JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. -- A Colorado State University assistant agriculture professor was recently jailed on a contempt of court charge in a child-custody dispute.

On Aug. 11, Jefferson County District Court Magistrate Chris Voisinet ordered Catherine Keske, 40, to serve 90 days in jail after her ex-husband, Jeffrey Handley, complained that Keske interfered with his ability to communicate with one of the couple's sons by failing to provide the boy with his own cellphone and an unmonitored email account,Westword reported Monday.

However, Keske only spent four days in jail, the newspaper reported. She said she was released after paying $1,700 that the court ruled she owed to Handley.

The arrest highlights the contentious divorce and custody battle between the parents, each of whom had custody of one of the sons, Westword reported.

Keske, who specializes in environmental management issues, said she was confused by her arrest, the newspaper reported. The mother contends she has tried to encourage communication between Handley and the son in her custody and has records showing that the boy called his father once a week.

"I was taken out of the courtroom in handcuffs, for reasons that aren't clear to me," she told Westword.

But Handley's attorney, Mechelle Faulk, said Keske is "the aggressor" -- not the victim -- in the long-running custody battle, according to Westword.