In re Da.B.

2018 Ohio 689
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 22, 2018
Docket105886
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 2018 Ohio 689 (In re Da.B.) 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
In re Da.B., 2018 Ohio 689 (Ohio Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

[Cite as In re Da.B., 2018-Ohio-689.]

Court of Appeals of Ohio EIGHTH APPELLATE DISTRICT COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA

JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION No. 105886

IN RE: Da.B., ET AL. A Minor Child

[Appeal By Father, D.B.]

JUDGMENT: AFFIRMED

Civil Appeal from the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Division Case Nos. AD 15916030, AD 15916031, and AD 15916032

BEFORE: Boyle, P.J., Celebrezze, J., and Jones, J.

RELEASED AND JOURNALIZED: February 22, 2018 ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT FATHER

Michael E. Stinn 21300 Lorain Road Fairview Park, Ohio 44126

ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEES

For C.C.D.C.F.S.

Michael C. O’Malley Cuyahoga County Prosecutor BY: Anthony R. Beery Assistant County Prosecutor 4261 Fulton Parkway Cleveland, Ohio 44144

For L.M., Mother

Christopher R. Lenahan 2035 Crocker Road, Suite 104 Westlake, Ohio 44145

Guardian Ad Litem for Children

Pinkie Lue Clark P.O. Box 93184 Cleveland, Ohio 44101

Guardian Ad Litem for Appellant

Carla L. Golubovic P.O. Box 29127 Parma, Ohio 44129

Guardian Ad Litem for Mother

Suzanne H. Adrain-Piccorelli 255 Falmouth Drive Rocky River, Ohio 44116 MARY J. BOYLE, P.J.:

{¶1} Appellant, D.B. (“father”), appeals the juvenile court’s judgment granting permanent

custody of his three minor children — Da.B. (d.o.b. June 15, 2002), Di.B. (d.o.b. October 23,

2006), and I.B. (d.o.b. January 10, 2009) (collectively “the children”) — to the Cuyahoga County

Department of Children and Family Services (“CCDCFS” or “the agency”). He raises two

assignments of error for our review:

1. The trial court abused its discretion when it denied Appellant Father D.B.’s motion for an extension of temporary custody.

2. The trial court’s order granting Appellee Cuyahoga County Division of Children Services’ motion to modify temporary custody to permanent custody is against the manifest weight of the evidence and should be vacated.

{¶2} Finding no merit to his appeal, we affirm.

I. Procedural History and Factual Background

{¶3} On November 16, 2015, CCDCFS filed a complaint seeking temporary custody of

Da.B., Di.B., and I.B. after father was arrested and incarcerated for rape charges on November

14, 2015, requiring law enforcement to remove the children from the home. According to

CCDCFS’s amended complaint filed on November 20, 2015, father gained custody of the

children after their mother (“mother”) lost custody in August 2011 due to her substance-abuse

and anger-management issues, which she had yet to resolve. The amended complaint also

alleged that the children’s mother “failed to maintain a relationship with the children and her

ability to provide care for them is unknown at this time.”

{¶4} On February 11, 2016, a hearing was held before the magistrate, where social

workers for CCDCFS, counsel for mother, father, and CCDCFS, and guardians ad litem for

mother and the children were present. The magistrate found that the children were neglected and dependent and committed them to the temporary custody of CCDCFS. On February 29,

2016, the juvenile court judge adopted the magistrate’s decision. In its order, the juvenile court

noted that father was incarcerated. The court also noted that the permanency plan for the

children was reunification.

{¶5} During pretrial proceedings, the court appointed a guardian ad litem and counsel for

the children’s mother, the children, and father. The juvenile court also held an in camera

hearing, during which the children, the children’s counsel, and guardians ad litem were present.

{¶6} On August 12, 2016, approximately nine months after it received temporary custody

of the children, CCDCFS moved to modify temporary custody to permanent custody on the basis

that the children could not be placed with either parent within a reasonable time and that

permanent custody was in the children’s best interest. In support of its motion, the agency

attached the affidavit of Lateisha Ollison, a child-protection specialist with CCDCFS. In her

affidavit, Ollison stated that the case plan filed with and approved by the juvenile court required

father and mother to provide the children’s basic needs as well as stable, appropriate housing for

the children. The affidavit stated that mother “has failed to make herself available for case plan

services[,]” “has longstanding, unaddressed mental health and substance abuse issues[,]” and lost

custody of two other children not subject to the current litigation. The affidavit also stated,

“Father is incarcerated pursuant to pending charges for rape, kidnapping, gross sexual

imposition, felonious assault, and robbery.” CCDCFS produced Ollison’s semiannual review

(“SAR”) report, which is an extensive outline of each child’s case plan and services, progress,

and barriers to progress; history of visitation by the parents; plans for permanency; and an outline

of steps and actions taken in the children’s custody cases so far. The report reflected that father

was currently being held in a locked facility with no expected release date and was unable to make any progress on his case plan due to his inpatient status as of August 23, 2016, at

Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare.

{¶7} The matter proceeded to an evidentiary hearing held on May 4, 2017. At the

hearing, father’s attorney informed the court that father did not agree to stipulating to the report

filed in his criminal case that found him to be incompetent. Father’s attorney explained that

father was in the process of firing his previous attorney in his criminal case. The juvenile court

noted that the finding of incompetence had yet to be vacated by the trial court.

{¶8} The state called two witnesses, Lateisha Ollison and Arvella Fike, both of whom

were child-protection specialists with CCDCFS. Ollison explained that she was the initial

child-protection specialist assigned to the case in November 2015, when the initial complaint for

temporary custody was filed, and stayed on the case until December 2016. Ollison stated that

she had limited interactions with the children’s mother, who had a history of unsuitable housing

for the children and substance abuse issues. She testified that father was incarcerated during the

time that she had the case and that his case plan was to provide for the children’s basic needs,

which he could not do while incarcerated. Ollison stated that the concerns related to father were

that he failed to arrange a caregiver for the children and, besides phone calls with Da.B. and the

delivery of Christmas presents to Da.B., had little involvement in the children’s lives while he

was incarcerated. Ollison testified that Da.B. was currently at InFocus, a group home, and Di.B.

and I.B. were in a foster home in Youngstown, Ohio. Ollison explained that because the

younger children’s foster mom was not comfortable giving father her cell phone number, Ollison

gave him her cell phone number so that he could call Ollison when she visited Di.B. and I.B.;

however, father never called. She also explained that while father indicated that he was

frustrated he could not speak to Di.B. and I.B., he did not want them visiting him at Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare. Ollison stated that the children indicated that they would like to go

home with father.

{¶9} The state next called Fike, who explained that the children’s case was transferred to

her in December 2016. She testified that she was only able to speak to the children’s mother

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2018 Ohio 689, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-dab-ohioctapp-2018.