49-Year-Old Claremont Man Arrested After Emergency Custody Order for Twin Boys

J'Kem Woodson, a 49-year-old resident of Claremont, was arrested on Feb. 19 following a multi-agency response connected to an Emergency Custody Order that the Hartford, Vermont Police Department obtained on Feb. 13 for two twin boys believed to be in danger. The sequence of actions began with the Feb. 13 order and culminated six days later in the arrest tied to that order.

The Emergency Custody Order was secured by the Hartford, Vermont Police Department on Feb. 13, a document authorities use when children are judged to be at immediate risk. The order specifically named two twin boys, indicating there were two minors at the center of the case, and asserted they were believed to be in danger. The involvement of Hartford police highlights cross-border coordination between Vermont and the Sullivan County community where Claremont sits.

Local officials described the response as multi-agency, drawing in partners beyond the Hartford police department. That coordinated approach resulted in the Feb. 19 arrest of Woodson, who is identified in local reporting as the subject connected to the custody action. Authorities have framed the arrest as a direct follow-up to the Emergency Custody Order obtained earlier in the week.

Details about the twins, including their ages and current placement, have not been specified by law enforcement in public statements tied to the case. Likewise, police have not publicly detailed criminal charges filed in connection with Woodson’s arrest as of Feb. 26. The limited information made available so far centers on the timeline: an Emergency Custody Order on Feb. 13 and an arrest on Feb. 19.

The case remains an active matter involving child welfare and interjurisdictional coordination between Hartford, Vermont authorities and officials connected to Claremont in Sullivan County. Investigators and prosecutors will determine next legal steps following the Feb. 19 arrest; court filings and further procedural actions are expected to clarify charges and the twins’ custody status in the days ahead.