Wolfe, J. v. Sweet, B.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedAugust 23, 2022
Docket97 MDA 2022
StatusUnpublished

This text of Wolfe, J. v. Sweet, B. (Wolfe, J. v. Sweet, B.) 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
Wolfe, J. v. Sweet, B., (Pa. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

J-S18010-22

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

J.W. : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA Appellant : : : v. : : : B.S. : No. 97 MDA 2022

Appeal from the Order Entered December 16, 2021 In the Court of Common Pleas of Lycoming County Civil Division at No(s): 12-21,583

BEFORE: BENDER, P.J.E., McLAUGHLIN, J., and McCAFFERY, J.

MEMORANDUM BY BENDER, P.J.E.: FILED: AUGUST 23, 2022

J.W. (“Father”) appeals from the trial court’s December 16, 2021 order

that, inter alia, awarded B.S. (“Mother”) and Father shared legal custody of

their four children: H.W. (born in March of 2012), A.W. (born in March of

2013), M.W. (born in April of 2015), and J.W. (born in July of 2016)

(collectively “Children”). The order further directed that Father and Mother

shall share physical custody of A.W., M.W., and J.W., on a week-on/week-off

basis, and that Mother shall have sole physical custody of H.W. until such time

as his counselor evaluates his behavioral health and issues a report

recommending a time schedule and steps for restarting Father’s custodial time

with H.W. After careful review, we vacate and remand.

By way of background, Mother and Father were never married and it is

unclear, based on our review of the record, when their romantic relationship

ended. Prior to the trial court’s December 16, 2021 order, Father and Mother J-S18010-22

shared physical custody of M.W. and J.W. on a week-on/week-off basis,

Mother had sole physical custody of H.W., and Father had primary physical

custody of A.W., with A.W.’s spending every other weekend with Mother. N.T.,

12/7/21, at 27. At the time of the custody trial, Father sought primary

physical custody of Children, with Mother’s having custody of them every other

weekend. See id. at 38-39; Father’s Brief at 5.

The custody trial took place on December 7, 2021, where Father was

represented by counsel and Mother proceeded pro se. There, Father called

Britney Spangler, an assessment caseworker with Lycoming County Children

and Youth, to testify. N.T., 12/7/21, at 4. She explained that she had two

involvements with the family in October of 2021. Id. In the first involvement,

Ms. Spangler investigated an allegation of physical abuse against Father with

respect to J.W. Id. at 5. Ms. Spangler said that Father was “very

cooperative[,]” and — after interviewing J.W. in private — Ms. Spangler

determined that the allegation was unfounded. Id.

In her second involvement with the family, Ms. Spangler recounted that

she “was called in for substance abuse concerns for Mother, inappropriate

discipline at Mother’s home[,] and inadequate nurturing and affection and that

allegation was involving Mother’s boyfriend, [T.K.]” Id. Ms. Spangler recalled

that: [I]t was difficult to get in contact with Mother, I was not able to contact her by phone multiple times. When I did arrive at her home on November 4th, [2021,] I explained who I was and I explained the allegations. She demanded that I tell her what date

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[they occurred,] and I told her [that] I was not able to disclose that due to confidentiality reasons.

Mother then stepped out on[to] the porch and got in my face and became very hostile. She had requested that I contact police to assist me so I told her not to leave and I would do so. I did walk away from the home just for my own safety and the safety of my coworker that was with me.

We contacted Williamsport Police. … [T]hey arrived like 20 minutes later and we returned to the home[,] and Mother had left the house with the children and I wasn’t able to gain access.

And then on the 10th of November [of 2021,] I contacted Father and explained … [that] I was over my deadline and I really needed to see the kids even though he wasn’t listed as a party and only as a parent[,] but Father was very welcoming, told me, absolutely, come up and see all the kids. I went up but my victim child was [H.W.,] and he was not at Father’s house. But when I observed the kids, the other children at Father’s house, the home was clean, was appropriate, and Father had, like, a two[-]hour notice that I was coming but the home was clean, it was appropriate, he was very welcoming, very inviting into the home.

After I left Father’s home[,] I then went and contacted a male caseworker from our Crisis Unit and he assisted me at Mother’s home. It took a lot of convincing for Mother to allow both me and my coworker … into the home. Once we did gain access, [Mother’s boyfriend, T.K.,] was on the phone and he was screaming that I don’t have the right to interview [H.W.] one-on-one. I was explaining that that’s my role and my job is just to make sure that the kids are safe.

So[,] eventually[,] I was able to speak to [H.W.] upstairs alone in the bedroom. And in the bedroom, they are all sleeping in the one master bedroom. There are two toddler beds and a mattress that [J.W.] – let me say it this way, everyone but [A.W.] sleeps in there including Mother and Mother’s paramour. There was also alcohol found around the bed[’s] side. There was some clutter in the home as well. [A.W.] sleeps in a separate bedroom[,] which [H.W.] was able to show me[,] which was deemed appropriate.

I asked Mother if she needed any assistance with cleaning out the other bedroom, getting beds for the kids, getting anything like that, and she told me, no, she didn’t need anything from [Children and Youth Services (“CYS”)]. And I told her this can’t be a

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permanent thing, it has to be a temporary setting, the sleeping conditions, but … it wasn’t unsafe, just borderline marginally appropriate. So I did make that allegation valid.

[H.W.] does have some behavioral problems [and] … he’s been recommended for a psychological [evaluation,] which Mother had not followed through with…. [H.W.] … reports to me that he does have a lot of anger and sometimes he just doesn’t know how to express himself. … [T]hroughout CYS involvement, Mother has always been provided with the knowledge and resources to help [H.W.] with his behaviors and Mother has not followed through on any of them.

Id. at 6-8. When asked if she thinks H.W. suffers because of Mother’s failure

to secure psychological assistance for him, Ms. Spangler responded: I do. [H.W.] portrays his Father as this person who drinks and, you know, beats him. And I said, [H.W.], that’s not what’s happening … with your other siblings and things like that. So he seems to have this different perception and I’m not sure that he came to that conclusion on his own.

So some assistance and some individualized services for [H.W.,] I think would be extremely beneficial for his well[-]being.

Id. at 8-9. Further, when asked if she has any concerns for Children if they

are with Father, Ms. Spangler answered no. Id. at 9. However, when asked

the same question with respect to Mother, Ms. Spangler indicated that she is

concerned with “the lack of services and the lack of follow[-]through with

Mother, her hostility with service providers that are just there to help…. And

obviously, the sleeping arrangement would be a concern, again, not unsafe

but marginally appropriate.” Id.

Paternal grandmother, D.P.C. (“Paternal Grandmother”), testified next.

Aside from Children, she stated that Father resides with her, along with

Father’s fiancé, A.E., and their child, N.W. Id. at 11, 13. When Children are

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in Father’s care, Paternal Grandmother says that she helps Father care for

them. Id. at 11-12. She described that “Father and [A.E.] both do homework

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Wolfe, J. v. Sweet, B., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wolfe-j-v-sweet-b-pasuperct-2022.