Judge dismisses DFPS, names mother sole conservator and orders supervised step-up visitation for father

A judge in the High Plains Child Protection Court dismissed the Department of Family and Protective Services from the case of Ezra Martinez and returned primary custody to the child’s mother, Adrianna Medina, while placing limits on the father’s visitation pending drug testing and potential treatment.

The judge named Medina sole managing conservator and named Nicholas Martinez a possessory conservator. The court said existing child support and medical support orders will return to effect. The judge outlined a step-up visitation plan: supervised visits by the mother (or someone she designates) on the Saturdays following the first and third Fridays of each month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (or at mutually agreed times); drug testing at the father’s expense; a 120-day drug-free period before a 90-day unsupervised trial; and a final roll into a standard possession order if no positive tests occur. The judge also said that if Martinez completes in-custody drug treatment, Medina may choose to allow him to skip steps and go directly to standard possession.

Why it matters: The order balances the court’s intent to return Ezra to his mother’s care with the child-protection concerns tied to Martinez’s long history of drug-related arrests and a recent positive hair-follicle test. Caseworkers and the child’s attorney…