Billy McKnight told NBC's "Today" show Friday he spoke on the phone with McCready and their boy after the judge's deadline expired.
"He did sound healthy and ok. He wasn't crying or scared," McKnight said about Zander.
"I think she believes she has a case and doesn't realize she's pushing her luck on this one," he added.
McCready said Thursday she would not bring the boy back from Tennessee, despite violating a custody arrangement. Her mother has custody of Zander.
The singer took her son during a recent visit at her father's Florida home, and a judge signed an order Thursday ordering authorities to take the boy into custody and return him. It's not yet clear whether the singer could face criminal charges.
"I'm doing all this to protect Zander, not stay out of trouble," McCready wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday. "I don't think I should be in trouble for protecting my son in the first place."
McCready says she is in Tennessee and cannot travel because she's nearly seven months pregnant with twins. According to the New York Daily News, the father of the babies is record producer David Wilson, her boyfriend of more than two years.
The judge's order means law enforcement anywhere can pick up Zander and bring him back to Florida.
McCready and her mother have had a long custody battle over Zander. The boy was living with McCready's mother, who was awarded guardianship in 2007. McCready says her son has suffered abuse at her mother's house; her mother, Gayle Inge, denies the abuse allegations.
"Once the child is located, we will pick him up and bring him back to Florida," said Terri Durdaller, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Children and Families. "Although these circumstances are unfortunate for a young child, his safety and well-being are our number one priority."
McCready has not been charged with any crime.
The boy's father, Billy McKnight, said that he talked with Zander by phone Thursday night and said the boy "sounded OK." But McKnight said he wasn't sure when he'd see the boy again.
"I don't know if (McCready) plans on bringing him back," McKnight, himself a country singer, told HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell. "She didn't lead me to believe that she was going to."
On Wednesday, McCready told HLN that her son is fine.
McCready's publicist issued a statement saying McCready "has not been charged with illegal wrongdoing."
"Ms. McCready's number one priority has always been, and continues to be, the safety of her son," publicist Kat Atwood said in the statement.
McCready has asked a court to have custody of her son returned to her out of concern over his safety, Atwood said.
With the emergency pickup order now official, local law enforcement will update the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI's National Crime Information Center about the case, said Aimee McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Children's Network of Southwest Florida, the lead agency for child welfare services.
"Once the child is located, we will make plans to bring the child back to the home of his maternal grandmother, which is the legally approved place," she said.
McLaughlin said that Zander's safety is state authorities' top concern.
"In any case, not just this one, we want to ensure the well-being of the child," the spokeswoman said.
McCready burst on the music scene in 1996 with the debut album "10,000 Angels" and the chart-topping country hit, "Guys Do It All the Time."
In addition to romances with musician David Malloy and actor Dean Cain -- as well as admitting to an affair with baseball player Roger Clemens, which he didn't confirm or deny -- her website biography also touches on her career stalling as well as her "explosive relationship" with McKnight.
She has waged a public battle with drug addiction over the past several years, including being a participant in the 2009 season of the reality TV show "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew." She was rushed to a Fort Myers, Florida, hospital last year, Cape Coral Hospital spokeswoman Karen Krieger said, after a 911 caller claimed the singer had overdosed.
McCready is currently pregnant with twins, according to her publicist. Her website biography notes her 2010 "triumphant return to her first love, music ... after an eight-year recording hiatus" with the album, "I'm Still Here."
McKnight, the father of her child, refused to speculate Thursday night on McCready's current mental state or sobriety. He told HLN that he wants her to "get herself healthy," so the two can work together "as two adults ... to make (their son's) life better."
"My biggest concern is the fact that Zander is used to being here in Florida," said McKnight, referring to the state that he and the boy call home. "I'm worried about him just being moved around."
No comments:
Post a Comment