PROVO, Utah, Nov. 28 A Utah couple accused of kidnapping their daughter to keep her from getting married have pleaded guilty to reduced charges Wednesday.
Lemuel and Julia Redd of Monticello pleaded guilty to custodial interference for attempting to prevent their daughter, Julianna, from wedding a man they didn't like, the Deseret Morning News reported.
The couple also will have to pay $2,000 to their new son-in-law for the cost of a pre-wedding meal and Julia Redd will undergo a mental health evaluation.
Fourth District Judge James Taylor, recommended the parents seek therapy.
"This is a tragedy and it clearly involves, in my view, mental illness," Taylor said. "I hope you have figured out you cannot have a family structure with adult children unless you are willing to accept and appreciate their choices."
The couple said they held their daughter overnight in a Grand Junction motel room last August to try to convince her not to marry Perry Myers. The two got married a few days later and she has since given birth to a baby girl.
The couple's daughter told the newspaper she is happy her parents accepted responsibility for their actions by pleading guilty to the misdemeanor charge.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
