Dad pushes for Leo's Law after state takes away son due to alcohol incident at Comerica Park

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) - Christopher Ratte and Claire Zimmerman say they will never forget the feeling of desperation on April 5th of 2008.  That is when their then 7-year-old son was taken away by the state because Christopher let him drink Mike's Hard Lemonade at Comerica Park.

Christopher, a University of Michigan professor, says he had no idea there was alcohol in the drink. A security guard saw the little boy drinking it and made the call that ended with little Leo put into foster care.

Eventually officials finally believed Christopher's contention that he did not know about the alcohol and that he just made a mistake.

After that Leo was home in two days but because of the way things happened, Christopher and a colleague have set out to change Michigan's laws about the way Child Protective Services can remove a child from their parents custody. 

Under the proposed Leo's law, a child would only be removed if that child was in immediate danger.  The bill passed the Senate.  An amended version then passed the state House. 

7 Action News Investigator Heather Catallo has been reporting on the way kids are taken away and as a result of her reports the system is being watched closely. 

Leo's mom and dad are also watching it closely. They hope the law is passed soon and say they hope to be in Lansing with Leo when that happens.