Steven Alexander Cross tells the Pioneer Press he was buried in bills and had drained his savings when he left a note for his son and left for California. "I never thought I'd broken the law," he said.

The Star Tribune reports a jury has found Steven Alexander Cross guilty of a gross misdemeanor. The paper says he'll most likely see two years of probation. Cross, an architect who said he couldn't find work and was about to lose his home, apparently left his 11-year-old son behind and fled to California.

At a child protection hearing, Steven Cross agreed to work on a joint-custody arrangement with the mother of his 11-year-old son. Cross was convicted of child neglect after he drove to California last summer, leaving the boy a note telling him to stay with friends.

Steven Cross was convicted in January of child neglect for abandoning his 11-year-old boy before fleeing to California. WCCO reports the boy's mother will also start spending time with her son.

The Lakeville man convicted of abandoning his 11-year-old son last summer was sentenced to probation up to two years Wednesday and must pay more than $2,500 in restitution. A Dakota County jury found 60-year-old Steven Cross guilty of neglect, a gross misdemeanor, for leaving his son and fleeing to California in July of 2011. If Cross violates his probation, KARE 11 reports he could be sent to jail for a year.

His attorney says financial problems had Steven Cross at the end of his rope when he left a note telling his 11-year-old son to stay with nearby friends who were like family. Prosecutors say Cross is guilty of child neglect.

Eleven-year-old Sebastian Cross is living with his aunt and visiting with his long-lost mother. His dad, Steven Cross (pictured), is facing charges of child neglect after allegedly abandoning the boy and telling him to go live with a friend's family. Cross left a note saying he couldn't find a job and the house was about to be repossessed.

A Dakota County judge has denied a Lakeville man's request to remove his son from his maternal aunt's care. Steven Alexander Cross is accused of fleeing to California and abandoning his son in July.