Texas judge sends Pilar Sanders to jail for violating custody order

It isn’t often that Texas residents are sent to jail for violating their divorce decrees, but it is possible as a case involving Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and his ex-wife shows.

The divorce of Deion and Pilar has been volatile from the very beginning, involving claims of abuse, social media rants and numerous court appearances. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the conflict has escalated once again.

At a hearing this week, a Texas judge sentenced Pilar Sanders, the ex-wife of the football superstar, to seven days in county jail for failing to abide by the former couple’s child custody order.

Deion testified that Pilar violated the visitation schedule at least 16 times by failing to return their three children when she was supposed to. He testified that Pilar once kept the children for more than a week longer than the visitation schedule allows and he had to get a lawyer to get the children back.

Pilar attended the hearing without a lawyer and said on numerous occasions that she was there against her will. At one point, she said that she was not “part of the United States corporation,” and does not recognize the jurisdiction of the court.

The judge eventually determined that Pilar had violated the terms of the child custody arrangement and approved Deion’s motion to modify the divorce decree, giving Pilar no visitation with the children until further notice.

The judge ordered Pilar to 30 days in jail, but suspended the order for a year pending probation. As part of the probation, Pilar was ordered to seven days in county jail.

When a Texas family law judge issues an order, that order must be followed whether the parties involved agree with it or not. A party who violates the order can be held in contempt of court, and although rare, could be sentenced to time in jail.

Source: The Dallas Morning News, “Deion Sanders’ ex-wife jailed, loses rights to see kids,” Valerie Wigglesworth, Dec. 16, 2014