Shasta County court records show Keith Papini is asking for a divorce from wife Sherri Papini, the Redding mother who now admits faking her 2016 kidnapping and lying to the FBI about what happened.
The dissolution of marriage papers were filed Wednesday in Shasta County Superior Court along with Keith Papini’s request for temporary custody of the couple’s two children.
He said in the filing he wants to protect his two children from “the negative impact of their mother’s notoriety.”
The legal grounds for the divorce are irreconcilable differences. Keith Papini is being represented by Redding attorney Russell Swartz.
The filing says Keith and Sherri Papini separated on March 3, which was the day FBI agents arrested her. The family issued a statement late that night via Utah-based publicist Chris Thomas expressing full support for her and blasting law enforcement for the way her arrest and its announcement was conducted.
The statement did not define who “the family” was. Thomas did not respond to a request for clarification, so it’s unclear whether Keith Papini was involved in the statement or represented by Thomas.
Sherri Papini is living with a relative in Butte County, according to the filing.
Keith Papini, who lives in Mountain Gate, states in the custody request that Sherri Papini has pleaded guilty to federal misconduct and “is under exceptional pressure with national media attention on her case.”
In his declaration, Keith Papini says: “This family has been thrust into the national news as a result of the well-publicized activities of my wife, Sherri Papini.
“Now that I have learned the truth, as reflected in the plea arrangement agreement that she has made with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento, I must act decisively to protect my children from the trauma caused by their mother and bring stability and calm to their lives,” he said.
“The trauma inflicted on our children at the unexpected loss of their mother was heartbreaking,” Keith Papini added.
A Record Searchlight article from April 14 was quoted in the court papers to provide background for the court.
The article notes how, after disappearing for 22 days, Sherri Papini was found wandering along Interstate 5 north of Sacramento bound with chains on Thanksgiving Day 2016.
She told law enforcement she was kidnapped at gunpoint by two Hispanic women who blindfolded her, held her captive, cut her hair and branded her.
During her disappearance, Sherri Papini was staying at an ex-boyfriend’s home in Orange County, according to a federal court affidavit.
She was charged in March with fraud and lying to the FBI.
Keith Papini stated he doesn’t want to say anything in the pleadings that “would inflame the situation or attract media attention.”
Keith Papini goes on to describe being hounded by local and national media.
“I have been receiving many calls from reporters … media personalities, including self-styled experts and many other individuals,” he said,
He said he hasn’t taken nor responded to the calls “and presently have no intention to do so.”
Pending a May hearing, a judge said Sherri Papini can have telephone and video calls with the children and that Keith Papini can supervise those calls.
Mike Chapman is an award-winning reporter and photographer for the Record Searchlight in Redding, Calif. His newspaper career spans Yreka and Eureka in Northern California and Bellingham, Wash. Support local journalism by subscribing today.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism