Father reunites with toddler son

Scotty came home Thursday.

The 2-year-old boy and his father, Scott Shirley, of Columbia Falls, were reunited after about 11 months apart.

Shirley says he was in jail in Washington last October for driving with a suspended license when someone he knows picked up Scotty from his baby-sitter. She left a note, saying she had the child and understood that she should not leave the state with him.

When Shirley was released from jail, he discovered what had happened and immediately called 911.

During the course of the next year, Scotty was passed to the woman's relatives in Montana, Oklahoma and Alaska, Shirley said. No one told him where his son was.

After church last Sunday, he called Scotty's grandmother, on a whim, and asked her, "Do you know where my son is?" he said. To his astonishment, she gave him a phone number in Anchorage, Alaska. He called the Flathead County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's Deputy Geno Cook arrived at Shirley's house almost before he hung up the phone, Shirley said.

Cook, Deputy Jordan White, and detective Cynthia Bradley of the Anchorage Police Department found that Shirley was the only person with legal guardianship of Scotty. His ex-wife is not involved, Shirley said.

"How can someone keep the child from the father that way without having something from the courts telling them it's legal to do so?" Cook said.

Bradley gathered Scotty's birth certificate and other documents, including some sent from Cook, and then contacted the couple who had the child. They had to give him up.

"It usually gets bogged down in paperwork," Cook said. "This is a phenomenal situation."

On Tuesday, Bradley called Shirley and said he could come to Alaska to pick up his son.

Shirley was thrilled and panicked.

"When I got the phone call, I was kind of devastated. I didn't know how I was going to get there."

Shirley, 35, who recently married and relocated to Columbia Falls, didn't have $1,900 to fly to Anchorage and bring Scotty home.

When he explained his situation, Alaska/Horizon airline cut his fare to $387. It even arranged for a motel room for Shirley while he was there.

Shirley left to pick up his son. When he arrived, Scotty was sitting in a chair.

"He goes, 'Daddy!' I couldn't say anything at all. All I could do was cry."

The two flew home Wednesday night, with the airline holding a plane for the two Scotts. When they arrived early Thursday, Scotty got to meet Shirley's new wife, Trista.

Businesses have been generous with the newly formed family, donating clothes and toys, a bed, and even a haircut for Scotty. They include Hope Pregnancy Center, Flathead Industries Thrift Center, Mom's Place, Harvest Health Food, Crevier's School of Cosmetology, the airline, and Glacier Park International Airport.

On Thursday afternoon, Shirley brought Scotty by to meet Cook. The little boy got a badge sticker to wear on his shirt, and Cook got a big smile.

"This is a real pleasure," he said.

"Give all praise to God," Shirley said, as he posed for a picture with his family and Cook.