INDIANAPOLIS — A father charged with kidnapping his baby daughter and causing a statewide Silver Alert is not allowed to have any contact with the three-month-old girl, a judge decided in court on Wednesday.
Lawrence Whitsitt made his initial court appearance Wednesday morning at the Marion County Community Justice Campus.
The hearing included an unexpected request from the baby’s mother.
Whitsitt, also known as Larry Peaches, came to court to face five felony charges read against him for taking off with his daughter, 3-month-old, La'Lani Peaches, on Jan. 24.
Whitsitt is charged with domestic battery, kidnapping, intimidation, neglect of a dependent, and resisting law enforcement.
The mother, Aaliyah McGee, says she was at their north Indianapolis apartment complex trying to take her baby and go to a domestic violence shelter when Whitsitt abused her and left with La'Lani.
"He ended up kicking me down the flight of stairs,” McGee said in an interview after the hearing. “At that point, I just dropped everything, and I just curled up in a ball, and then I felt him kick me in my face three times."
IMPD said that Whitsitt took off with the baby just as they responded to McGee’s 911 call.
Indiana State Police issued a Silver Alert about seven hours after the abduction. Whitsitt surrendered with the baby at an Indianapolis police station about 24 hours after the incident.
"He turned himself in,” said Alex Voils, Whitsitt’s attorney. “He turned himself in immediately. He set up, obviously, with a lawyer to do it. There was some concerns because there was an allegation, a probable cause about a weapon involved and he didn't want to be a young Black man that they were looking for with a weapon."
In court, McGee asked the judge to lift the no-contact order to allow Whitsitt to have supervised visits with their baby. The judge said no because the charges include neglect.
"I don't want people to feel like I'm using this situation to hold my daughter hostage from him because that's not the case,” said McGee. “I want what's best for my daughter, but I want to protect myself at the same time. Because things that I've been through, I will never get over.”
McGee said a long scar on the right side of her neck is from surgery to insert a metal plate to fix her broken jaw from a Whitsitt punch on Dec. 15. She said he has abused her throughout their three-year relationship.
McGee said she is finally seeking shelter and receiving therapy through the Julian Center in Indianapolis.
The Julian Center operates a 24-hour crisis line for people living with domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking. That number is (317) 920-9320.