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Judge schedules 90-day review after father jailed; child remains with stepmother, court told
Summary
In a Lenawee County Probate & Juvenile Court review, providers told the judge that 14-year-old Cody “CJ” remains placed with his stepmother after the child’s father was arrested on a domestic-violence-related incident; the court kept reunification as the goal and set a 90-day review for March 17 at 1:30 p.m.
A presiding judge in the Lenawee County Probate & Juvenile Court on the record for a review hearing on the progress of 14-year-old Cody “CJ” ordered a 90-day review for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, after hearing that the child is voluntarily placed with his stepmother while the father remains lodged in Lenawee County Jail on domestic-violence-related charges.
The court heard testimony from Britney Stover, a foster-care worker with the Department of Health and Human Services, who said she had requested the police report from a reported December 12 incident but had not yet received it. “I have requested the police report, but I have yet to receive it,” Stover said, adding that maltreatment-and-care investigators had opened a preliminary inquiry and that the child was placed with his stepmother pending further information.
The department and the child’s in-home therapist, Therese Langan of Parkside Family Counseling, told the court they had seen genuine progress in family therapy prior to the arrest but said some facts about the father’s drinking were not disclosed to service providers earlier. Langan, accepted by the court as an expert in trauma-informed family therapy, urged the court not to abandon reunification efforts: “Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater,” she said, and described plans to continue therapy, strengthen the child’s bond with the stepmother and, if possible, provide therapy to the father in jail.
When asked in open court whether he believed it was in his best interest to remain with his stepmother, the youth, sworn as a witness and identified in the record as Cody or “CJ,” replied, “Yes.” The child also identified one possible church contact, Sally Walsh, as someone who might assist if the stepmother could no longer care for him.
Counsel for the department, Sasha Thomas, recommended maintaining reunification as the permanency goal while monitoring criminal proceedings and the maltreatment investigation; other counsel echoed that the child’s current placement is the least restrictive option and urged that the department continue to provide resources for housing and stability while the father’s case proceeds. The presiding judicial officer concluded the hearing by scheduling a review and confirming that the court would be available for any necessary interim filings or emergency return to court.
The police report remains outstanding and the precise criminal hearing dates mentioned in testimony were not consistent on the record; the department said it would continue coordinating with the MC investigator and update the court as facts become available. The court record reflects ongoing supervision by DHHS under a safety plan and that services such as in-home therapy and school-based social work support were continuing.
