In re Da.R.

2019 Ohio 2270
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 10, 2019
Docket17-18-13
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 2019 Ohio 2270 (In re Da.R.) 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.R., 2019 Ohio 2270 (Ohio Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

[Cite as In re Da.R., 2019-Ohio-2270.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT SHELBY COUNTY

IN RE: CASE NO. 17-18-13 DA.R.

ADJUDGED DEPENDENT CHILD.

[FELICITY BERRY - APPELLANT] OPINION [JOSHUA ROSS - APPELLANT]

Appeal from Shelby County Common Pleas Court Juvenile Division Trial Court No. 2016-DEP-0002

Judgment Affirmed

Date of Decision: June 10, 2019

APPEARANCES:

Kristina M. Morris for Appellant Felicity Berry

Jeremy M. Tomb, for Appellant Joshua Ross

Aaron Lowe for Appellee Case No. 17-18-13

WILLAMOWSKI, J.

{¶1} Appellants Felicity Berry (“Berry”) and Joshua Ross (“Ross”) bring this

appeal from the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Shelby County, Juvenile

Division terminating their parental rights. Both parties challenge the decision of the

trial court finding that it was in in the best interest of the children to terminate their

rights. For the reasons set forth below, the judgment is affirmed.

{¶2} Da.R. was born in July of 2016 to Berry and Ross. Doc. 2. Before

Da.R. was released from the hospital, the Shelby County Department of Job and

Family Services (“the Agency”) filed a complaint to take temporary custody of the

child. Doc. 1. The basis for the complaint was that Da.R.’s older sibling was

removed from the home in July of 2015 due to dependency and that the reasons for

the removal had yet to be remedied.1 Doc. 2. The trial court granted an ex parte

emergency custody motion and set the matter for a hearing. Doc. 4. This entry

noted that the Agency had made reasonable efforts to prevent the child from being

removed from the home. Id. The hearing was held on July 18, 2016. Doc. 25.

After the hearing, the trial court ordered that Da.R. would remain in the temporary

custody of the Agency and determined that reasonable efforts had been made by the

Agency to make a permanency plan. Id. On July 22, 2016, the Agency filed a case

plan for the family. Doc. 22. The plan required Berry and Ross to 1) cooperate with

1 The family had been involved with the Agency since December of 2014, but the older sibling was not removed until July of 2015.

-2- Case No. 17-18-13

parenting coaches regarding child care, home maintenance and safety, finances; 2)

cooperate with medical experts to meet the child’s developmental and medical

needs; 3) cooperate with developmental disabilities services; 4) cooperate with the

professional advice offered by the team; and 5) complete psychological evaluations

and complete mental health services recommended. Id.

{¶3} On August 25, 2016, an adjudicatory hearing was held. Doc. 38. Both

Berry and Ross admitted at the hearing that Da.R. was a dependent child. Id. The

trial court then made that finding and ordered that Da.R. remain in the temporary

custody of the Agency pending disposition. Id. The trial court also determined that

the Agency had made reasonable efforts “to eliminate the removal of the child from

the home of a parent, however due to the parents’ inability to provide proper care

for the child at this time, it is in the child’s best interest to remain in the custody of

[the Agency].” Id.

{¶4} On October 6, 2016, the GAL filed her report regarding the disposition

of the matter. Doc. 41. The GAL indicated that she had personally visited with the

child, Ross, Berry, the foster parents, the home coaches, the caseworker, and other

people. Id. The GAL also indicated that she had reviewed the Agency’s case file

and the home studies. Id. The GAL recommended that custody remain with the

Agency. Id. The disposition hearing was held on October 13, 2016. Doc. 43. The

trial court ordered that Da.R. would remain in the temporary custody of the Agency.

The trial court also adopted the case plan previously filed by the Agency. Id.

-3- Case No. 17-18-13

{¶5} On November 1, 2016, the Agency filed a motion for permanent

custody of Da.R. and his older sibling. Doc. 47. The Agency then filed an amended

case plan on December 1, 2016, which reflected the change of goal from

reunification to adoption. Doc. 59. However, this motion was subsequently

withdrawn.2 Doc. 88.

{¶6} On July 19, 2017, the Agency filed its annual review of the case plan.

Doc. 107. The review showed that although Berry and Ross had completed the

psychological evaluations and were continuing to work with mental health services,

there was only some progress on the case plan. Id. A new case plan was filed on

November 2, 2017, when Da.R. was moved to a new foster home. The case plan

was again modified on November 13, 2017, when his older sibling was removed

from the case plan due to permanent custody of the sibling having been granted to

the Agency. Doc. 121. The modified plan contained the same requirements as the

previous plans.

{¶7} On February 8, 2018, the Agency file a motion for permanent custody

of Da.R. Doc. 127. The basis for the motion was that Da.R. had been in the custody

of the Agency for twelve or more months of the prior twenty-two month period, that

the parents had failed to remedy the conditions causing the placement out of the

home and that termination of parental rights would be in the best interest of Da.R.

2 A new motion for permanent custody of Da.R.’s older sibling was evidently filed by the Agency at a later date, but did not apply to Da.R. See Doc. 94.

-4- Case No. 17-18-13

Id. The GAL filed her report regarding the motion for permanent custody on June

8, 2018. Doc. 182. The GAL noted that Da.R. is developmentally behind and has

physical issues which require weekly speech therapy, physical therapy, and

occupational therapy. Id. She also noted that Da.R. wears glasses and has “braces”

on his feet due to muscle weakness. Id. The GAL indicated that although the

parents have provided a stable home, it has not been maintained in a safe and clean

manner for extended periods of time without help. Id. The GAL noted that she had

spoken repeatedly with the parents, the foster parents, and the team members. Id.

She also noted that she had reviewed all of the records in the file. Id. The GAL

then made the following conclusions in her report.

Although this is very unfortunate for all concerned, [Ross and Berry], in my opinion cannot safely take care of [Da.R.] without a level of constant supervision. This is apparent due to the abundant resources that have been given to them during this past 23 month period. For all of the resources, there has been little to no consistent improvement in [Ross and Berry’s] parenting skills to warrant more time with the parents to the detriment of [Da.R.].

Bottom line is that [Ross and Berry] have made NO advances in the area of following instructions: home safety (i.e. dresser drawers standing open, expired food in the refrigerator, dirty dishes, etc.); marking important appointments on the calendar; taking accurate notes at doctor’s appointments for future reference even though there has been constant and consistent help given to them through [the Agency].

Therefore, I recommend the following actions be taken: * Custody: Permanent custody should be given to [the Agency] immediately. * Placement: [Da.R.] should be placed for adoption immediately.

-5- Case No. 17-18-13

Id. at 5-6.

{¶8} The permanent custody hearing was held from June 18 to June 22, 2018.

On August 21, 2018, the trial court entered judgment granting the Agency’s motion

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2019 Ohio 2270, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-dar-ohioctapp-2019.