from Wikipedia — and I love the editorial touch starting sentence two, though, of course, I have to get off the damned internets now:

Legal troubles [edit]

Bowe was convicted of the February 1998 kidnapping of his estranged wife Judy, and their five children.^[18] Thinking it would reconcile his marriage, Bowe went to his wife’s Cornelius, North Carolina home and threatened her with a knife, handcuffs, duct tape and pepper spray. He forced her and their children into a vehicle and set out for his Fort Washington, Maryland home. During the kidnapping, Bowe stabbed his wife in the chest.^[18] Police captured Bowe in South Hill, Virginia, freeing his family.^[18] Bowe agreed to a plea bargain of guilty to ‘interstate domestic violence’, and was sentenced to 18 to 24 months in prison.^[18] Despite the agreed sentence, on February 29, 2000, the judge sentenced Bowe to only 30 days, due to a claim of brain damage by Bowe’s defense.^[19][20] This sentence, counter to the plea agreement, was later overturned. Bowe served 17 months in Federal prison.^[21] On February 8, 2001, Bowe was arrested in Long Island after a domestic dispute with his new wife.^[18] Bowe allegedly dragged his wife and left her with cuts on her knees and elbows.^[20]