Bond set for mother accused of abducting daughter from South Padre Island
Lilian Crouch, the mother accused of abducting Rilee Crouch in July from South Padre Island, was arraigned Monday at the South Padre Island Municipal Court.
Lilian went before a judge, where she was charged with contempt of court and interference with child custody. Her bond was set at $110,000.
The state originally requested her bond be set at $1 million and said she was a high flight risk, claiming she has family in Mexico and has the means to obtain fake documents.
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Lilian disappeared with Rilee from South Padre Island in July and fled into Mexico. In December, Lilian attempted to enter Turkey with Rilee using fraudulent documents, according to the state.
The state said Turkish officials recognized the documents were fake and sent Lilian and Rilee back to Panama. Since they did not have valid documentation, they were unable to enter Panama or fly back to the United States.
U.S. Marshals were able to apprehend Lilian in Panama and escorted them back to the U.S. Rilee was reunited with her father, Dakota Crouch, on Sunday at the Valley International Airport in Harlingen.
The state claims Lilian has family ties to Israel and has put Rilee at risk in several situations, including "attempting to enter a war torn country."
According to the state, Lilian allegedly fled due to domestic violence, but no reports were ever made in Cameron County. A no-fault divorce petition was filed between Lilian and Dakota, but there were no accusations of domestic violence.
The defense argued that Lilian is not a threat to the community, voluntarily turned herself over to authorities and is not a flight risk since she does not have a passport.
The defense said those reasons were enough to "put the court at ease" and requested a bond of $50,000 since the charge of interference with child custody is a low state jail felony.
The judge ultimately decided to set the bond at $100,000 on the charge of interference with child custody.
The bond comes with conditions for Lilian that include surrendering her passport, if she has one. She also cannot commit offenses against the state of Texas, cannot leave Cameron County, must wear an ankle monitor and will be placed under house arrest.
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