Custody Dispute Leads to Charges for Northfield Man

A verbal agreement between two parents was taken too far, which led to kidnapping charges against a Northfield man.

According to Northfield police, 23-year-old Derek Daniel Dols of Northfield disappeared with his son on January 28 after him and the mother came to a verbal visitation agreement. In this agreement, Dols was to have the child overnight on the 27th into the 28th and drop the child off at daycare that morning. When the mother went to pick up the 2-year-old boy, she was informed that Dols had picked up the boy hours before. The mother tried to reach Dols and a member of his family by telephone. She was unable to get a hold of anyone, according to the criminal complaint.

The mother then went to police and told them that Dols had told her not to come around the child or his family after she refused to sign paperwork giving the two of them joint custody, according to documents.

In the meantime, a Dols relative contacted police to tell them that there were other issues that authorities were not aware of, but did not specify what those issues were.

Police then issued a request in Chicago, Wisconsin, and St. Cloud to be on the lookout for the child and Dols. On the 29th at 9:30 p.m., Dols and the child were located during a traffic stop by Stearns County Sheriff’s deputies.

Dols now faces charges of concealing a minor and kidnapping. If he is convicted of the most serious of the charges, he could pay a $35,000 fine and/or serve 20 years in prison.