SALT LAKE CITY-
A couple accused of kidnapping their 21-year-old daughter to prevent her from getting married are “puzzled and scared” by the case, an attorney said Thursday.
“I’ve talked to them and what they tell me presents a valid and legal defense to a kidnap charge,” said Greg Skordas, who is representing Lemuel and Julia Redd of Monticello.
“I don’t feel there was a kidnapping based on what I’ve heard about the case from my clients,” he said, declining to elaborate.
The Redds are charged with second-degree kidnapping, accused of driving Julianna Redd to Grand Junction, Colo., against her will when she was supposed to attend a dinner with her fiance’s family in Provo on Aug. 4, the eve of the wedding.
The Redds told their daughter they were taking her on a shopping trip Aug. 4 and then drove from Provo to Grand Junction, Colo., according to Provo police Capt. Rick Healey. The groom called police when his bride didn’t attend a pre-wedding dinner with his parents that night.
On Aug. 8, three days later than planned, Julianna Redd and Perry Myers, 23, were married at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple in Salt Lake City. They are students at Brigham Young University.
Skordas said he was not aware of any family problems.
“They’ve had a wonderful loving relationship with this kid all their life,” Skordas said, adding that several of their six daughters are married.
“They’re puzzled and scared and not sure why their conduct is being interpreted as a kidnap,” he said.
Lemuel Redd, 59, and Julia Redd, 56, are scheduled to appear in court Oct. 26. The maximum penalty, if convicted, is 15 years in prison.
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