By Rosalie Westenskow
Troubles with the in-laws arise for many young married couples, but BYU student Perry Myers may have more problems ironing out the differences than most grooms.
Last Friday, Myers” then-future in-laws allegedly abducted their daughter, Julianna Redd, a senior majoring in exercise science, to prevent her marriage to Myers.
“She [Redd] thought she was going to buy some stuff for the wedding and she ended up getting abducted,” said Myers, a senior majoring in political science.
After leaving with their daughter in the car, Redd”s parents, Julia and Lemuel Redd, headed to Grand Junction, Colo., where they stayed overnight, said Capt. Rick Healey of the Provo Police Department Detective Division. The Redds may face kidnapping charges, but the county attorney”s office has not yet decided, Healey said.
Once individuals turn 18, they are considered adults and parents can be charged with kidnapping if they force their children to go somewhere against their will, said Capt. Mike Harroun of the University Police.
When his fiancee didn”t show up to a wedding dinner Friday night, Myers called the police department to file a missing person report.
Although the Redds returned on Saturday, they arrived after the wedding was scheduled to occur. However, Myers and Julianna Redd were married on Tuesday in the Salt Lake LDS Temple.
“It was very sad that I wasn”t able to marry Perry [on Saturday], but, as you can see, we were going to get married anyway,” the bride said, noting she was on her honeymoon when the newspaper called her.
Myers and his wife said they were aware of her parents” feelings about their union, but didn”t know they were so strongly opposed.
“We weren”t expecting anything this drastic,” Myers said.
Although a kidnapping conviction usually results in jail time, Healey said he did not think such severe measures would be taken against Julia and Lemuel Redd.
“I would not anticipate that there would be those kinds of penalties,” he said.
