Judge keeps Davis children in relative placement, orders reports and sets April review

The Lenawee County Probate & Juvenile Court accepted a case service plan for parents Zachary Davis and Brianna Davis and left their three children in a relative placement while services continue, the judge said at an initial disposition hearing Jan. 1.

The court received a revised court report and attachments, accepted inquiries and certified-mail receipts related to Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) notifications, and set a review hearing for 10:30 a.m. on Monday, April 21. The judge also ordered a formal home assessment for Tyler Anderson, a separate parent referenced in the session, and directed parties to circulate the resulting report to the court.

The caseworker and service providers reported that the three children are adjusting well in the relative placement and that therapeutic and supportive services are underway. Sasha Thomas, counsel for the department, moved to admit the updated court report and attachments; the court received the report over no objection and explicitly disregarded earlier documents submitted Dec. 30, 2024, in favor of the newer packet.

The department's foster-care worker, Kristen Smith, told the court that both parents are engaged in multiple services: marriage counseling and medication management through ACPC, individual therapy for Zachary Davis, anger-management and domestic-violence counseling through Sally Welch at Recovery Road, and supportive visitation referrals. Smith said the oldest two children have begun seeing child therapist Pam Millenbach and that a psychological evaluation for Brianna Davis is in the file. A psychological evaluation for Zachary Davis was accepted and a date for the appointment had been requested but not yet received.

Parenting-time arrangements remained separate for each parent and guided by the parenting-time evaluation and provider reports. Smith reported that Brianna Davis visits several times weekly at the relative placement (Tuesdays 4:00'0:00; Thursdays and Fridays 4:30'0:00; Sundays noon'0:00) with some visits supervised or supported; Zachary Davis's visits remain limited to one supervised hour per week per the parenting-time evaluation. Smith said expansion of father's time would be guided by observations and recommendations from Pam Millenbach and other service providers. Defense counsel and the guardian ad litem requested flexibility to revisit the schedule as providers report progress.

The court and participants emphasized three continuing barriers to reunification: domestic-violence dynamics between the parents, ongoing alcohol use by Zachary Davis (including that he wears a 24/7 ankle alcohol monitor), and the need for parenting skills. The judge said the comments made by Mr. Davis during visits were ‘‘indicative of the control and abuse dynamics that he needs to work on’’ and said both parents need to develop skills and perspective to provide a safe, stable home.

The court directed the department to submit evidence of ICWA inquiries and certified-mail receipts; Smith reported inquiries were sent to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (North Carolina), the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Minneapolis, a tribe in Oklahoma (Uniketoa Band), and the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, and the court received those inquiry materials into the record. The court also asked for a trauma assessment referral for the children; the department reported it had not yet made that referral but would do so.

On a related matter, the judge ordered a formal home assessment for Tyler Anderson to be performed and circulated after noting prior orders to produce such a study had not been satisfied. Smith said she had visited Anderson's residence and found conditions that included an infestation concern and other safety questions; the department indicated it could assist with extermination and provided a dumpster service and asked Anderson to obtain three quotes for remediation. The judge reiterated the home-assessment order and asked for the formal study to be submitted at the next review hearing.

The court found reasonable efforts toward reunification are being made and left the reunification goal in place while emphasizing that additional parenting time or joint parenting time should be supported by written recommendations from service providers. The next review hearing was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Monday, April 21.

Votes/Orders and official actions taken at the hearing are listed in the article's action section.