DCPP VS. A.M. AND K.B., IN THE MATTER OF M.R. AND S.B. (FN-04-0105-18, CAMDEN COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED)

CourtNew Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division
DecidedJanuary 31, 2020
DocketA-1596-18T4
StatusUnpublished

This text of DCPP VS. A.M. AND K.B., IN THE MATTER OF M.R. AND S.B. (FN-04-0105-18, CAMDEN COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED) (DCPP VS. A.M. AND K.B., IN THE MATTER OF M.R. AND S.B. (FN-04-0105-18, CAMDEN COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
DCPP VS. A.M. AND K.B., IN THE MATTER OF M.R. AND S.B. (FN-04-0105-18, CAMDEN COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED), (N.J. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

RECORD IMPOUNDED

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court." Although it is posted on the internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.

SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION DOCKET NO. A-1596-18T4

NEW JERSEY DIVISION OF CHILD PROTECTION AND PERMANENCY,

Plaintiff-Respondent,

v.

A.M.,

Defendant,

and

K.B.,

Defendant-Appellant. _______________________________

IN THE MATTER OF M.R. and S.B.,

Minors. _______________________________

Submitted December 16, 2019 – Decided January 31, 2020

Before Judges Sabatino and Natali. On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Family Part, Camden County, Docket No. FN-04-0105-18.

Joseph E. Krakora, Public Defender, attorney for appellant (Robyn A. Veasey, Deputy Public Defender, of counsel; Dana A. Citron, Designated Counsel, on the briefs).

Gurbir S. Grewal, Attorney General, attorney for respondent (Melissa H. Raksa, Assistant Attorney General, of counsel; Amy Melissa Young, Deputy Attorney General, on the brief).

Joseph E. Krakora, Public Defender, Law Guardian, attorney for minors (Rachel E. Seidman, Assistant Deputy Public Defender, on the brief).

PER CURIAM

K.B. (Kyle), the boyfriend of A.M. (Annie), appeals from a Family Part

determination that he abused or neglected Annie's five-year old child M.R.

(Mindy), and Annie and Kyle's infant son S.B. (Steven).1 After a fact finding

hearing, the court determined that Kyle's conduct on three distinct occasions

"caused a very young child and a medically fragile newborn child to be placed

at substantial risk of harm."

1 We use pseudonyms for convenience of the reader and to protect the children's privacy. See R. 1:38-3(d)(12). A-1596-18T4 2 On appeal, Kyle argues that there was insufficient evidence to support the

trial court's finding of abuse and neglect and that the trial court abused its

discretion by admitting into evidence photographs of Annie's injuries. The Law

Guardian joins defendant in support of his appeal. Having carefully considered

defendant's arguments in light of the record and the applicable legal principles,

we reverse in part and vacate and remand in part, but affirm in part as to an

appealed evidentiary ruling.

I.

The facts precipitating the three incidents are gleaned from the testimony

and documentary evidence introduced at the fact finding proceeding.

According to Sergeant John Field of the Pine Hill Borough Police Department,

the first incident occurred on February 28, 2016 when an individual flagged

down an officer to report an active domestic dispute at an apartment complex in

the borough where a male individual, later identified as Kyle, forced his way

into Annie's apartment. Initially, there was no answer when the officer knocked

on the apartment door. The officers continued to announce their presence

outside the apartment, which prompted Annie to finally open the door as

additional officers arrived on scene.

A-1596-18T4 3 Annie told the officers that Kyle was not in the apartment and allowed

them to check the premises. Contrary to Annie's assertion, however, the officers

noticed Kyle's legs in the closet of Mindy's bedroom. According to Sergeant

Field, while Mindy remained asleep in the bedroom, the officers "identif[ied]

[themselves] as police officers[,] . . . grabbed each of [Kyle's] hands, . . . pulled

him out, handcuffed him in the hallway, and took him to the living room." Annie

then told officers that Kyle "wasn't supposed to be in the house," and that she

"didn't know how he got into the house." The officers, nevertheless, arrested

Kyle for "obstructing [their] investigation."

The facts of the second incident are discerned from the testimony of Pine

Hill Police Officer Martin Brennan and Annie, as well as her recorded statement,

and photographs of her injuries. Annie testified that sometime during the early

morning on August 21, 2016, Kyle "started acting crazy and pushed [her] in the

closet . . . saying that someone was attacking him." Annie indicated that Kyle

was high "on something that's not liquor," but she could not readily identify

what substance to which he was under the influence. She further stated that

Kyle bit her in the back multiple times as he held her down on the floor of the

closet. Annie initially stated at trial that Kyle "held [her] in the closet hostage

for a couple of minutes." She later noted, however, that she "[did not] recall

A-1596-18T4 4 how long [she was in the closet for], but it seemed like a while" and that it was

"less than an hour." After she "struggled [her] way out and . . . opened the door,"

she proceeded to run to Mindy's room who was sleeping, grabbed her, left the

house, and "hid behind the bushes in [her] apartment complex for like an hour."

On cross-examination, Annie stated that Mindy was awake while they

were hiding but appeared fine because Annie told her they were "just playing

hide and seek." After Annie reported the incident to police, she filed for a

temporary restraining order against Kyle. According to Annie, Kyle made no

threats towards Mindy or their unborn child, Steven, during the incident.

Officer Brennan testified that Annie walked into the Pine Hill Police

Station to report the incident. In her recorded statement, Annie told police tha t

Kyle "was tripping on . . . mollies" and that he "restrained [her] and he held [her

in the closet] for like almost an hour and he said that [she] set him up, [she] was

trying to kill him[,] and then he started biting [her, and] he started kicking [her]."

Brennan testified that Annie had visible signs of injuries, including bruising on

her left arm and abrasions on her neck, which he photographed.

At trial, Kyle's counsel objected to the photographs stating that the

"photographs are totally irrelevant to anything to do with the children" and that

they have "nothing to do with the condition of the children that evening." The

A-1596-18T4 5 Law Guardian also objected stating "there has been no testimony by either

[Annie] or the officer that the children ever saw these bruises" and that the

Division has to "demonstrate what the effect is on the children."

The facts of the third incident are discerned from the testimony of

Sergeant Timothy McElroy and Annie, as well as a separate recorded statement

and additional photographs. In her recorded statement to police taken on

January 29, 2017, Annie indicated that while she was preparing a bottle for

Steven in the kitchen early that morning, Kyle, who had been drinking,

confronted her about him hearing her "moaning in the recording of [a] song."

After telling Kyle that he was not making any sense, "he punched [her] in the

face."

According to her statement, Kyle then "pulled out a knife" and "had [her]

in [the] kitchen for . . . almost an hour just saying . . . things over and over, to

tell him the truth about [the moaning he heard] recorded over a song." Annie

told the police that "[t]here was blood all over the floor" and that she "was

dripping blood" from her mouth and neck. Sergeant McElroy took photographs

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DCPP VS. A.M. AND K.B., IN THE MATTER OF M.R. AND S.B. (FN-04-0105-18, CAMDEN COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dcpp-vs-am-and-kb-in-the-matter-of-mr-and-sb-fn-04-0105-18-njsuperctappdiv-2020.