WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A South Florida woman who ignored a court order and fled with her son to avoid his circumcision will avoid prison if she stays out of trouble for the next year.
Heather Hironimus, 31, agreed to a pre-trial intervention program during a court appearance Thursday morning.
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If Hironimus successfully completes the program without any violations or arrests, the interference of custody charge will be dropped.
"Heather is relieved that this matter is now over and behind her," her attorney, Richard Tendler, told reporters. "She looks forward to moving on with her life. She looks forward to reuniting with her child. This has always been about her son."
Hironimus disappeared with the boy in March after ignoring an order by Palm Beach County Judge Jeffrey Gillen to appear in court and consent to the procedure. Gillen issued a warrant for her arrest, and she was taken into custody May 15 in Deerfield Beach after nearly three months in hiding.
Court documents show that Hironimus and the boy's father, Dennis Nebus, had a son together on Oct. 31, 2010. Although the couple never married, they are considered the legal and biological parents of the boy.
Hironimus and Nebus agreed to a circumcision in a 2012 legal document, but Hironimus later changed her mind and fought to prevent the boy's circumcision. Circuit and appellate judges all sided with the father.
Nebus was in the courtroom for Thursday's decision. He was granted temporary custody of the boy after Hironimus' arrest.
There was no mention in court of whether the boy has been circumcised yet.
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