Release Ordered for Man Who Took Child to Italy

A father charged with abducting his daughter and taking her to his native Italy was ordered released Monday on $100,000 bail.

Carlo Ventre has been in jail on charges of parental abduction since he arrived in the United States earlier this month to seek custody of 4-year-old Santina.

The girl’s mother, Toni Dykstra, died mysteriously in Ventre’s Rome apartment. She had gone to Italy with a court order to bring her daughter back to California.

Judge Carlos Moreno ordered Ventre’s release despite claims by Dykstra’s parents, who have temporary custody of Santina, that he had threatened them.

Officials from the Immigration and Naturalization Service have placed a temporary hold on Ventre. Lawyers for both Ventre and the Dykstra family were still trying to negotiate the terms of the hold Monday evening.

Milton and Betty Dykstra have said they believe Ventre murdered their daughter, although Italian police never charged him with that crime.

Ventre faces charges in Italy of involuntary manslaughter, according to his lawyer.

As a condition of his release, the judge ordered Ventre to stay near his brother, Giannfranco Ventre, in Las Vegas, and to wear an electronic monitoring device on his ankle.

Despite a restraining order requiring Ventre to stay away from his daughter, Giannfranco last week filed for temporary custody of Santina, saying the girl, who does not speak English fluently, would be better off in an Italian-speaking home. He said he would ensure that Ventre does not violate any of the terms of his release.

A Los Angeles Family Court commissioner will hold a custody hearing for Santina in January.