Children taken to Cuba are back with grandparents

TAMPA, Fla. -- Two young boys seem unaware their parents kidnapped them and believe their sailboat trip to Cuba was only a vacation, not an attempt by their mom and dad to flee U.S. authorities, the children's grandparents said yesterday.

Patricia and Bob Hauser said they want to get them back to a normal schedule and "just be carefree little boys again." The grandparents were awarded custody of the boys before their parents kidnapped them, detectives said.

"We haven't asked the boys anything about the journey," Patricia Hauser said. "We're just letting them tell us as things come out, if they feel like talking. We're just treating it like a vacation." The grandparents have legal custody of Cole, 4, and Chase, 2, who appeared briefly during the news conference to say "hi."

Parents Joshua and Sharyn Hakken were charged with kidnapping the boys and ordered to remain in jail without bond. Judge Walter Heinrich ordered them to have no contact with any of the victims or witnesses in the case.

The Hakkens arrived in Florida early Wednesday with their sons and the family dog, accompanied by federal, state and local authorities after being handed over by Cuban officials.

Last year, police in Slidell, La., came upon a disturbing scene in a hotel room: The Hakkens had drugs and weapons and talked about "completing their ultimate journey" and said they were traveling across the country to "take a journey to the Armageddon," police said. -- AP