is in jeopardy because the father pleaded guilty to rape and sodomy two decades ago in New York. The agency also cited the mother's alleged history of drug abuse, the mother's lawyer said. Another hearing is set for Oct. 31. WolfHawk, 31, declined to talk with reporters after a hearing before Common Pleas Judge Charles Miller. The 53-year-old father, DaiShin WolfHawk, did not attend the hearing but said he was "just shocked" by the judge's decision.

WolfHawk, who is unemployed, describes himself as the chief of an American Indian tribe, the Unole E Quoni, which he says has 175 families in eight states. It is not recognized by any state or by the federal government, the AP reported.

A.M.