Father Accused of Kidnapping Speaks Out in Court Again

Christopher Maffei, the man who took his two young children from a home in South San Francisco earlier this month, stole a yacht and boated to Monterey spoke out for a second time in court Monday afternoon, against his attorney's wishes.

"My family is still suffering neglect," he said from behind a glass panel before he was cut off and told that this was not the forum for him to be speaking in that way to build his case.

Maffei's defense attorney also began shushing him after it was clear that Maffei was again trying to build his own case, claiming that his children were mistreated in their mother's home.

Maffei made a similar claim when he first appeared in court a week ago.

Jennifer Hipon, the children's mother, told the San Francisco Chronicle last week that she was "very upset" about the claim that the children were abused in her home.

Maffei did not enter a plea, but is scheduled to appear in court to do so on Oct. 4 in Redwood City.

Maffei was ordered to refrain from any contact with the alleged victims in this case. He remains in custody on $500,000 bail.

Background

Maffei allegedly abducted his two children, ages 2 and 3, at about 3 p.m. Sept. 4 in the 100 block of James Court in South San Francisco and then drove in a rental car to Alameda where he left on the boat with the kids, police said.

The yacht was spotted about 50 miles off the coast from Pillar Point Harbor in San Mateo County early Sept. 7 by the operator of a commercial fishing ship who notified the U.S. Coast Guard.

Coast Guard officials sent crews by air and by sea to find the yacht and eventually found Maffei and the two children safe on board the vessel.

Court records show that Hipon on Sept. 6 obtained a temporary restraining order against him and that a hearing on the order is scheduled for Sept. 21.

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