An online court docket from the Putnam County Clerk of Courts Office backs up Cummings' general description of the custody situation.
On Sept. 16, 2005, he filed a petition to determine paternity. Later that month, Crystal Sheffield sought a protective order against him, but then dropped the petition during a court hearing.
In December of 2005, a judge declared Cummings the father of both children, gave him primary custody, and ordered the mother to pay child support.
The legal situation continued through November 2007.
In most cases, the outcomes of subsequent hearings are not clear from the docket. In one instance, the father filed an emergency motion for return of the children.
On Tuesday, the day Haleigh's absence was reported, the docket indicates a motion for contempt of court was filed, but it does not indicate who filed the motion or against whom it was filed.
http://www.gainesville.com/article/...y_search_for_Haleigh_off_to_slow__soggy_start
