John Skelton Going Straight To Trial

Skelton Won't Be In Court Tuesday

MORENCI, Mich. – Local 4 has learned that John Skelton, the father of three missing boys from the small Michigan town of Morenci has waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

The hearing, which would have been held to determine if prosecutors had probable cause to charge Skelton, was scheduled for Tuesday. His next court date now is Jan. 5.

Recommended Videos



Watch:

Skelton was arrested on Nov. 30 on three counts of parental kidnapping.

Skelton's sons -- Alexander, Andrew and Tanner -- haven't been seen since Thanksgiving when they were at his home in Morenci, a town on the Michigan-Ohio border.

They were reported missing the following day by their mother, Tanya Skelton, when their father didn't bring them home after an arranged visit.

Law enforcement and community volunteers have searched both sides of the state line for the boys.

At a previous court hearing, the 39-year-old father said he gave his sons to someone from an "organization" who visited his home on Thanksgiving.

Before that, he had told police that he had turned them over to a female acquaintance to be returned to Tanya Skelton.

Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said then that he remained skeptical of the father's claims, adding, "We're not expecting a positive outcome."

During an earlier interview with Local 4, the boys' mother, Tanya Skelton, said her intuition still tells her "that my boys are alive and that they're with someone they know."

Tanya Skelton Interview Part 1: Tanya Skelton Interview Part 2: Tanya Skelton Interview Part 3: Tanya Skelton Interview Part 4: