In the Int. of: K.V., Appeal of: C.V.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 25, 2022
Docket1201 EDA 2021
StatusUnpublished

This text of In the Int. of: K.V., Appeal of: C.V. (In the Int. of: K.V., Appeal of: C.V.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In the Int. of: K.V., Appeal of: C.V., (Pa. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

J-S36003-21

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

IN THE INTEREST OF: K.V., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : : APPEAL OF: C.V., FATHER : : : : : No. 1201 EDA 2021

Appeal from the Order Entered June 7, 2021 In the Court of Common Pleas of Wayne County Civil Division at No(s): CP-64-DP-0000008-2020

IN THE INTEREST OF: K.V., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : : APPEAL OF: C.V., FATHER : : : : : No. 1202 EDA 2021

Appeal from the Order Entered May 7, 2021 In the Court of Common Pleas of Wayne County Civil Division at No(s): CP-64-DP-0000009-2020

IN THE INTEREST OF: K.V., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : : APPEAL OF: C.V., FATHER : : : : : No. 1371 EDA 2021

Appeal from the Order Entered June 9, 2021 In the Court of Common Pleas of Wayne County Civil Division at No(s): CP-64-DP-0000009-2020

IN THE INTEREST OF: K.V., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA J-S36003-21

: : APPEAL OF: C.V., FATHER : : : : : No. 1372 EDA 2021

Appeal from the Order Entered June 7, 2021 In the Court of Common Pleas of Wayne County Civil Division at No(s): 7-AD-2021

IN THE INTEREST OF: K.V., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : : APPEAL OF: C.V., FATHER : : : : : No. 1373 EDA 2021

Appeal from the Order Entered June 9, 2021 In the Court of Common Pleas of Wayne County Civil Division at No(s): CP-64-DP-0000008-2020

IN THE INTEREST OF: K.V., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : : APPEAL OF: C.V., FATHER : : : : : No. 1374 EDA 2021

Appeal from the Order Entered June 7, 2021 In the Court of Common Pleas of Wayne County Civil Division at No(s): 8-AD-2021

BEFORE: LAZARUS, J., KING, J., and COLINS, J.*

____________________________________________

* Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court.

-2- J-S36003-21

MEMORANDUM BY LAZARUS, J.: FILED JANUARY 25, 2022

C.V. (Father) appeals1 from the orders,2 entered in the Court of Common

Pleas of Wayne County, finding aggravated circumstances, changing the

permanency goal to adoption, and involuntarily terminating his parental rights

to his twin children, K.V. and K.V. (born August 2014) (collectively, Children).

After careful review, we affirm.

On February 2, 2021, officers stopped a vehicle Mother3 was driving and

in which Father and Children were passengers. At the time of the stop, Father

was under the influence. Both Mother and Father admitted that they were

habitual drug users addicted to methamphetamine and cocaine. Children were

not wearing seatbelts. Following a search of the vehicle, law enforcement

found Father in possession of marijuana and a crack pipe. On February 4,

2020, the police observed more drug paraphernalia during a search of Father’s

1 On September 7, 2021, our Court sua sponte consolidated Father’s appeals at Nos. 1201-1202 EDA 2021 and Nos. 1372-1373 EDA 2021. See Pa.R.A.P. 513.

2 Father filed separate notices of appeal from each order in each docketed case. Thus, the concerns raised in Commonwealth v. Walker, 185 A.3d 960, 976 (Pa. 2018), are not implicated in this appeal. See id. at 976-77 (establishing “bright-line mandatory instruction to practitioners to file separate notices of appeal”).

3Children’s Mother’s parental rights were also involuntarily terminated. She has filed a separate appeal to this Court at Nos. 1369 EDA 2021 and 1370 EDA 2021.

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home.4 At that time, Children had missed approximately 20 days of school

and, ultimately, had to repeat kindergarten.

On February 4, 2020, the court held a shelter care hearing and entered

an emergency protective order temporarily transferring custody of Children to

Wayne County Children and Youth Services (CYS). Father was represented at

the shelter care hearing by appointed counsel. The court ordered supervised

visitation between Father and Children no less than twice per month 5 and

established the following permanency plan and objectives for Father: receive

parenting education classes; obtain drug and alcohol evaluations; and “follow

any and all recommendations, [including] sign[ing] releases for [CYS].”

Permanency Plan Order, 2/11/20; Id. at 2/19/20. Concurrent goals of

reunification and adoption were established.

On February 7, 2020, Father tested positive for methamphetamine,

amphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana. Father also tested positive for

methamphetamine, amphetamine, and marijuana on February 11, 2020.

Children were adjudicated dependent on February 20, 2020, and placed

into a “resource home” in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. During Children’s

placement, Father completed inpatient treatment, but did not follow up with

4During their initial search of Parents’ residence, police suspected a potential methamphetamine lab had been erected and was operational within the home. However, upon further investigation, it was determined not to be one.

5The visitation plan specifically stated that “Parents are responsible for their own transportation” to and from visits. Visitation Plan, 2/19/20, at 12.

-4- J-S36003-21

any recommendations. Father admitted to relapsing and using drugs again,

struggling with mental health issues, including diagnoses of depression and

anxiety. Father attended between 14%-18%6 of his scheduled visits with

Children; the visits were held in-person, virtually, and over the phone.

With regard to his progress and compliance with service plan objectives,

CYS deemed Father to have “minimally” complied/progressed at the June

2020 and June 2021 hearings, and “no[t to have]” complied at the September

2020, December 2020, and March 2021 permanency hearings. N.T. Goal

Change/Termination Hearing, 6/7/21, at 16-17. CYS caseworker Sarah Hoger

testified that she or another caseworker would tell Parents what the

concurrent goal was throughout the process, what the expectations were for

each Parent with regard to their individual service plans, and would also leave

voicemails and send emails to Father telling him to call CYS to set up visits.

Id. at 39.

Father was incarcerated from April 5, 2021; he was still incarcerated at

the time of the parties’ goal change/termination hearing on June 7, 2021.

While in jail, Father completed a childcare program and attended all of his PA

Treatment and Healing (PATH) appointments. Id. at 32. Father wrote letters

to Children while incarcerated and also saw a prison psychiatrist who stabilized

6 At the aggravated circumstances hearing, CYS caseworker Hoger testified that Father attended 16 out of 112 scheduled visits. N.T. Aggravated Circumstances Hearing, 5/6/21, at 5. However, at the goal change/termination hearing, Hoger testified that Father attended 18 out of 98 visits. N.T. Goal Change/Termination Hearing, 6/7/21, at 13.

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his medications to treat his depression and anxiety. Id. Moreover, a CYS

caseworker went to the prison directly to see Father to set up visits with

Children. N.T. Aggravated Circumstances Hearing, 5/6/21, at 14-15, 18.

A CYS caseworker testified that Father had trouble attending in-person

visits due to lack of transportation so the agency made accommodations by

providing him transportation to visits and also offering him telephonic and

virtual visits. Id. at 39-40. That same caseworker testified that, since his

incarceration, Father set up visits with Children, and during those visits

Children seem “happy to see their father.” Id. at 33. However, the

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Related

In Re B.,N.M.
856 A.2d 847 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2004)
In the Matter of: L.Z., Appeal of: L.Z.
111 A.3d 1164 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2015)
In Re: A.R., a minor, Appeal of: M.R.
125 A.3d 420 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2015)
In the Interest of: L v. a Minor
127 A.3d 831 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2015)
In re C.M.S.
832 A.2d 457 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2003)
State v. Kosch
185 A.3d 959 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 2018)

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