CHARLOTTE, NC (WCMH) — A North Carolina mother is behind bars after she baptized her daughter without the permission of the girl’s father.
Kendra Stocks has been ordered to spend seven days in jail after a judge found her in contempt of court for baptizing her daughter.
“It’s just very said,” Stocks told WSOC. “It’s all a very sad situation.”
Stocks and the girl’s father, Paul Schaff, have been involved in a custody battle for the past couple years. Both are Catholic.The court granted Schaff the final decision-making authority involving all legal custody decisions, including those involving religion.
The day after the judge granted Schaff that authority, Stocks had the child baptized without telling him. He found about the baptism on Facebook and reported it. Judge Sean Smith ruled that Stocks was in contempt of court and ordered her to serve seven days in jail.
“Her father and I both agreed on baptizing her,” Stocks said. “I regret that he wasn’t part of it, but I don’t regret that we’re raising her in the Catholic faith, which is what we both wanted.”
Schaff’s attorney told WSOC that Stocks’ sentence is just the price she has to pay for making bad decisions.
“I’ll get through it and hopefully come out a better person,” Stocks said.