In re A.G. CA4/2

California Court of Appeal·Decided September 26, 2024·No. E083351·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 9/26/24 In re A.G. CA4/2

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION TWO

In re A.G. et al., Persons Coming Under the Juvenile Court Law.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES, E083351

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super.Ct.No. DPRI2300458)

v. OPINION

E.G.,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from the Superior Court of Riverside County. Dorothy McLaughlin,

Judge. Affirmed.

Megan Turkat Schirn, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant

and Appellant.

Minh C. Tran, County Counsel, Teresa K.B. Beecham and Prabhath Shettigar,

Deputy County Counsel, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

1 Defendant and appellant E.R. (Father) appeals from the juvenile court’s

jurisdictional and dispositional orders adjudicating three of his children—A.G. (a girl,

born Jan. 2018), and twins So.G. and St.G. (girls, born Nov. 2020) (collectively,

Minors)—dependents of the court pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section

300.1 On appeal, Father contends there was insufficient evidence presented to support

the jurisdictional findings to sustain the section 300 petition, specifically, that he sexually

abused A.G., and the dispositional bypass orders based on the finding should be reversed.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

A. DETENTION2

On October 10, 2023, the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services

(Department) received an immediate response referral for Father, P.P. (Mother)3 and

Minors. It was reported that Father had been drinking and Mother confronted him.

Father got on top of Mother and hit her on the side of the head. He pulled Mother’s right

ear and caused bruising. Father tried to break her right arm, resulting in bruising.

Mother filed an emergency protective order against Father which was granted.

1 All further statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code unless otherwise indicated.

2 At the time of the detention, Mother’s other children—Father’s stepchildren— G.P. (a boy, born in 2006), R.P. (a girl, born in 2007), and B.P. (a boy, born in 2011) were also living in the home. Father stated in his opening brief that the appeal was limited to Minors. This court found that Father’s appeal did not include his stepchildren as parties to the instant appeal.

3 Mother has not filed an appeal in this matter.

2 After this incident, Mother contacted the Department and reported she believed

that Father had been sexually abusing A.G. After Father was taken from the house, A.G.

told Mother that she was afraid to be alone with Father. A.G. told Mother, “[F]ather does

‘this’ to her and gestured with a finger and pointed to her vaginal area.” A social worker

observed a forensic interview of A.G. A.G. reported during the forensic interview that

she had not been touched inappropriately by anyone in her home. She reported feeling

safe with both Father and Mother. It was reported to the social worker by Detective

Turner of the Riverside Police Department that A.G. had completed a medical

examination earlier in the day and the findings were inconclusive because A.G.’s vaginal

area was swollen. A follow-up examination would have to be performed.

Mother advised the Department that she had experienced domestic violence

throughout her relationship with Father. When Father was intoxicated, he would become

violent and force her to have sex with him. There had been multiple incidents of

unreported domestic violence between them, and incidents where he forced her to have

sex. Mother advised the social worker that A.G. was crying when she told her about

Father sexually abusing her. Father had told A.G. not to tell anyone. Mother insisted she

no longer wanted a relationship with Father and would not allow him back in the home.

Mother was referred to domestic violence counseling. She was also provided information

on how to extend the emergency protective order.

The social worker went with Detective Turner on October 12, 2023, to A.G.’s

school. A.G. reported feeling safe at home with Mother. A.G. was asked if she had been

touched by anyone in her private area. She initially responded, “Yes.” She then changed

3 her answer to “No.” She told them that she was hurt but did not state who hurt her. A.G.

then denied being hurt and would not provide any further details.

On October 27, 2023, the social worker received information that a follow-up

medical examination had been performed on A.G. It was reported that during the prior

examination, her “hymen was noted to be erythematous and swollen.” During the

follow-up examination, “there was a resolution of the prior findings (injury), indicating

the prior finding was evidence of penetrating vaginal trauma and confirmed sexual abuse

of [A.G.].” The medical examination was not attached to the detention report.

After the examination, on November 16, 2023, the social worker and Detective

Turner returned to A.G.’s school. She reported she felt safe with Mother now that Father

was not living with them. She admitted she was afraid of Father. A.G. stated that Father

hurt her but did not provide any further information. A.G.’s half brother, G.P., told the

social worker that A.G. had reported to him the things that Father did to her. Her half

sister, R.P., had heard A.G.’s accusations and did not believe that Father did anything to

A.G. Half brother B.P. had heard A.G. tell G.P. about Father touching her but did not

express an opinion on whether he believed it was true.

Minors were taken into custody under a protective custody warrant from Father.

Minors were allowed to remain with Mother. Father and Mother took lie detector tests on

December 7, 2023. After the test, Father was arrested and was housed at the Southwest

Detention Center in Murrieta. Father was interviewed at the Southwest Detention Center

on December 7, 2023, by the social worker. Father stated he only cleaned A.G. after she

went to the bathroom and that his DNA would be in her vaginal area from cleaning her.

4 Father claimed he was still incarcerated because he did not have a lawyer. He had

obtained an attorney and insisted he would soon be released from jail.

On December 6, 2023, Mother visited Father in jail. Father stated she had agreed

to allow him to return home. He told the social worker he would no longer help “his

girls” go to the restroom. He denied he ever inappropriately touched A.G. Mother

insisted she went to the jail to end things with Father. She was not going to allow Father

to return home. Mother had not filed anything to extend the emergency protective order

to keep Father from her and Minors. Mother asked if the restraining order was necessary

and whether she would be able to visit Father in jail if she obtained the order. Another

visit with A.G. at her school was made by a social worker on December 7, 2023. A.G.

only reported that she had not seen Father since he left their residence.

Father had been criminally charged with a violation of Penal Code section 288.7,

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