Carpenter v. Carpenter

2019 Ohio 4709
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 14, 2019
Docket2019 AP 04 0013
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2019 Ohio 4709 (Carpenter v. Carpenter) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carpenter v. Carpenter, 2019 Ohio 4709 (Ohio Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

[Cite as Carpenter v. Carpenter, 2019-Ohio-4709.]

COURT OF APPEALS TUSCARWAS COUNTY, OHIO FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

JUDGES: QUINTIN CARPENTER : Hon. W. Scott Gwin, P.J. : Hon. William B. Hoffman, J. Plaintiff-Appellee : Hon. Patricia A. Delaney, J. : -vs- : : Case No. 2019 AP 04 0013 JESSICA CARPENTER, ET AL : : Defendant-Appellant : OPINION

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Civil appeal from the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas, Case No. 2016 TC 12 0521

JUDGMENT: Affirmed

DATE OF JUDGMENT ENTRY: November 14, 2019

APPEARANCES:

For Plaintiff-Appellee For Defendant-Appellant

ERICK BAUER DAN GUINN 122 North Broadway Street P.O. Box 804 New Philadelphia, OH 44663 New Philadelphia, OH 44663 Tuscarwas County, Case No. 2019 AP 04 0013 2

Gwin, P.J.

{¶1} Mother appeals the March 22, 2019 judgment entry of the Tuscarawas

County Court of Common Pleas overruling her objections to the magistrate’s decision

naming Father the residential and custodial parent of the parties’ two children.

Facts & Procedural History

{¶2} Mother and Father were married on September 17, 2011 and had two

children, Q.C., born on February 20, 2012, and C.C., born on November 9, 2013. Father

filed a complaint for divorce on December 28, 2016. On December 15, 2017, the parties

entered into a separation agreement and a shared parenting plan. Pursuant to the shared

parenting agreement, Mother and Father each were designated residential and custodial

parent while the children were in his or her physical custody. The parties agreed Father

would pay Mother $670 per month in child support.

{¶3} On July 5, 2018, Mother filed a motion to modify, seeking to terminate the

shared parenting agreement and terminate the visitation order of Elizabeth Board

(“Board”), the paternal grandmother of the children. On September 5, 2018, Father filed

his motion to terminate the shared parenting plan and motion for reallocation of parental

rights and responsibilities. Father filed a motion to modify child support on October 10,

2018.

{¶4} The magistrate held a hearing on the motions on October 11, 2018 and

October 18, 2018. Rae Ann Bowden (“Bowden”) is a kindergarten teacher. Q.C. was in

her class last year. Bowden stated that from February to May of 2018, Q.C. improved

and did well in class. Melinda Limbacher (“Limbacher”) is Q.C.’s first grade teacher.

Limbacher testified Q.C. sometimes lacks focus, but his grades are good. Limbacher Tuscarwas County, Case No. 2019 AP 04 0013 3

does not know if his focus issues are related to which parent he is with because she does

not know who he is with on a given day.

{¶5} Father was incarcerated for six months, from February to August of 2018.

Father stated he was in prison for possession of firearms that Mother purchased for him.

Father is currently on probation, has travel restrictions, and has to submit to random drug

testing. Mother also is on probation due to a criminal case. She testified she is on

probation for another eighteen months and has travel restrictions. While Father was in

prison, per order of the court, Board exercised Father’s parenting time with the children.

Board no longer has parenting time since Father is out of prison, but does have second

right of refusal. Both Mother and Father testified they do not believe they are capable of

shared parenting.

{¶6} Mother is employed at Union Country Club. She has flexibility with her

schedule, makes $12 per hour, and normally works twenty to twenty-five hours per week,

although Mother testified they could give her more hours. She receives no benefits or

insurance. Mother rents a two-room apartment. Mother testified her paramour does not

live with her, even though she put two adults on her affidavit of income and expenses

form.

{¶7} Father is employed at Worth Carter Construction at $8.30 per hour working

approximately thirty to forty hours per week. Father makes less now than prior to when

he went to prison and his child support is still the same. Prior to going to prison, Father

worked as a mechanic, making $21 per hour. Father testified he has looked for other

employment as a mechanic, including at car dealerships and has had several interviews.

However, Father has been unable to obtain another job due to his felony conviction. Tuscarwas County, Case No. 2019 AP 04 0013 4

Mother does not believe Father makes $8.30 per hour because concrete workers do not

make less than minimum wage. Mother also thinks Father has other sources of income,

such as fixing vehicles.

{¶8} Mother lists her concerns with Father as follows: C.C. came home with a

hickey on her neck, when the children come home from Father’s they are tired, Father

has anger issues, Father does not get the children’s homework done, several weeks ago

C.C. had scratches on her forehead and nose and Q.C. had a gash on his back when

Father took them to a construction site, C.C. had a urinary tract infection, and Father puts

the children in clothes that are two sizes too big. Mother called the police when C.C. had

the urinary tract infection and when the children had hickeys.

{¶9} Father testified the children have never returned home from his house with

a hickey. Father has photographs of the children getting bumps and bruises while with

Mother, but believes children get bumps, bruises, and scrapes and parents cannot protect

children from everything. Father thinks these are minor injuries. Father stated he took

C.C. to work with him for approximately twenty minutes. C.C. was playing in a pile of dirt

and fell. C.C. was not unsupervised and the construction work was done for the day when

she was playing.

{¶10} Mother testified she heard Father screaming at both of the children loudly

when she went to pick them up. Father denied yelling at the children and stated Mother’s

testimony in that regard is not truthful. Mother stated there were issues with Father getting

the children’s homework done. However, Mother also testified she did not always send

the homework when the children went to Father’s. Father testified he makes sure Tuscarwas County, Case No. 2019 AP 04 0013 5

everything that comes home with the children gets done, but there have been some

instances where Mother has not provided him with the homework.

{¶11} Mother believes Father puts the children in clothes that are two sizes too

big. Board does not believe Father is dressing the children inappropriately. Father

testified the clothes he purchased for the children never fall off them, but there have been

instances where he bought clothes a size bigger so the children can wear them longer.

{¶12} Father and Mother have never been able to agree on a baby-sitter. As to

C.C.’s preschool, Mother stated she did not have a choice as to which Head Start location

she enrolled her in. However, Mother also testified she asked C.C. which preschool she

would like to attend, and C.C. wanted to ride the bus with her friends to the preschool

location Mother chose. Board testified that when she was told she could not use the

baby-sitters she was using because of Mother’s abuse allegations, she found a daycare

next to a Head Start preschool location where they would walk C.C. to the daycare;

however, when Board informed Mother of this, Board received no response. Father

testified if C.C. were to attend the preschool next to the daycare, no one would have to

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2019 Ohio 4709, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carpenter-v-carpenter-ohioctapp-2019.