In re Y.W.

2018 Ohio 325
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 26, 2018
DocketL-17-1215
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2018 Ohio 325 (In re Y.W.) 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 Y.W., 2018 Ohio 325 (Ohio Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

[Cite as In re Y.W., 2018-Ohio-325.]

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

In re Y.W., J.W., T.W. Court of Appeals Nos. L-17-1215

Trial Court No. JC 15250150

DECISION AND JUDGMENT

Decided: January 26, 2018

*****

Laurel A. Kendall, for appellant.

Jill E. Wolff, for appellee.

OSOWIK, J.

{¶ 1} This is an appeal from a judgment of the Lucas County Court of Common

Pleas, Juvenile Division, which terminated the parental rights of appellant-mother to the

subject minor children, Y.W., J.W., and T.W., and granted permanent custody to

appellee, Lucas County Children Services Board. For the reasons set forth below, this

court affirms the judgment of the juvenile court. {¶ 2} The following facts are relevant to this appeal. Because none of the fathers

of Y.W., J.W., and T.W. are parties to this appeal, we limit our discussion to the juvenile

court’s findings as they relate to appellant-mother.

{¶ 3} On September 14, 2015, appellee filed a complaint in dependency, neglect,

and abuse and a motion for shelter care hearing, regarding the subject children. Toledo

police observed appellant’s suspicious driving on September 12, 2015, when she was

swerving and unable to maintain control of the vehicle. Toledo police stopped the

vehicle and observed appellant intoxicated and unable to answer basic questions about

her three children in the car with her. Appellant had slurred speech, bloodshot and glassy

eyes, a strong scent of intoxicating beverages, and told police she had been drinking.

Toledo police arrested appellant for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or

drugs, reckless operation, and child endangerment. Toledo police referred Y.W., J.W.,

and T.W. to appellee for safe keeping while appellant was processed. During processing

appellant told police she smoked marijuana while pregnant with T.W., who was a

newborn. Within the past year appellee already temporarily removed Y.W. and J.W.

from appellant’s care due to issues that included appellant’s substance abuse of alcohol.

Following the September 14, 2015 shelter care hearing, appellee was awarded interim

temporary custody of Y.W., J.W., and T.W.

{¶ 4} On October 15, 2015, following an adjudicatory hearing, Y.W. and J.W.

were each found to be a dependent and neglected child, and T.W was found to be a

2. dependent, neglected, and abused child. On that day appellee was awarded temporary

custody of Y.W., J.W., and T.W.

{¶ 5} On July 18, 2016, appellee moved for permanent custody of Y.W., J.W., and

T.W. Appellant continued to be involved in the criminal justice system on a separate

matter. Subsequent to appellee’s motion the guardian ad litem for Y.W., J.W., and T.W.

filed a report recommending permanent custody to appellee and detailed the failed efforts

to find a willing relative to take custody of the children. The permanent custody

adjudicatory hearing was held June 19 and 22, 2017. Appellant arrived very late,

thinking the hearing was the following day.

{¶ 6} On June 22, 2017, the juvenile court announced its decision.

After taking into consideration all relevant testimony and evidence,

the Court finds by clear and convincing evidence that despite reasonable

efforts to prevent their continued removal from the parents, the children

could not and should not return to their parents and it is in the best interest

of the children to grant permanent custody to Lucas County Children

Services. There have been reasonable efforts to reunify the children and

Lucas County Children Services have made reasonable efforts to finalize

the permanency plan. I know you love your children very much, but they

deserve permanency. And if * * * you had made some significant,

consistent progress in your case plan and having a relationship with the

3. children, we may be in a different position, but the evidence didn’t show

that. So that is my decision today.

{¶ 7} By judgment entry journalized August 1, 2017, the juvenile court made a

number of relevant findings to this appeal.

{¶ 8} Pursuant to R.C. 2151.353(A)(4), and R.C. 2151.414(E)(1), (2), (4), (10),

(11) and (16) by clear and convincing evidence the juvenile court found Y.W., J.W., and

T.W “cannot and should not be placed with [appellant] within a reasonable time.”

{¶ 9} Pursuant to R.C. 2151.414(D)(1) by clear and convincing evidence the

juvenile court found an award of permanent custody to appellee is in the best interests of

Y.W., J.W., and T.W. The juvenile court determined the children “are very bonded to

each other”; “have some special needs that are being addressed in services”; “are all

doing well in their foster placements”; and permanent custody to appellee was

recommended in the best interest of the children by the guardian ad litem, the caseworker

of record, and the previous caseworker.

{¶ 10} Pursuant to R.C. 2151.414(B)(1) by clear and convincing evidence the

juvenile court further found Y.W., J.W., and T.W., who were of tender age, had been in

temporary custody of appellee for 21 months of a consecutive 22 month period.

{¶ 11} Pursuant to R.C. 2151.419 the juvenile court found appellee “made

reasonable efforts to prevent the need for removal of the children, and the continued need

for removal from their home, however, such efforts were unsuccessful. Said efforts

included case plan management, visitation, [and] referrals to assessments, mental health

4. treatment, substance abuse treatment, Lucas County Family Drug Court, Anger

Management services, P.C.I.T. [parent, child interactive therapy], [and] parenting classes.

The Court finds that although these services were offered, the conditions that caused the

initial removal of the children from [appellant’s] care have not been remedied and the

children cannot be returned to [appellant] within a reasonable period of time.”

{¶ 12} Pursuant to R.C. 2151.414(E)(1) the juvenile court found the conditions

that caused the initial removal of the children from the appellant’s care included

appellant’s mental health and substance abuse, housing, ongoing criminal concerns, and

parenting concerns. “These concerns still exist today.”

{¶ 13} Pursuant to R.C. 2151.414(E)(2) the juvenile court found appellant “has

chronic mental health and substance abuse issues that make her unable to parent now or

as anticipated one year after the permanent custody trial.” Appellant was diagnosed with

“Unspecified Bipolar Disorder, PTSD, Cannabis use disorder, Persistent Depressive

Disorder and Alcohol Use Disorder.” She did not successfully complete her treatments,

continued to test positive for alcohol as recently as a month prior to the hearing, and did

not take her prescribed medication.

{¶ 14} Pursuant to R.C. 2151.414(E)(4) the juvenile court found that appellant has

“shown a lack of commitment towards these children. Mother has missed weeks at a

time of visitation. * * * Mother had not presented any evidence that she can currently

provide a safe, stable home for these children. She still has substance abuse and mental

5. health issues that have not been treated. She has not successfully passed a parenting

class.”

{¶ 15} Pursuant to R.C. 2151.414(E)(11) the juvenile court found “that mother has

previously lost permanent custody of a sibling to these children and she has not shown

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2018 Ohio 325, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-yw-ohioctapp-2018.