MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – A Mobile couple is behind bars in Indiana, accused of using children in what investigators describe as a football fundraiser scam while at the center of a custody battle that spanned multiple states.
Andrew and Amanda Peyregne are being held in Knox County, Indiana, charged with two counts each of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and two counts of theft. The arrests follow a multi-state search that began after Amanda allegedly took four children across state lines following a custody order.
Court records in Mobile County show Amanda is named in a custody case filed by James Sweeney, the father of two of the children. Sweeney said he was granted emergency temporary custody of his two children on April 1.
Alleged scheme involved children in uniform
Sweeney said the couple dressed children in football uniforms and sent them to businesses claiming they were raising money for football equipment.
“They dress them up in football uniforms and they go to businesses claiming they’re doing a fundraiser for football equipment and from what I understand they’ve gotten quite a sum of money for doing this,” Sweeney said. “They even had flyers, a speech they had the kids memorize.”
Multi-state search tracked through social media
Court filings say shortly after being served with custody papers, Amanda left Mobile with her husband and all four children, including Sweeney’s two kids. Sweeney said Amanda sent him a message saying she was taking them on a “final trip.”
Sweeney said he tracked their movements through Snapchat.
“I was actually tracking them through Snapchat. She didn’t turn her Snapchat location off thank God,” Sweeney said.
Court records show Sweeney tracked their movements through several states.
“Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana. And Indiana is where everything kind of stopped,” Sweeney said.
The filings allege authorities in Virginia served Amanda with the Alabama paperwork, but she left the state and didn’t appear for a hearing there. She and Andrew were then arrested in Indiana after police say they used children in a football fundraiser scam.
Father describes unsafe conditions
Sweeney said the safety of his children was his primary concern during the search.
“Worried about my kids. They were traveling in a crew cab truck. There was only five seatbelts. There was six people, two dogs,” Sweeney said.
He said the children were not attending school and were living in motels and out of a truck.
“They obviously weren’t going to school, hopping from motel to motel, living out of a truck, sitting at Walmarts or different locations that had free wifi,” Sweeney said.
Sweeney said his two children are now back home with him. The other two children belong to Andrew and Amanda. It is not exactly clear where they are.
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