LOS ANGELES ? A woman accused of disappearing with the grandsons of U.S. Rep. Gary Miller pleaded not guilty Friday to three felony counts of child custody deprivation.
Jennifer Dejongh, who is also known by her maiden name Lopez, was arrested Wednesday in Tijuana, Mexico, four years after she vanished with the boys. The children's father is Brian Miller, the California congressman's son.
Dejongh wiped away tears when she saw her father and husband in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday. Judge Upinder Kalra denied prosecutor Whelma Llanos' request that, if Dejongh posts her $500,000 bail, she be ordered to stay 100 yards away from the children and be barred from phone contact.
Dejongh had joint legal custody of the boys with the parents of Brian Miller, her ex-husband, but there was an ongoing dispute between the couple and their families.
Dejongh was supposed to drop off her three sons ? one who's now 12 years old, and twins who are now 10 ? at the Republican congressman's Diamond Bar home in November 2007 as part of a court order, but she never showed up.
In an interview Friday with The Associated Press, Dejongh's father, Jude Lopez, accused Brian Miller of being a sexual deviant who molested the boys and forced the three children to lie naked on top of one another in a bed.
Dejongh had written a letter in 2008 claiming she was protecting her children from an abusive father.
Don Haslam represented the Millers ? Brian and his parents ? in the bitter custody dispute over the boys and said the accusations against Brian Miller are baseless.
"These are the same arguments that (Dejongh) made during the course of the trial, and unfortunately from her point of view, nobody else who was involved in the case substantiated her allegations," Haslam said.
Before fleeing the country, Dejongh had agreed to joint custody with the congressman and his wife, Haslam said.
Jude Lopez said politics drove the congressman and his wife to take care of the children and take control of their son's messy reputation.
"Their son would have to be a registered sex offender ? they can't have that," said Lopez, adding that Brian Miller had twice gone into treatment for sexual addiction.
Haslam confirmed Miller's two stints in a treatment facility, saying he knew it was for "emotional issues" but was unsure if he was treated for sexual addiction.
The children are currently with their grandparents in Diamond Bar, Haslam said. He was uncertain whether there were any limitations on Brian Miller's interactions with the children.
In an earlier statement, Gary Miller said he and his wife were "extremely relieved that after more than 3 1/2 years our grandchildren have been found unharmed and returned safely to the United States."
Dejongh's arrest was the result of collaboration among Mexican police, the FBI and Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators. A U.S. man also was arrested in the Wednesday night operation, Mexican police said in a statement.
Dejongh's preliminary hearing has been set for Aug. 24. A public defender or lawyer has yet to be appointed for her.
Gary Miller represents California's 42nd Congressional District, which includes the communities of Diamond Bar, Brea, Chino and Chino Hills.
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