In re I.P.

2015 Ohio 4061
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 30, 2015
DocketL-15-1136
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 2015 Ohio 4061 (In re I.P.) 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 I.P., 2015 Ohio 4061 (Ohio Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

[Cite as In re I.P., 2015-Ohio-4061.]

IN THE COURT OF APP OF OHIO SIXTH APPELLATE DISTRICT LUCAS COUNTY

In re I.P. Court of Appeals No. L-15-1136

Trial Court No. JC 14238542

DECISION AND JUDGMENT

Decided: September 30, 2015

*****

Adam H. Houser, for appellant.

Jeremy G. Young, for appellee.

JENSEN, J.

{¶ 1} Appellant, B.P., appeals the April 29, 2015 judgment of the Lucas County

Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, which terminated her parental rights and

awarded permanent custody of her son to Lucas County Children Services (“LCCS”).

For the reasons that follow, we affirm the trial court’s judgment. I. BACKGROUND

A. The LCCS Referral

{¶ 2} B.P. is the mother of I.P., who was born in April of 2011.1 On February 20,

2014, it was reported to LCCS that I.P. had numerous bruises on his bottom and upper

thighs from being spanked by his mother and her boyfriend. B.P. acknowledged to an

LCCS caseworker that her boyfriend spanked I.P., leaving the black-and-blue marks,

after I.P. broke their DVD player. LCCS obtained an ex parte order for shelter care on

February 21, 2014, and I.P. was removed from the home.

{¶ 3} On February 24, 2014, LCCS filed a complaint in dependency, neglect, and

abuse and a motion for shelter care hearing. Following a hearing that same day, LCCS

was awarded temporary custody of I.P. The court appointed attorney Steven Casiere to

serve as counsel and guardian ad litem (“GAL”) for I.P. On March 24, 2014, the

magistrate determined I.P. to be dependent, neglected, and abused, and ordered that

temporary custody remain with LCCS. LCCS filed a case plan that day. The trial court

approved the magistrate’s decision on April 23, 2014, and it approved the case plan on

May 23, 2014.

B. The Case Plan

{¶ 4} B.P. admitted to using heroin and abusing alcohol. She reported to LCCS

that she suffers from bi-polar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, but was not

1 J.D. is I.P.’s father. His parental rights were also terminated by the trial court’s April 29, 2015 judgment, but he did not appeal the decision. We address the underlying proceedings only with respect to B.P.’s interests.

2. currently medicated. In addition to these substance abuse and mental health issues, B.P.

was arrested for domestic abuse on February 23, 2014, and at the time of her arrest, she

had an outstanding warrant on a disorderly conduct charge from 2013. While at the

Lucas County Corrections Center (“LCCC”) on these charges, she was charged with

felony assault for throwing a book at a corrections officer.

{¶ 5} The aim of the case plan was for B.P. to remain drug and alcohol free, to

learn to resolve conflict without resorting to violence, to learn safe and appropriate

methods of disciplining her child, to respond appropriately to situations that cause her to

become upset, to develop safe and healthy relationships, and to obtain safe, stable, and

appropriate housing. To achieve these goals, B.P. was required to participate in

substance abuse and mental health diagnostics, as well as any recommended treatment;

participate in the Lucas County Family Drug Court program; undergo assessment for

domestic violence services and follow all recommendations; participate in a parenting

program; undergo assessment for anger management services and participate in further

services if recommended; and participate in services through the Women’s

Empowerment Services Team (“WEST”). The domestic violence, parenting, and anger

management services were to begin after B.P. maintained several weeks of sobriety and

had a sober support system in place. The plan provided for weekly supervised visits with

I.P. The goal of the case plan was reunification.

3. C. B.P.’s Efforts to Complete the Case Plan

{¶ 6} B.P. remained at LCCC until March 24, 2014. Beginning in April of 2014,

after she was released, she began appearing in drug court. During April and May of

2014, she continued to test positive for alcohol to the point that the court required her to

wear a monitor. Nevertheless, she completed Unison’s intensive outpatient program

(“IOP”) and began aftercare in July of 2014. IOP consisted of treatment three times a

week, three hours at a time, for 18 sessions. B.P. also began attending WEST meetings.

{¶ 7} The drug court ordered B.P. to reside at the Sparrow’s Nest, which also

provides treatment for women in recovery. Three times she moved into Sparrow’s Nest

and three times she left without completing treatment. The drug court ultimately ordered

B.P. to spend a night in jail for violating its orders. In August of 2014, it ordered B.P.

into female transitional housing at the Naomi House, which also provides treatment. For

a time, B.P. was demonstrating progress, however, she was discharged from the Naomi

House in October of 2014 for rules violations. She did not complete the program.

Because B.P. continued to exhibit behaviors consistent with addiction, LCCS did not

make the referrals for the additional programs that B.P. was required to complete as part

of the case plan.

{¶ 8} In November, B.P. went to trial on the felony assault charge from the

February 2014 incident involving the corrections officer. A jury convicted her. The

common pleas court sentenced her to probation. In connection with her probation, she

was required to be assessed by Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center (“CDTC”).

4. CDTC performed assessments on December 2 and 23, 2014. It recommended a dual

diagnostic program to address her mental health and substance abuse issues, as well as

anger management treatment. B.P. opted to undergo both programs simultaneously.

Both required attendance at one 90-minute session per week—one for each program.

Successful completion takes three months. Participants can miss two classes. The first

available program began February 11, 2015. As of February 27, 2015, B.P. had missed

one class in each of the programs. CDTC also scheduled B.P. for a psychological

evaluation to take place in March of 2015. It would be determined at that time whether

there were medications that B.P. should consider taking.

{¶ 9} During her treatment with CDTC, she could not proceed with services

through Unison. She did not complete Unison’s aftercare program. She never advanced

beyond the second of three phases in drug court. And because she had not demonstrated

sobriety for a sufficient period of time, she was not able to begin domestic violence

treatment, the parenting program, or the anger management services required by the case

plan. She did, however, consistently attend AA meetings and was pursuing plans to start

her own heroin anonymous group. She provided 29 negative urine screens out of 30 for

the period of October 1, 2014 to February 6, 2015.

{¶ 10} In February of 2015, B.P. missed a meeting with LCCS, allegedly due to

bad roads, and she missed a urine drop. She also missed a 1:00 appointment with her

drug court team in February, allegedly because she overslept.

5. {¶ 11} In the year following I.P.’s removal from the home, B.P. did not secure

permanent housing. She lived at her boyfriend’s apartment, then the Lucas County

Corrections Center, her mother’s house, Sparrow’s Nest, the Davis Building, where she

worked and rented space, Sparrow’s Nest again, Naomi House, Sparrow’s Nest a third

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2015 Ohio 4061, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-ip-ohioctapp-2015.