Father Shocked To Be Named Suspect In Cherokee County Amber Alert

The 3-year-old boy that was the subject of an Amber Alert out of Cherokee County Tuesday night is now in DHS custody, after the father turned him over to a Tulsa police officer.

Once that happened, the Amber Alert was canceled.

Kegan will stay with DHS until investigators sort out what happened between the boy's parents.

The father, Johnny Manning, said, his wife, Tabor, from whom he's separated, wildly exaggerated when she claimed he violently took their son away from her last night on the side of the road.

He said he's spent the day meeting with attorneys and wants people to know the truth about what he calls a nightmarish two days.

Cherokee County investigators say Tabor Manning told them her husband, Johnny, broke her window, slashed her tires and forcefully took their son, Kegan, from her Tuesday night, after a confrontation on the side of the road.

8/27/2013 Related Story: Amber Alert For 3-Year-Old Cherokee County Boy Canceled

Based on information deputies had at the time, they requested the Department of Public Safety issue an Amber Alert and DPS agreed.

That's when Johnny and Kegan Manning's pictures were issued to the media, along with a description of a vehicle.

Johnny Manning's father, who lives in Tulsa, called police and said it was his vehicle and it was parked in his driveway.

Police say he showed police a video of what happened on the side of the road, which officers describe as much less intense than it was originally portrayed.

Johnny Manning said his wife willingly signed an agreement for shared custody and he had it notarized in her presence.

Manning said he did slash her tire, but only after she backed over his foot. He said he then fixed her tire, they drove home, and she willingly handed over little Kegan.

He said he was shocked to learn there was an Amber Alert out for him and the boy.

"I was really upset that she could do that to me. The way she said I held her at knife point--none of it was true that I held her at knife point. After I stabbed her tire, I tossed the knife in the car that my dad was sitting in," Manning said.

Even after the vehicle was found, Cherokee County deputies decided not to cancel the Amber Alert until someone in law enforcement actually saw Kegan and made sure he was okay. That happened at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

As for issuing the Amber alert, deputies say, based on the information at the time, it was the right thing to do.

Now, they plan to get statements from everybody and letting the District Attorney decide if any charges should be filed in this case.

Johnny Manning now says he will be seeking full custody of his son.