Lawyer: Parents of 'free-range-kids' claim rights violated by police after children taken into

A Maryland couple, under investigation by child protective services for the second time in less than a year, claim their rights were violated by police after their children were taken into custody over the weekend.

Danielle and Alexander Meitiv released a statement thorough their lawyer Tuesday after the couple's children were taken into police custody on Sunday. Police say the children were allegedly found walking near a Silver Spring park without an adult.

"The Meitivs are rightfully outraged by the irresponsible actions of Maryland CPS and Montgomery County Police. We must ask ourselves how we reached the point where a parent's biggest fear is that government officials will literally seize our children off the streets as they walk in our neighborhoods," said lawyer Matthew Dowd in the statement released to the media on Tuesday.

Dowd alleges the children, a 10-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter, were detained for almost three hours, kept from their parents for over six hours without food, and not returned until almost midnight.

Montgomery County police say officers responded to a call to check on children without an adult when they found the Meitivs's children and took them to Child Protective Services. Officers also say a homeless man was "eyeing the children" before they were taken into custody.

The Meitivs, who practice "free-range parenting", were found guilty of child neglect earlier this year after a similar incident occurred in December 2014. The incident was investigated by Maryland Child Protective Services'.

In order to get their children back, the Meitivs said they had to sign a safety plan that forbids leaving the children unattended.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.