In Re Green, Unpublished Decision (6-23-2005)

2005 Ohio 3308
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 23, 2005
DocketNos. 2005AP010007, 2005AP020008.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 2005 Ohio 3308 (In Re Green, Unpublished Decision (6-23-2005)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law.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In Re Green, Unpublished Decision (6-23-2005), 2005 Ohio 3308 (Ohio Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION
{¶ 1} Appellant-mother Melissa Green and appellant-father Christian Kerschbaumer appeal the decision of the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, which granted permanent custody of the couples four minor children to the appellee, Tuscarawas County Jobs and Family Services ("TCJFS"). The relevant facts leading to this appeal are as follows.

{¶ 2} Appellant-mother Melissa Green is the natural mother of the four minor children subject to the within action. The four children are: Macaila Green, D.O.B. 090-9-94; Cordell Green, D.O.B. 03-13-00; Nemo Huebner, D.O.B. 09-21-01; and Zander Huebner, D.O.B. 07-18-02. Appellant-father Christian Kerschbaumer is the father of the youngest three children. The father of the oldest child, Craig Kaedel, is deceased.

{¶ 3} TCJFS's involvement with the Green/Huebner children began in October, 2003. All four children were removed from the care and custody of appellants in Case No. 04JN00554. The action which prompted the removal of the children from the home of the appellants was an allegation that the appellant-father inflicted physical abuse on Cordell Green, striking him several times in the back with a wooden back scratcher, leaving marks and bruises on the child. Additionally in that case appellant-father made threats of physical violence against personnel of TCJFS and the New Philadelphia Police Department. Based upon those allegations as well as appellant-mother's failure to take appropriate steps to protect her children, TCJFS was granted temporary custody of the children in the prior case.

{¶ 4} TCJFS provided appellants with a comprehensive reunification plan in Case No. 03JN00554. Appellant-mother substantially completed all portions of the court-ordered case plan, including separating herself from the appellant-father. Appellant-mother was advised numerous times by the court, her case manager, and the Guardian Ad Litem that continuing to have a relationship with the appellant-father or allowing him to have access to her children would result in the removal of the children from her home. Appellant-father failed substantially to engage in case plan services. Although he engaged in parent education, he failed to engage in anger management, to complete an anger management assessment, or necessary counseling. Additionally, appellant-father's contact with his children was terminated during the middle of the first dependency/neglect case, because he continued to utilize corporal punishment on his children during supervised visits, despite being advised that doing so was inappropriate and against agency policy. Case No. 04JN00554 was terminated in May, 2005. Custody of all four children was returned to appellant-mother in March, 2005 with protective supervision terminating two months later.

{¶ 5} In September, 2004, TCJFS received information the children were being exposed to appellant-father. Those reports coincided with reports of concern from personnel at the New Philadelphia schools that Macaila Green was appearing for school in sexually suggestive clothing, as well as engaging in sexually suggestive behavior on the playground at the elementary school she attended. TCJFS verified that the children were being exposed to appellant-father. Based upon that information, TCJFS obtained an ex parte order directing removal of the children on September 24, 2004. The agency then obtained temporary custody of the children and filed a complaint for permanent custody in Case No. 04JN00625.

{¶ 6} An adjudacatory hearing was held November 23, 2004. Pursuant to a judgment entry filed December 6, 2004, the trial judge found the subject children to be neglected and dependent. The matter was set for a dispositional hearing on December 14, 2004.

{¶ 7} At the dispositional proceeding, the court took testimony from Barbara Schwartz, who provided phychological evaluations of Macaila Green, as well as evaluations of the appellant-mother and appellant-father. Testimony from Ms. Schwartz detailed numerous concerns regarding behavioral problems for Macaila Green, as well as phychological problems with appellant-mother and appellant-father. Although Ms. Schwartz did not make specific recommendations concerning the agency's permanent custody request, she did express serious concerns of the ability of the children to be reunified to the home of the parents, indicating that appellant-mother would require upwards of one year of intensive therapy before it would be safe to return the children to her home. Additionally, Beth Bertini, the case manager from TCJFS testified regarding her on-going work with the family for two separate cases. Ms. Bertini testified that she repeatedly informed appellant-mother that contact with appellant-father was not to be allowed. Ms. Bertini testified that the children's best interest would be served by a grant of permanent custody.

{¶ 8} Although the children were returned to appellant-mother under the prior case in May of 2004, Macaila continued in counseling with Counselor Stephanie Milleman, of Personal and Family Counseling Services in New Philadelphia, Ohio. Macaila was in counseling with Ms. Milleman at the end of September, 2004 at the time of her removal in the case at bar. Ms. Mileman did not have any concerns with respect to Macaila being an abused/or dependent child during the time she was counseling her. Ms. Milleman counseled with Macaila for three months in individual sessions and in family sessions with appellant-mother and the other three children through the home-based therapy counseling program.

{¶ 9} Pursuant to a judgment entry filed January 3, 2005, the trial judge granted TCJFS's request for permanent custody of all four children.

{¶ 10} It is from that judgment entry that appellant-mother and appellant-father have timely appealed to this court. Appellant-mother raises the following three assignments of error for our consideration:

{¶ 11} "I. The trial court erred in awarding permanent Custody to job and family services; as job and family services failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that a grant of permanent Custody was in the best interests of the children and that the children could not or should not be placed with the mother within a reasonable period of time; and the decision was against the manifest weight and sufficiency of the evidence.

{¶ 12} "II. The juvenile court erred in granting permanent custody as there were no reasonable efforts made by job and family services to prevent the need for placement and/or to make it possible for the children to be placed in the Custody of their mother/appellant.

{¶ 13} "III. The trial court erred in granting permanent custody when the guardian ad litem's report failed to express the wishes of the children."

{¶ 14} Appellant-father has raised the following two assignments of error for our consideration:

{¶ 15} "I. The trial court erred in determining that the tuscarawas county job and family services made reasonable efforts to reunite appellant kerschbaumer with his children pursuant to revised code 2151.419 (a)(1).

{¶ 16} "II. The trial court's ruling that Macaila and Cordell Green and Nemo and Zander Heubner are dependent and neglected children is against the manifest weight of the evidence."

{¶ 17} There are two means by which an authorized agency may obtain permanent custody of a child under Ohio Law.

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Bluebook (online)
2005 Ohio 3308, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-green-unpublished-decision-6-23-2005-ohioctapp-2005.