A 9-month-old baby was reunited with his parents on Dec. 21, weeks after he was taken from them by authorities following what began as a traffic stop in North Carolina.
Raymond Sykes and Kaila Boulware, a New Jersey couple, were on their way to visit a family member in Florida with their son Truth, when they were pulled over for a traffic stop in Troy, North Carolina.
On the night of Dec. 3, the couple was pulled over for “suspicious” driving, Montgomery County, North Carolina, authorities said. The car was “being driven in a manner, place and time that was suspicious” and the vehicle’s registration plate was not registered, the sheriff’s department said.
Boulware, 27, said the couple was stopped by Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies for having a white taillight and that they complied with all orders. Boulware also told NJ Advance Media that they were held at gunpoint by the officers and that 34-year-old Sykes was beaten with a baton.
Police claim the couple was not injured, and that Sykes hit a deputy. Law enforcement also said the car smelled like marijuana.
The officers weren’t equipped with body cameras or dash cameras.
“Neither Sykes nor Boulware were injured during their arrest and they did not request medical attention,” Sheriff Christopher Watkins said in a statement. He did not mention whether guns were drawn during the stop.
The couple was arrested on misdemeanor charges, although their attorney said they only had CBD tea. Police said they found smoking pipes and a grinder in the vehicle.
Boulware was arrested for minor traffic violations and Sykes for resisting a public officer and assault of a government official.
The couple was handcuffed and put into a different car than their son, who was taken by Montgomery County Social Services. The two wer released the same day.
The pair hugged and kissed their son Monday, when a North Carolina judge ordered Truth to be released to Sykes’ mom. The custody case will also be transferred to New Jersey.
There is no footage of the stop or the arrest to corroborate the deputies’ account of the events presented in court, which was the couple refused to follow orders and their van smelled of marijuana when they were pulled over.
“An odor of marijuana was detected coming from the vehicle and the occupants were asked to exit the van so a search could be performed, which they refused,” the sheriff’s department statement read. “When deputies were attempting to remove Sykes from the vehicle, he assaulted a deputy by hitting him with his fist, which caused his arrest. A search of the vehicle was conducted, which revealed marijuana and drug paraphernalia,” the department said.
An image of Sykes posted to the couple’s GoFundMe page shows him standing with an arm raised, revealing a large bruise on the skin. He claims an officer attempted to hit him in the head with a baton but he blocked it with his arm.
Boulware said the officers pulled guns on Sykes as his back was turned. The couple said the traffic stop took a turn for the worse after he asked if it was unlawful for the officers to search the car. She noted that at least one of the arresting officers was Black.
Boulware, who was released first, was released without shoes because she had been driving barefoot, and walked two miles to the department of social services to get her son back.
The couple does not have a birth certificate for Truth since he was born at home, and were forced to pay $750 for a DNA test to prove he was their son. However, the couple was still denied custody.
Boulware and Sykes are still fighting to get custody of their son, and must defend themselves against the charges from the traffic stop.
”At this point, we feel very confused,” Boulware said. “We feel very disheartened about this.”
A GoFundMe page set up by a family friend has raised more than $30,000 for the couple.
