A New Jersey couple who was allegedly attacked by deputies during a traffic stop in Montgomery County, North Carolina, and forced to give up their son, is still waiting to regain custody of him.

According to NJ.com, Raymond Cheley Sykes and Kaila Boulware said they were driving through North Carolina earlier this month when officers pulled them over for having a white tail light. During the stop, officers allegedly drew their guns, hit Sykes then handed their baby over to social services.

"They said we didn't have food or water in the car," Boulware said in a video posted to her YouTube account. "I am his source of food," she continued.

Sykes and Boulware, who were arrested on misdemeanor marijuana charges, were allowed to see their nine-month-old son, Truth, on Monday after a court hearing in North Carolina. The judge ordered the child to be released to Sykes' mother while their custody case is transferred to New Jersey.

“It’s not over,” Boulware said in a video statement posted to Facebook. “We’re going back to New Jersey and they’re saying that New Jersey needs to investigate. They need to look further into this. And we just know that not to be true. So everybody please continue to pray for us.”

The sheriff's department blamed the couple for the confrontation on Dec. 3, saying Sykes struck an officer when the two were arrested for misdemeanor marijuana charges in North Carolina, where the drug is not legal.

“Neither Sykes nor Boulware were injured during their arrest and they did not request medical attention,” Montgomery County Sheriff Christopher Watkins said, adding that the officers are not equipped with body or dashboard cameras.

According to Patch, Sykes said he was left with a severe bruise after an officer hit him with a baton on the arm and in the face. The couple, who both work as professional photographers, encountered the deputies shortly after resuming their trip post rest stop break.

The sheriff’s department said deputies stopped the couple when they noticed that the vehicle’s registration plate was not registered and the car was “being driven in a manner, place and time that was suspicious.”

“An odor of marijuana was detected coming from the vehicle and the occupants were asked to exit the van so a search could be performed, which they refused,” the sheriff’s department stated. “When deputies were attempting to remove Sykes from the vehicle, he assaulted a deputy by hitting him with his fist, which caused his arrest. A search of the vehicle was conducted, which revealed marijuana and drug paraphernalia.”

The couple’s attorney said Sykes and Boulware were only in possession of CBD tea. While court documents state that officers allegedly found smoking pipes and a grinder in the vehicle, the couple said they are practicing a form of Judaism that prohibits being under the influence of drugs and were not using marijuana while driving with their child in the car.

Sykes, who denies hitting an officer, said the confrontation escalated after he asked if it was unlawful to search the van. Boulware said two officers drew their guns on Sykes while his back was turned away from them. While police searched the car, the Montgomery County Department of Social Services came and took the child.

Boulware said she was released earlier in the morning on the same day as their arrest while Sykes was freed later in the day. The 27-year-old woman, who was driving barefoot at the time of her arrest, was released without shoes. She then walked two miles to the social service office to get her son back.

The couple, who don't have a birth certificate for Truth because he was born at home, had to pay $750 for an overnight DNA test to prove they are his parents. After taking the DNA test in addition to mental health and drug screenings, which they say they passed, the couple was denied custody. Boulware and Sykes stayed in a North Carolina hotel for weeks while fighting to get their son back, with a friend starting a GoFundMe fundraiser to help them cover the cost.

Boulware said the incident is more related to a problem with the institution of policing rather than race.

“We have nothing to hide and that’s why we decided to speak up against this,” she told NJ.com. “We also know that authorities and institutions — when they know they’ve done something wrong — the first thing they do is discredit or slander the opposition.”

While Truth’s grandmother will have custody of him, for now, the couple is still worried about the next step in their battle.

”At this point, we feel very confused,” Boulware said. “We feel very disheartened about this.”

Montgomery County, North Carolina

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