Grandparents offer $125K father to walk away from custody battle of toddler
There are 14 comments for this page [ View ]Tuesday, May 6, 2008
OGDEN -- A tattooed father sporting body piercings and a criminal record turned down a $125,000 "walking check" from grandparents fighting for custody of his daughter.
The offer made more than a year ago was only the beginning of what has been a rocky road since Tyler Meibos' daughter was born in February 2007.
Two different cases are pending in 2nd District Court that define the tug of war over the now 14-month-old girl: The grandparents' adoption case and Meibos' paternity action seeking to set aside the adoption. The two have been combined before Judge Roger Dutson with a status conference set for next week.
The case is also complicated by the fact Meibos, 22, has been sitting in the Weber County Jail since his arrest in December for his part in a drunken fight.
"The $125,000 shows the intent of the maternal grandparents to buy him out, to push him out, to excise him from his daughter, because they didn't like him," said Dan Drage, Meibos' lawyer. "There are men out there who would have taken the money in a heartbeat. But Tyler loves his daughter."
"It's subjective, their dislike of him," said Drage, an Ogden attorney. "Body piercings and tattoos are not the basis for terminating parental rights."
Grandfather Blaine Burnett, father of Amber, the baby's mother, made the $125,000 offer in a hospital waiting room as Amber was in labor, according to court records.
The two never married. "Amber's parents were not happy that she was pregnant," Drage said.
Comments
Wrong Tyler, just kidding
I grew up with Tyler-- he is a dirtbag and doesn't deserve any child. He is mean, and I wouldn't trust him with any child.
I'd Kill someone if they tried to extort me in this fashion. They are suing for custody AND offer this money to the guy to stop it? #*&! that #*&!.
Just because the Father has a criminal record, tats and piercings is no reason that he should not be able to raise his baby girl. I'd like to know where the babies Mother is and why she isn't involved?? I think that the Father should get custody of his daughter and the Grandparents need to just leave him alone and be just that the Grandparents and be there for both of them. The Grandparents need to overlook whatever their reason is for not liking the father and just be Grandparents.
One bar fight does not a poor parent make. The way the article is written its seems they have already paid or bullied their own daughter into giving up her parental rights.
Well it does say he has a criminal record but implies that it is related to his bar room fight and doesn't allege prior criminal conduct.
My bad.
I don't think the issue is tattoos or Jesus fish or criminal record. Also, the article doesn't say he has a prior record and a bar room fight may or may not make him a felon.
The issue is the parents of the girl don't like this guy and are trying to buy a baby from him.
He may be a great father, I don't know and neither do you. The fact that he declined a substantial amount of money shows, to me, that he is serious about raising his daughter.
I hope he beats the meddling grandparents and participates in the raising of his child.
Why does everyone seem to be focusing on the fact that the guy has tats rather than the fact that he has a criminal record? It seems to me like the grandparents are trying to save their daughter and grandchild a lot of future heartaches by making the felon go away... is that such a bad thing??
So where's Amber? As the mom, she must have (at least) an opinion.
To FatSean:
I believe that the grandparents are reading a deeper text than you give them credit for.
Your comment and question are contradictory, it would seem. Your comment that you would trust a person with tattoos before a person wearing a Jesus Fish indicates that you indeed judge a book by its cover (regardless of the cover). Yet in your closing question, you belie that, by indicating that one should not have to adhere to certain outward appearances in order to accomplish parenting. Yet you have already indicated how you feel about one's appearance.
I'd trust a person with tattoos before I trusted a person wearing a 'Jesus Fish'.
Are we saying that you must conform with the majority fashions or not be able to care for your child?
ok..son or daughter? the author needs to get their facts straight or get a better proofreader...as long as he loves his kid,overlook the tats,and hopefully he'll straighten up w/ the criminal record,for his kid's sake.
I agree that body piercings and tattoos are not a basis for determining suitability for parenthood. I have tattoos and (used to) have piercings, but I am also a CPA and consider myself to be a very good father to my daughter. However, we all know there are two sides to every story and we may not be hearing all of it.
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The reporter sure didn't get his facts straight. It was not a barroom fight. It was a "go into someone's home, restrain those in it and beat the crap out of someone while they are asleep with a bar" fight. Two different things. Takes a real man to beat someone while they are asleep. I wouldn't want him around my child either! My understanding is that his lawyer is friends with the reporter. Standard- g your facts striaght!! Amber is very much involved with the child. Tyler has been in and out of jail many times. He has also stabbed someone in the face! Interesting! He was just convicted of the "bar fight" and got 5 years to life for it. Does that change your opinion? This kid has a long history.