A Jackson County judge has given custody of a baby to a man who claims he underwent gastric bypass surgery so the judge would let him and his wife have the child. The child had been cared for by a couple of Grain Valley who hoped to adopt him.

Gary Stocklaufer weighed 550 pounds when he and his wife first tried to adopt. Since his operation he’s lost about 200 pounds. The judge, however, says Stocklaufer’s weight was not a factor. He says he rejected their first petition because the couple had not followed proper procedures.