Tampa mom arrested for kidnapping kids and sailing to Cuba gets first taste of freedom

Tampa mom who kidnapped kids back in court

A woman who kidnapped her children and fled to Cuba is now a free woman. Gloria Gomez reports.

TAMPA - A Tampa mother who was at the heart of an international kidnapping case walked out of court a free woman on Thursday.

Sharyn Hakken served seven years in prison after she and her ex-husband, Joshua Hakken, kidnapped their children from her parents' home in 2013 and fled to Cuba on a sail boat.

On Thursday, Sharyn Hakken asked a judge to end her probation early.

Prosecutors fought the request, saying she should serve her full sentence. But Judge Barbara Twine-Thomas disagreed, siding with the Department of Corrections, which said she qualified for early release.

Sharyn Hakken cries after being released from probation.

Following the ruling, Hakken thanked the judge and walked out of the courtroom, then hugged a family member.

She tearfully declined to comment as she left the courthouse.

Sharyn Hakken and her now ex-husband kidnapped their children, whom they did not have custody of, from the boys' grandparents.

The kidnapping became an international incident, and the FBI was able to bring the young boys back safely and arrest the parents.

Later, Joshua Hakken was sent away to a state hospital for treatment after he was found unfit to stand trial. After regaining his competency, he returned to Tampa to face criminal charges.