Crime & Safety
Father Accused of Abduction Appears In Court
The man who allegedly abducted his two toddlers and took them on a stolen yacht to Monterey made his first appearance in court Monday afternoon.
Christopher Maffei, the man accused of kidnapping his two young children last week, stealing a yacht in Alameda and boating down the coast to Monterey, spoke out in court today.
"My children have been put back in a place where they were abused," he said.
The judge told Maffei to speak with his lawyer and reminded him that everything said in court could be used against him.
Find out what's happening in South San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
No plea was entered; the case was continued to Sept. 17 at 1:30 p.m.
Maffei's bail was rasied to $500,000 today, and he faces 8 felony charges: two kidnapping, two child stealing, two child endangerment and one possession of the stolen boat.
Find out what's happening in South San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Maffei allegedly abducted his two children, ages 2 and 3, at about 3 p.m. Tuesday 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 Friday 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 safe on board the vessel.
Court records show that Maffei's wife on Thursday obtained a temporary restraining order against him and that a hearing on the order is scheduled for Sept. 21.
-Bay City News contributed to this report.
Stay with this story and sign up for our daily newsletter | Like South City Patch on Facebook | Follow South City Patch on Twitter | Blog for South City Patch
