Hakkens Accept Plea Deal in Kidnapping Case

The couple responsible for leading local law enforcement on a chase all the way to Cuba to recover two boys snatched from their grandparents’ Carrollwood area home last year has taken a new turn.

Joshua and Sharyn Hakken accepted plea deals Tuesday. Both have pleaded guilty to two counts of kidnapping for the April 3, 2013, disappearance of their young sons, Chase and Cole. Joshua Hakken has also pleaded guilty to burglary and grand theft auto, The Tampa Tribune reports. He now faces up to 15 years in prison, while Sharyn could serve up to 10.

Chase and Cole Hakken were 2 and 4, respectively at the time of the abduction. The boys were living with their grandparents, Bob and Patricia Hauser, when they were forcibly taken from the family’s Shady Shores Drive home by their father. The Hausers had legal custody of the boys.

Deputies said Joshua Hakken tied up his mother-in-law, took the children, and fled in her car. The search for the family eventually led to Madeira Beach where it was discovered Joshua Hakken had purchased a boat. U.S. Coast Guard officials confirmed the boat left the area April 3, 2013. That boat turned up later in Cuba where authorities there brought the family into custody for transport back to Tampa.

Local law enforcement and FBI officials transported the family back on April 9, 2013. Joshua and Sharyn Hakken were booked into the Hillsborough County Jail, while the boys went home to their grandparents.

See Also:

• Sheriff Gee: Joshua and Sharyn Hakken Headed to Jail
• Amber Alert Update: Hakken Family in Cuba?
• Social Media Helps in Search for Hakken Boys
• Coast Guard Says Hakken Boat Left Madeira Beach April 3
• Cuba Will Send Hakkens Back to U.S.
• Hakkens Denied Bond