Court continues placement for Amber Hightower, orders services; aggravated circumstances filed against father

At an initial permanency hearing in the High Plains Child Protection Court, the judge continued the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) as temporary managing conservator for Amber Hightower, ordered the mother’s service plan as a court order, and left the child in the current foster placement while the department pursues reunification efforts.

DFPS caseworker Mickey Lane reported that Amber is placed with her sister in a foster home, is participating in services for developmental delay, and that the father is incarcerated on charges that include sexually related offenses and a motion to revoke on registration obligations. DFPS advised that the mother has begun or completed several services: parenting classes, psychosexual and psychosocial assessments and that payment scheduling was pending for a court-ordered psychological evaluation.

The court sustained an objection to a speculative remark during testimony and clarified that, because aggravated-circumstances allegations have been filed against the father, a family plan was not filed for him. The judge warned the mother about the consequences of failing to complete court-ordered services and encouraged her to use the time while the child is not in her care to focus on completing required programs. The judge also instructed DFPS not to change the child’s placement unless there is an agreement or a court order and set the next court date for a final hearing in late June 2025.