Judge orders therapeutic-only parenting time, trauma assessments and 90-day review in Lenawee County juvenile case

Presiding Judge (name not provided) on the record in Lenawee County Probate & Juvenile Court ordered that any parenting time between Mr. Hurd and his two children occur only in a therapeutic setting and only at the discretion of therapist Renee Moore. The judge also ordered trauma assessments for both children and set a 90-day review to reassess reunification progress.

The order followed testimony from Amanda Jones, a department caseworker, who said the children remain placed with the nonrespondent mother, Felicia Hurd, and that a referral to Renee Moore for therapeutic parenting visits had only been made the prior week because of an earlier no-contact order. Jones testified, "It was only made recently because of the no contact order," and that Moore had contacted the family to schedule the first appointment.

Guardian ad litem Nicole Underwood urged the court to impose structured parameters for parenting time until a therapeutic recommendation could be made, telling the court, "I do not believe it's in the best interest of the children to just have parenting time whenever, mom's not at work or grandparents aren't at work and dad's available." Underwood said she had observed the children virtually and emphasized that apparent normal behavior did not rule out trauma, noting there had been "no trauma assessment conducted" and "no counseling for the minor child."

Counsel for the father, Michael McFarland, argued his client was complying with probation and case plan requirements and that the record contained no signs of trauma. McFarland said, "It doesn't appear to be any signs of trauma," and urged continuity of the parenting time already in place while allowing adjustments if trauma later emerges.

After hearing the parties, the judge said the court had the same concerns as the guardian ad litem about lack of timely referrals and services and emphasized the need for safety. The judge ordered that Mr. Hurd "is not to have any parenting time until he is engaged in offender-specific treatment" and that "there will be no parenting time outside of the therapeutic setting for these two children until, and unless, Renee Moore authorizes an increase in that." The judge also ordered a trauma assessment for both children and said the children would remain placed with Felicia Hurd while the family followed the court's conditions.

The hearing record shows the no-contact order was lifted in mid-December, after which supervised visits occurred at the mother’s or grandparents’ homes but without a formal schedule; Amanda Jones acknowledged the department could add stricter parameters while therapeutic services are arranged. The judge set a 90-day review and directed the department to implement the safety-oriented steps outlined in court.

Next steps: the court will issue a written order reflecting these rulings and will reconvene for a review set for March 31 at 1:30 p.m. (year not specified in the transcript). The trauma assessment results and confirmation that Mr. Hurd has begun offender-specific treatment will be central to any change in parenting-time restrictions.