San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi was granted visitation rights with his son at a court hearing Wednesday.
Mirkarimi is facing allegations of domestic violence against his wife, Eliana Lopez, and has been under a court order to stay away from Lopez and the couple's 2-year-old son, Theo.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ronald Albers approved an agreement between Mirkarimi and Lopez in which Mirkarimi can see his son for two hours each weekday and up to six hours each weekend.
The supervised visitations were to begin Wednesday, which is the same day as the hearing.
Near tears, Mirkarimi said, "I get to see my son. I can't tell you how excited and grateful I am." He also told reporters that the first thing he would say to his son is, "I love you" and that he was going to "gobble him up."
A stay-away order preventing Mirkarimi from contacting Lopez is still in effect. Lopez briefly spoke to reporters outside of court, saying she is "extremely happy" that Theo is going to see his dad and that "it's going to be a surprise for him."
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The order stems from domestic violence charges related to a Dec. 31 argument in which Mirkarimi is accused of grabbing Lopez and bruising her arm. It will remain in effect until the end of the trial, which is set to start Feb. 24.
Mirkarimi was arrested Jan. 13 and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence battery, child endangerment and dissuading a witness. If convicted of all charges, he could face up to a year in jail and three years' probation.
He was sworn in as sheriff on Jan. 8 after serving on the Board of Supervisors for seven years.
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