Hausers: Enticed, then abandoned?

The wealthy owner of a California movie company who personally flew Daniel Hauser back to Minnesota said Tuesday that the boy and his mother were lured out West in defiance of a court order by a lawyer who promised to take them to Mexico but then abandoned them once federal authorities issued a fugitive warrant for their arrest.

Alan Pezzuto, a film producer from Corona, Calif., said the Hausers' trip to Southern California quickly went awry last week, and he accused attorney Susan Daya of ditching Colleen Hauser and her son. "She took two people who were naive about the judicial and medical systems and, for self-serving reasons, enticed them to leave Minnesota,'' Pezzuto, 56, said in a telephone interview from his home.

He said Daya "abandoned them" within a day of their arrival "when the water got too hot for her."

Daya, who also goes by the name Hamwi, did not return repeated phone message and e-mails Tuesday from the Star Tribune.

Brown County Attorney James Olson said today he has no plans to charge Daya in connection with the Hausers' trip to Southern California last week. Federal authorities were looking for Daya during the Hausers’ week as fugitives.

“I’m not contemplating any charges because they left Monday before the court order was issued, transferring custody” from the Hausers to Brown County authorities. A judge has since returned Daniel to his parents.

Calvin Johnson, a Mankato attorney for Daniel's parents, wouldn't comment on Pezzuto's contentions, but said Brown County Judge John Rodenberg "was apprised of some significant facts before he exercised great discretion" by returning Daniel to his parents' custody Tuesday.

Daya, who has her own movie production company, Wavelink Productions, planned to take the Hausers to Mexico for alternative cancer treatment, Pezzuto said.

When a warrant was issued, "she washed her hands of it and wouldn't return their calls," he said.

"It took 30 seconds to realize that these people were completely out of their element," Pezzuto said Tuesday. "They are wonderful, honest people who would give you the shirt off their back. And they'd been sold a bill of goods."

Empathetic breakthrough

Daya dropped the Hausers off last Tuesday at the Orange County home of one of Pezzuto's associates, a woman he described as being familiar with natural healing methods but not an advocate for such practices. That associate, in turn, called Pezzuto and his wife on Friday. "And within 36 hours we were on the plane home," he said.

In March, Pezzuto's wife, Karen, 38, was given a breast cancer diagnosis. She has undergone a partial mastectomy and removal of lymph nodes from her right arm. The Pezzutos have two daughters, ages 3 and 4.

Karen's experience with cancer was crucial in persuading Daniel to agree to undergo chemo, Alan Pezzuto said.

"Unquestionably, there's a certain amount of empathy that goes with it," he said. "My wife is in a far better position than anyone out there to say, 'Hey, I understand you are afraid.' She knows whereof she speaks."

Karen Pezzuto, also an attorney, contacted criminal defense lawyer Jennifer Keller, who negotiated with the FBI and the Brown County Sheriff's Office to fly Daniel and Colleen home on a private jet to New Ulm at 3 a.m. Monday. Pezzuto paid for the flight but declined to say what it cost.

The FBI and sheriff's deputies met the plane in New Ulm, and the family's physician, Dr. James Joyce, came to the farm for a quick checkup before Daniel and his parents went to Minneapolis for a hospital exam Tuesday.

Pezzuto said Daniel and Colleen had never flown in an airplane before their trek out West. He said his wife milked cows with Danny's older sisters before the Pezzutos returned to California Tuesday morning.

No movie deal

Pezzuto insisted that no deal was made for his company, Asgaard Media, to own the rights to the Hauser story.

"Several big networks were astounded that we'd spend the time and money with no exclusivity," he said. "But people have to go and do the right thing."

He said his company is open to "professionally" helping the Hausers in the future, and "personally, we plan to stay in touch."

He said when he first met the Hausers over the weekend, "all Colleen wanted was to get back to her kids and husband, and all Danny wanted was to get back to his brothers and sisters and cows and tractor."

Pezzuto started his career as an underwater cinematographer working for National Geographic and ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. He also helped make three James Bond films.

According to business documents, he and his associates have worked with the Chinese government on several business deals and he helps manage $30 billion in assets.

Asked to compare Brown and Orange counties, he laughed and said:

"Forget it. It's just apples and oranges. It's so Norman Rockwellish in Brown County."

Curt Brown • 612-673-4767