RICHARD CHEKEVDIA - 5 yo (2007) - Benton IL

A Franklin County boy who has been missing nearly two years was taken
into protective custody Friday, and his mother and grandmother were
arrested.

Just after 11 a.m., U.S. marshals, Illinois State
Police and other police convened for a search of the home of the boy’s
maternal grandmother, Diane Dobbs, in rural Franklin County near
Royalton.

Richard Chekevdia, a few days short of his 7th
birthday, was being kept in a hidden room that previously had not been
discovered during a number of searches to which Dobbs had consented,
police said.

Dobbs and the boy’s mother, Shannon Wilfong, were arrested. Wilfong’s boyfriend also is sought by police.

Wilfong
was booked on child-abduction charges and Dobbs was charged with aiding
in a kidnapping, police said. Both were taken to Franklin County Jail.

Since
Nov. 30, 2007, Richard had been seen only in photographs, one of which
appeared on fliers issued by the Center for Missing and Exploited
Children.

His mother appeared in a photo next to him, but
neither of the two had been seen since their disappearance despite a
joint effort by several agencies.

State police Master Sgt. Stan
Diggs said it did not appear the child had been allowed outdoors often,
nor was he allowed to interact with other children or adults.

Franklin
County State’s Attorney Tom Dinn joined Diggs at a news conference
Friday along with Richard’s father, Mike Chekevdia, troopers and
marshals.

Dinn said he did not want to speculate whether Richard
had received any medical care or education during the time he was
missing, but he added there has been no information received to date to
support child-abuse charges.

“This is fantastic,” Dinn said of the discovery. “It’s the best day we’ve had here in a long time.”

The state’s attorneys said many agencies invested a lot of time and effort.

“I’m getting a little emotional as I think about it now,” he said as he leaned over and patted Mike Chekevdia on the back.

Richard
was in the custody of Department of Children and Family Services Friday
and had not been reunited with his father, although legal custody has
already been awarded to Mike Chekevdia.

After Wilfong and
Richard’s disappearance in late 2007, Mike Chekevdia began working with
police to find the boy and obtain full legal custody.

The name
of the person who tipped off police was not released Friday, but police
said it was only by receiving the tip that they knew to check the
grandmother’s home again and to look for the hidden room.

Last
year, Dobbs told The Southern Illinoisan that ongoing custody battles
forced the mother and son into hiding, but she denied any knowledge of
their whereabouts.

While Richard and his mother were missing,
allegations against Mike Chekevdia were raised with the Department of
Children and Family Services. Those allegations were found to be
baseless.

Mike Chekevdia on Friday said he doesn’t care what was
said about him, only what his son was told and how it might affect
their reunion.

Dinn said he was unable to comment on how long it might take to get Richard returned to his father.

A boy missing for nearly two years was found hidden behind a
wall inside his grandmother's house Friday and police arrested his
mother and grandmother in connection with his disappearance.

The home, in a rural part of Illinois' Franklin County, contained
several hiding spots, including a hole in a floor and a hidden area
behind a dresser and wall, authorities said. Richard Chekevdia, 6, and
his mother, Shannon Wilfong, were found inside a small room hidden
behind a wall.

"It was a good day," said Franklin County State's Attorney Tom Dinn.
"It was a good day today. I had the honor of calling the father and
telling him. ... He was obviously overjoyed and there was a little bit
of disbelief."

The boy's father, Michael Chekevdia, thanked authorities at a hastily
called news conference Friday, the Benton Evening News reported.

"I owe them all a debt of gratitude," he said. "I believe the system works."

Wilfong disappeared along with Richard in late 2007, apparently the
culmination of custody disagreements with the boy's father, according
to authorities.

Wilfong was charged with kidnapping in December 2007, but authorities
couldn't find her. They suspected she was hiding in the area and
searched the home of Wilfong's mother, Diane Dobbs, with her consent
but didn't find the boy. The home is near Royalton, a small town about
120 miles southeast of St. Louis.

With the help of U.S. marshals, new evidence was found that allowed
authorities to secure a search warrant to complete a more thorough
search, one that didn't require Dobbs' cooperation. That search,
conducted about 11 a.m. Friday, turned up Richard.

"We had suspicions where he might be, but we had to compile enough
evidence so we could get a search warrant," Dinn said. "We were lucky
to find them."

Authorities said they don't think Wilfong or the boy left the home in
the time they have been sought. Richard may have spent much of the time
since late 2007 hidden.

At Friday's press conference, Master Sgt. Stan Diggs of the Illinois
State Police described the room where Richard was found as about 4 feet
by 12 feet in size, according to the Benton paper. "For the last two
years, that's where they'd been living," Diggs said. "It was amazing."

Richard was "in very good spirits," Diggs said. "He was a very social,
very talkative, very polite little boy — and he was very happy to be
outside. He said he never goes outside."

The child was taken to a hospital for a checkup and was officially in
the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, who will
help with his transition to his father, authorities said.

Wilfong was held on the child abduction charge. Dobbs was charged with
aiding in a kidnapping. Both were at the Franklin County jail Friday
night.

Authorities were also seeking a man described as the boyfriend of one of the women.

Last year, Dobbs told the newspaper the Southern Illinoisan that she
didn't know where her daughter and grandson were but said they had gone
into hiding to protect the boy from his father. Court documents show
Wilfong claimed her son had been sexually abused by Chekevdia.

Authorities said those claims were made after Chekevdia won custody of
Richard and noted that the Department of Children and Family Services
investigated the charges and ruled them unfounded.

Boy Found Behind Wall At Grandma's Home


Boy's Mother Charged With Felony Child Abduction





ST. LOUIS -- A boy allegedly abducted in a custody dispute nearly two years ago has turned up alive, hiding with his mother in a small, specially built secret room at his grandmother's Illinois home, investigators said.

Richard "Ricky" Chekevdia, who turns 7 on Sept. 14, was in good spirits and physically fit after being found Friday by investigators with a court order to search the two-story rural home in southern Illinois' Franklin County, about 120 miles southeast of St. Louis.

The boy's mother, 30-year-old Shannon Wilfong, is charged with felony child abduction. The grandmother, 51-year-old Diane Dobbs, is charged with aiding and abetting. Wilfong remained jailed Saturday on $42,500 bond in Benton, Ill., where Dobbs was being held on $1,000 bond. The women did not have attorneys listed Saturday in online court records.

The boy was staying Saturday with one of his father's relatives while state child-welfare workers investigated claims the father abused the child before his disappearance -- allegations rejected by the dad, who's thrilled the agonizing search has ended.

"Two years? You have no idea," Mike Chekevdia, a 48-year-old former police officer who's a lieutenant colonel in the Illinois National Guard, told The Associated Press by telephone Saturday from his house in Royalton, Ill., some three miles from the home where his son turned up. "I've lost sleep. I've lost weight. I've gained weight. I wouldn't wish this on anybody."

After hearing his son had been found, Chekevdia said, "you could have knocked me over with a feather."

Chekevdia won temporary custody of his son shortly before the boy and his mother -- Chekevdia's former girlfriend -- disappeared in November 2007. Chekevdia said he long suspected his son was being stowed by Dobbs, although there were no signs of the boy at her home when it was searched with her consent after his disappearance. Wilfong was charged in December 2007 with abducting the boy but couldn't be found.

For much of the time since, Chekevdia said, the windows of Dobbs' home were blocked off by drawn shades or other items, presumably to prevent anyone from peeking inside.

"I had a firm belief he was in there, and yesterday it was confirmed," Chekevdia said.

Investigators, during a news conference Friday, did not detail what led sheriff's deputies and federal marshals with a search warrant to Dobbs' house Friday, when they found the boy and his mother in a hideaway roughly 5 feet by 12 feet and about the height of a washing machine.

"We let him out of the (patrol) car and he ran around like he'd never seen outdoors. It was actually very sad," Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Stan Diggs said. "He was very happy to be outside. He said he never goes outside."

"Surprisingly," Diggs added, "Ricky is in very good spirits. For someone who's been isolated in that house with no other outside beings, he's a very social, very polite, very talkative little boy."

Dobbs, the grandmother, told the Southern Illinoisan newspaper of Carbondale, Ill., last year that her daughter had been forced into hiding to keep the child from his father. Dobbs called the custody dispute a "nightmare for all of us."

Chekevdia, eager to get his son back in school and to a dentist, said waiting for Ricky to resurface required patience.

"It's hard to sit back and watch things happen when you're used to making things happen," said Chekevdia, a gung-ho military officer who served in Iraq earlier this decade. "But I just bided my time and let the system wor

The grandmother of a 6-year-old boy who was found huddled in a hiding space along with his mother said she did nothing wrong in helping to hide her family and keep the little boy safe.
The 6-year-old's mother and grandmother are charged in the abduction.
While police have said Diane Dobbs' house was full of hidden nooks and secret rooms
where Richard "Ricky" Chekevdia was hidden from the world, Dobbs told
"Good Morning America" that "in two years time, [the boy spent] maybe
five minutes" in the crawl space.
"My grandson had the run of the house, when we were outside we
would go fishing, we would do weenie roasts, we've done fireworks on
the 4th of July, he's helped me plant my flower garden in the back,"
Dobbs said in an exclusive interview from Marion, Ill.
Yet Dobbs, 51, and her fiance were charged with aiding and
abetting while Richard's mother, Shannon Wilfong, 30, was charged with
felony child abduction and could face at least a year in prison.
Dobbs is now out of jail after posting $1,000 bond and told "Good
Morning America" that she does not plan to plead guilty to any charges.
"We were on our own and we had to do what we had to do and that
was make sure our grandson was safe," she said, adding that the crawl
spaces were there when she bought the house 14 years ago and was used
mainly for storage.
Ricky Chekevdia
and Wilfong disappeared in November 2007 in the middle of a heated
custody battle with the boy's father, who Wilfong had accused of
sexually abusing their son.
Mother and son were found huddled in a crawl space Friday by
police who were acting on a tip. They said it was clear that Ricky had
rarely, if ever, ventured outside. Dobbs said she put the two in the
hiding space behind a dresser when she saw police gathering outside.
After Michael Chekevdia won temporary child custody rights,
Wilfong accused him of sexually abusing the boy. When child welfare
workers found no evidence and awarded Michael Chekevdia custody,
Wilfong disappeared with their son.

Father Denies He Sexually Abused Son
Ricky is staying with family members in southern Illinois and has yet
to reunite with his father while state child welfare officials sort
things out.
"I was skeptical at best that something might happen," Michael
Chekevdia told "Good Morning America Weekend." "When they notified me
that they had found him, you could've knocked me over with a feather."
But Dobbs said this entire ordeal was orchestrated to keep
father and son apart. She maintained that authorities had failed to
properly investigate her daughter's claims and challenged Chekevdia to
take a polygraph test.
"There's never been a thorough investigation," she said. "That's what this family wants."
Dobbs said Ricky was homeschooled by his mother and is a "very bright child."
"He's the light of my life," she said. "I've been there ever since that little boy was born."
Investigators found the house riddled with secret hiding places,
including a hole in the floor and another hole carved into the wall
behind a dresser. "We let him out of the car, and he ran around like
he'd never seen the outdoors," Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Stan
Diggs said. "It was actually very sad."
But Diggs added, "Ricky is in very good spirits for someone who's been
isolated in that house with no other outside interaction. He's a very
polite, social, talkative little boy."
For the time being, Michael Chekevdia said he is happy to abide
by the system and wait until child welfare workers determine that his
son is ready to see him again.
"I have seen him at a distance and he looks well. ... He could
look better. He's eating, he's sleeping, he's socializing very well,"
Chekevdia said. "And when they tell me that it's time, I'll go."

A Royalton man, whose missing son turned up Friday in a bizarre child
abduction case that has made national news, said Monday he got to see
his little boy at a Labor Day parade in Royalton.

"I got to see him today at the Labor Day parade. He was picking up candy and doing
what other little boys do," said Lt. Col. Michael Chekevdia of the
Illinois Army National Guard.

Chekevdia said he saw the boy from
a distance and did not interact with him. A hearing is scheduled today
at 11 a.m. in Franklin County Courthouse to determine when Chekevdia
can reunite with his son, Richard, who will turn 7 next week.

"They want to make sure my son is psychologically ready to reintegrate with
me after his years of captivity. I want the integration to be as smooth
as possible," Chekevdia said.

A Franklin County court awarded
Chekevdia temporary custody of the boy in 2007. Ricky and his mother,
30-year-old Shannon Wilfong, vanished in November 2007. They were found
Friday hiding in a small crawl space in Wilfong's mother's house by
police who were responded to a tip. Wilfong is charged with felony
child abduction and being held as of Saturday on $42,500 bond.

Her mother, Diane Dobbs, 51, is charged with aiding and abetting. She was
released on $1,000 bond and spoke to "Good Morning America" from a
Marion television studio Monday.

Dobbs said over the airwaves authorities haven't fully investigated allegations Chekevdia sexually
abused his son, and she was trying to protect the boy from him. She
said she doesn't plan to plead guilty.

"We were on our own, and we had to do what we had to do and that was make sure our grandson was safe," Dobbs said.

Chekevdia, 48, who is a former police officer, has denied any wrongdoing.

"I was investigated three times, and I complied with everybody's desires
and wishes in those investigations, and every one of those
investigations were unfounded," he told "Good Morning America."

Richard Chekevdia has been staying with one of his father's relatives.
Authorities reported the boy was in good spirits and physically fit.

Dobbs said Ricky and his mother didn't live in the crawl space full time at
Dobbs' two-story rural home nearly 3 miles from Chekevdia's residence
near Royalton. She said the pair spent less than five minutes there
during the past two years.

"My grandson had the run of the
house. When we were outside, we would go fishing, we would do weenie
roasts, we've done fireworks on the Fourth of July, he's helped me
plant my flower garden in the back," she said.

She said Wilfong had been homeschooling Ricky, who she described as a "very bright child."

"He's the light of my life," she said. "I've been there ever since that little boy was born."

Another person faces charges in the local case involving a boy who was missing for two years. The child's aunt now faces charges.Danielle Wilfong, 24 of Marion was taken into custody Tuesday. She's charged with helping in the abduction of six-year-old Richard Chekevdia.The child's mother, grandmother, and the grandmother's boyfriend all face charges in the case as well. Police
say they found six-year-old Ricky Chekevdia inside his grandmother's
home in Royalton, and say he'd been locked inside a tiny secret room. Police say he wasn't allowed to look out the windows or go outside during the daytime. Richard's father, Mike Chekevdia, was awarded full custody of the child. The story
is grabbing national attention. Wednesday morning, the boy's father
spoke with the CBS Early Show about the choice to wait before he
reunites with his son.

The mother accused of hiding her son for nearly two years before he was
recovered earlier this month remains in Franklin County Jail.

Shannon Wilfong, 30, is still in custody at the jail, Franklin County Sheriff
Bill Wilson said Wednesday. Her bond is set at $42,000.

She is charged with felony child abduction in connection with the snatching of
her 6-year-old son in November 2007, shortly after temporary custody of
the child was granted to his father, Michael Chekevdia, 48 of Royalton.

The child was found Sept. 4 in a crawl space at the Elkville residence of
his grandmother, Diane Dobbs, 51, who has been charged with aiding in
the child's abduction.

Dobbs was later charged with two counts
of harassment of witnesses after she allegedly harassed the mother of a
potential witness in the case.

Dobbs' boyfriend, Robert Sandefur, faces two counts of harassment of witnesses in connection
with the same incident. He was also previously charged with aiding a
child abduction.

All three defendants will appear in Franklin
County Court Sept. 23, while aiding in a child abduction charges
against Wilfong's sister, Danielle, were dropped.

Franklin County State's Attorney Tom Dinn declined comment on the case Wednesday.

The child was initially placed with a relative of his father so that
counseling could occur that would facilitate his reunion with his
father.

A spokesman for the Illinois Department of Children and
Family Services declined to say whether the child has since been
returned to his father's custody.

A message left for Michael Chekevdia was not returned.

Two women allegedly involved in the abduction of Ricky Chekevdia
maintained their innocence after Wednesday’s appearance at the Franklin
County Courthouse in Benton.

“I know that I’m completely justified to everything that I’ve done. As
a mother, I did what every mother would do,” said Shannon L. Wilfong,
who is accused of abducting her son, Richard K. Wilfong Chekevdia.

Wilfong, 30, and her mother, Diane E. Dobbs, 51, both of Elkville, were
arrested earlier this month after Illinois State Police found Chekevdia
hidden in a concealed room in the wall of a home shared by Dobbs and
Robert D. Sandefur.

Chekevdia, now 7, had been missing from December 2007 to Sept. 4 of this year.

Wilfong, who had been awarded joint custody of Chekevdia in 2003, is
accused of “placing him in circumstances that endangered his life and
health,” Judge Paul Lamar read, as well as keeping him secluded and
“deprived of educational, medical and/or remedial care.”

“I am totally innocent, and I love my son very much,” Wilfong said.

“The system failed me,” she said. “Everybody did not do their jobs. They let my son just fall between the cracks.”

Wilfong and Dobbs have accused the boy’s father, Michael Chekevdia, of abuse.

Michael Chekevdia has rejected those allegations, as did state
child-welfare officials and the judge during a Sept. 8 court appearance.

“I absolutely have no concerns about the father,” testified Jan McGraw, a state child-protection supervisor.

Chekevdia, a 48-year-old former police officer who’s an Illinois Army
National Guard lieutenant colonel, won temporary custody of his son
shortly before the boy and his mother — Chekevdia’s former girlfriend —
disappeared.

Sandefur, 51, and Dobbs each face two counts of aiding and abetting a child abduction and two counts of harassing witnesses.

“The truth will prevail,” Dobbs said. “I know I’m innocent. I thank the Lord every day that my grandson is still alive.”

Dobbs, Wilfong and Sandefur all appeared before Lamar on Wednesday and
said they intend to hire legal representation before their Nov. 19
arraignments.

There is yet another delay in a custody battle involving a boy allegedly hidden inside a home for nearly two years.
The boy's mother Shannon Wilfong and father Mike Chekevdia appeared
before a judge Friday to learn the decision in the case. Just as the
hearing got underway, Wilfong's attorney, Susan Burger, informed the
judge that she had tried repeatedly to get in touch with her client
about a Department of Children and Family Services report and had been
unable to reach her. Burger asked to withdraw from the case, calling
her client "hostile."
When the judge asked why she failed return her lawyer's calls,
Wilfong told the court she decided at a court hearing on December 4,
2009 that she wanted a different lawyer.
The judge granted Burger's request to withdraw. Wilfong then requested a continuance to seek alternate legal counsel.
Chekevdia's lawyer objected to the motion saying Wilfong should have
used the last month during which she admitted to knowing she wanted to
seek alternate council to find another attorney. He called her request
an "attempt to delay the proceedings further."
The judge granted the continuance but warned if Wilfong comes back
without a lawyer for the dispositional hearing on February 19, there
will be no more continuances allowed. She would then be required to
represent herself in the matter as state law requires a judge make a
decision on parental custody no later than six months after a child is
first placed in protective custody.

BENTON-- A Franklin County judge has ruled that custody of the boy
found hidden in a secret room goes to his father. The state will
maintain guardianship.

Friday’s decision came as no surprise. The seven-year-old's mother, Shannon Wilfong, faces criminal charges.

Police say Wilfong abducted her son, Ricky Chekevdia, and hid him at
her mother's house in Franklin County for almost two years.

Circuit Court Judge Melissa Drew previously called that "neglect" on the part of the boy’s mother.

The boy was discovered in September 2009.

Wilfong’s appearance in family court Friday came a day after a judge
ordered her to find an attorney in her criminal case. She has refused
to accept a public defender.

The court appointed Benton attorney Eric Dirnbeck to Wilfong’s custody
case after previous counsel, Susan Burger, resigned in January calling
Wilfong “hostile.”

"I think she's ready to move on with what's necessary to do in the case," Dirnbeck said Friday.

According to a caseworker, that hasn't been the case so far.

The Department of Children and Family Services representative testified
that Wilfong has failed to cooperate with court-mandated counseling and
refused to give the court a permanent address.

Dirnbeck said his client explained that she’s staying with friends and wants to protect them from media scrutiny.

Wilfong underwent a DCFS-mandated psychological evaluation in early February. Results are expected in the next several weeks.

Wilfong is also required to undergo random drug tests. According to testimony, she has taken--and passed--one so far.

Since December, Ricky Chekevdia has had a series of thirty-day visits
with his father. The caseworker testified that they “went well” and she
believes Mike Chekevdia is able to properly care for his son.

The judge agreed, ordering Chekevdia to take custody of his son and finding Wilfong “unfit at this time.”

“My little boy is moving in with me officially today,” Chekevdia beamed after the hearing.

Wilfong will continue to have supervised visits with her son once every
three weeks at the Lutheran Social Services office in Marion.

"I think the evidence that we heard in court today indicated that
the child is very well attached to his mother," Dirnbeck said.

The custody ruling came as no surprise to the boy's father.

"I don't want to be arrogant here, but to me, the writing was [on the wall]," Chekevdia said.

The judge noted that Ricky Chekevdia has rebounded remarkably in recent
months. He's spent much of that time getting to know his father again.

"He has learned a lot and he has advanced a lot. [He’s] gained nine
pounds, three inches. I mean he's an ice cream fanatic. He's doing
well," the father said.

In coming months Wilfong may focus on getting to know her
court-appointed attorney, who did not rule out representing her in
criminal court.

Wilfong's mother Diane Dobbs, who is also charged with abducting the boy, told News Three she's happy with Dirnbeck so far.

Dobbs and her live-in boyfriend Robert Sandefur, who is also a
defendant in the abduction case, have no legal representation, either.

"[Wilfong] doesn't seem to be a monster that I think she may have been
portrayed in the press. She doesn't appear to me to be out of touch
with reality,” Dirnbeck said. “She seems like a normal mother who's
extremely concerned about her son."

Wilfong is due in criminal court again in March. Another hearing in the custody case is scheduled for July.

Chekevdia says he pays no attention to the criminal case and supports letting Ricky see his mom.

A Franklin County judge appointed public defenders Thursday to represent three
defendants in a nationally publicized child abduction case.
Shannon Wilfong, her mother Diane Dobbs, and Dobbs' boyfriend, Robert
Sandefur, are accused of hiding Wilfong's son from his father and authorities
for almost two years before the boy was discovered in a crawl-space-like room at
Dobbs' home in September.


Wilfong, 30, is charged with two counts of child abduction and one count of
endangering the health/life of a child, while Dobbs, 52, and Sandefur, also 52,
are charged with aiding and abetting the crime, and two counts each of harassing
a witness.
Wilfong and Dobbs maintain the abduction was for the child's protection,
although that claim was rejected by authorities who investigated the case.
Since their arrests in September, the three have made near monthly
appearances in Franklin County court without the services of defense counsel,
causing delays in the proceedings.
The three were told last month to have attorneys by Thursday's appearance or
be prepared to make the decision to represent themselves in court.
Each appeared individually Thursday before Judge Melissa Drew, who made quick
work of the scheduled hearings.
Drew got right to the point as Wilfong approached the bench.
"You don't have an attorney with you here today," Drew said.
Wilfong said she is unable to find a job and asked the court to appoint a
public defender to her case.
Drew appointed Eric Dirnbeck as Wilfong's attorney.
She later appointed Mike Rowland to represent Sandefur and Aaron Hopkins to
serve as defense counsel for Dobbs.
Wilfong will return to court at 9:30 a.m., May 17, while Dobbs and Sandefur
have appearances scheduled for 9:30 a.m., May 19.
Custody of the child, 7, was awarded to his father Michael Chekevdia last
month. Wilfong is allowed supervised visitation at the discretion of the child's
guardian.

Shannon Wilfong Pleads Guilty: Illinois Mom Hid Young Son In Crawl Space For Years

09/20/11 03:05 PM ET

ST. LOUIS -- A southern Illinois woman who authorities say hid her young son, often in a crawl space, for nearly two years as part of a custody dispute has been ordered to spend two years on probation without more jail time.

Shannon Wilfong, 32, pleaded guilty Monday in Franklin County to five misdemeanors, including obstructing a peace officer. Wilfong was sentenced to $1,500 in fines and 30 days in jail – a judge credited her with time she already has served – on that count and fines of $100 on each of four counts of unlawful interference with child visitation.

Wilfong's mother, Diane Dobbs, also pleaded guilty to obstruction and escaped additional jail time when the judge credited her with the 12 days she'd already been behind bars. Dobbs, 53, was fined $1,000.

Franklin County's top prosecutor said the case-closing plea deals came with the blessing of the boy's father, Michael Chekevdia, Wilfong's one-time boyfriend. Chekevdia has been granted legal custody of the boy, who turned 9 last week.

Chekevdia did not immediately return telephone messages left Tuesday by The Associated Press.

Authorities say Wilfong began hiding her son at her mother's house near Royalton in late 2007, stashing him in a crawl space – roughly 5 feet by 12 feet, about the height of a washing machine – whenever visitors came.

The home's windows were blocked off with shades or other items, and a judge found the boy was deprived of contact with peers, medical care and education. Testimony later revealed the boy was allowed outside only at night or in a fenced-in area not visible to passers-by.

Authorities raided the home in September 2009, found the boy, and arrested Wilfong and Dobbs.

Dobbs insisted Wilfong fled with the boy to protect him from abuse by Chekevdia, a former police officer and an Illinois National Guard lieutenant colonel. Chekevdia rejected their allegations, as have state child welfare officials.

In February of last year, Franklin County Circuit Judge Melissa Drew rejected awarding the boy to his mother. Drew, who described the boy then as "very resilient," ruled custody should go to his father with the caveat that the court maintain oversight of the child.

Drew reiterated her previous finding that the child's two years in hiding amounted to neglect, citing his forced absence from schools and outside medical care.

During months of custody hearings after the boy was found, Wilfong was prone to outbursts and once briefly walked out of one hearing, clutching a wad of tissues.

Dobbs' boyfriend, 53-year-old Robert Sandefur, also had been accused of having a role in hiding the boy, though those charges have been dropped.

Dobbs said the case's "dragging on" in court spurred Monday's guilty pleas, which she said would allow Wilfong to seek visitation with the boy she hasn't seen in four months.

"She wants to start getting a life with her son," the (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan quoted Dobbs as saying. "We just want Shannon and (the child) reunited."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/20/shannon-wilfong-illinois-_n_972247.html?ir=Crime