Gabriela Alcalde

Dec 14, 2023 | npr.org | Gabriela Alcalde |Jake Kincaid |Patricia Martínez Sastre |Cameron Oakes |Nick Swartsell |Cheryl W. Thompson

Ernie Haynes stands next to a memorial for his daughter, Jennifer, at his home in Risingsun, Ohio. Following her drug overdose death in 2017, he was charged with abduction after trying to gain custody of his grandchildren. The action sparked a five-year legal battle to clear his name. Dustin Franz for NPR hide caption toggle caption Dustin Franz for NPR Ernie Haynes stands next to a memorial for his daughter, Jennifer, at his home in Risingsun, Ohio.

Dec 13, 2023 | wpr.org | Gabriela Alcalde |Jake Kincaid |Patricia Martínez Sastre |Cameron Oakes

Ernie Haynes never imagined that taking care of his three grandsons after his daughter's drug overdose death would turn him into a felon at the hands of a longtime Ohio prosecutor known to sidestep the rules intended to protect a defendant's rights in criminal trials. A week after his daughter died in December 2017, the court granted temporary custody of the children to their biological father, a man Haynes said also struggled with drug addiction.