THOUSAND OAKS : Mother Faces Charge of Child Abduction

Prosecutors filed a felony child-abduction charge Thursday against Catherine Thomas, the Thousand Oaks woman who fled with her 5-year-old daughter last week after losing custody of the girl to a man with no biological relationship to the child.

The warrant for her arrest includes an extradition complaint because authorities are assuming that Thomas, a Vancouver native who fled with daughter Courtney once before, has left the state and perhaps the country, said Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Budman, head of the child-abduction unit.

The measures were taken on behalf of Kevin Thomas of Van Nuys, who last month was declared the legal father of Courtney and was awarded primary custody, even though he and the child are not biologically related. Courtney’s mother, who was granted monitored visiting rights on weekends and evenings, disappeared with the child during a visit July 29.

In February, after returning from Canada, Catherine Thomas was convicted of misdemeanor child stealing and placed on three years probation. Budman said Thursday that his office has had her probation revoked because of the new disappearance. If caught, she could face a year in County Jail and a $1,000 fine, he said.

Catherine Thomas, 46, and Kevin Thomas, 43, have described themselves as former friends, although their versions of his relationship to Courtney vary greatly. Kevin Thomas contends he took such an active role in the girl’s life that she knew him as “Daddy.” Catherine Thomas has described him as a glorified baby-sitter who became obsessed with Courtney.

He legally changed his name, originally McCain, to Thomas in 1988, after Courtney’s birth. He sued for paternity rights last year after he and Catherine Thomas had a falling-out.