Mother enters no-contest plea; court accepts case-services plan and sets three-month review

Lenawee County Probate & Juvenile Court — A respondent in a child-welfare petition, identified in court records as Jessica Adney (file no. 24-177NA), entered a no-contest plea during a pretrial hearing and the court accepted a signed case-services plan and concluded initial disposition.

The judge explained that a no-contest plea means Adney would waive trial rights and that the court would “consider the facts in the petition as accurate,” then asked whether she wished to enter the plea; Adney answered, “No contest.” The court found the plea “knowingly, voluntarily and understandably made.”

The court admitted a signed case-services plan into evidence and ordered it to become part of the initial-disposition order. The judge said the child would remain in placement in the short term and that the permanency goal for the child and respondent parent is reunification.

Guardian ad litem Nicole Underwood told the court the child needs both mental- and physical-health services and recommended services that would address those needs, and that she wanted to see the parent secure stable employment and housing. Underwood said the child had previously been under jurisdiction in a related case involving the child’s father and that services already in place in Jackson County should continue to be coordinated with Lenawee County workers.

Jackson County caseworker Jessica Anderson, sworn by the court, said Adney is working with Lifeways for mental-health supports and is on a waitlist for therapy with Erwin Counseling. Anderson told the court Adney had submitted emergency-relief (SER) applications, was attempting to verify DoorDash income, and had applied for day-care assistance to enable therapeutic or one-on-one parenting time.

Defense attorney William Amadeo said Adney would plead no contest and noted a pending criminal case in Jackson County as a reason she preferred that plea; Amadeo also told the court Adney was roughly $1,600 behind on her electric bill and was trying to get car seats for her three children.

The foster-care worker assigned to the case, Meghan Latour, said reunification is the current permanency goal, that she met with Adney to review the case-services plan, and that weekly parenting time of 1½ hours is in place. Latour said there were no current safety concerns in parenting-time visits but noted the parent’s prior head trauma can cause memory lapses; workers have provided a calendar and reminders to support attendance.

All parties waived further time and agreed to proceed with the initial disposition at the same hearing. The court accepted the waiver, admitted the case-services plan, and set the first review hearing for Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 10 a.m. The judge said quarterly reviews will assess whether risk of harm has decreased and whether reunification is appropriate.

No motion vote or court order text beyond the admitted case-services plan and the scheduling details was read into the record at the hearing.