An Ohio couple has been charged with a first-class misdemeanor after they returned the 9-year-old son they had adopted to a child services center.

The boy, who Cleveland and Lisa Cox adopted as a three-month-old, was reportedly expressing aggressive behavior and his parents simply would not stand for it. The parents, who have two other children as well, returned the 9-year-old to Butler County Children's Services on October 24.

The 9-year-old boy has been placed under the supervision of attorney Adolfo Olivas for the time being.

According to the Daily Mail, the boy’s mother told the local sheriff’s office that her son suffered from mental problems and that he once threatened her by saying that he would kill his family. The Coxes said that their son refused to get help to address and fix the behavioral issues.

"The parents were willing to get help, but the child wasn't. That just is nonsense to me," Olivas said, reports ABC News. "A parent is a parent and a 9-year-old is a 9-year-old.”

“If your 9-year-old needs help, you get him help. It is not a question of a 9-year-old wanting it or not."

The boy, whose name has not been released, is “hurt and confused and traumatized” by the actions of his parents, according to Olivas.

Prosecutor Mike Gmoser, who is handling the case, wanted to get a specific message out about child abandonment, reports the Journal-News.

“My position is children in general, not speaking to this specific case, they do not have a return to sender label on their forehead,” Gmosner said. “They are their children for always and they have that duty to support and they cannot abandon without consequences.”

The Coxes were indicted on Wednesday of a first-degree misdemeanor for child abandonment and could face up to six months in jail as well as a $1,000 fine.

The couple went missing on Thursday when authorities came to arrest them after they took their other two children out of school and left town. However, they turned themselves in to police Friday evening.

Gmoser did not say how the couple’s brief run from authorities will factor into their sentencing.