Highland County Juvenile Court judge places child in custody of HCCS for up to 1 year
Highland County Juvenile Court Judge Kevin Greer placed a child in the custody of the Highland County Children Services Agency for up to one year Friday, April 12, after the child’s mother admitted to a dependency charge.
The child was previously placed in the temporary custody of the agency due to an allegation of sexual assault, according to the complaint filed Feb. 21, and testimony heard in court Feb. 22 from caseworker Hannah Workman.
According to Workman, the HCCS agency received a referral from an area hospital Feb. 20 about the case. The child disclosed allegations of physical and sexual abuse to the mother. Workman said the mother allegedly waited several days to seek medical attention because she felt “she needed to make sure the child was telling the truth.”
After Children Services began investigating, Workman said that the mother “refused to cooperate,” allegedly giving the agency different addresses, including in at least four different cities. Workman said that welfare checks were performed by law enforcement at some locations, while caseworkers also drove to other locations and were unable to find the mother or child to talk to them in person.
In response, during the Feb. 22 hearing, Greer gave repeated warnings to the mother, including — on four different occasions — telling the mother that if the court cannot notify her of subsequent hearings, they will “have a hearing without” her.
At the April 12 hearing, the state was represented by Highland County Assistant Prosecutor James Roeder; the mother was represented by Danielle Whitt; and Denny Kirk served as guardian ad litem. Roeder explained the proposed agreement for the agency to retain custody up to Feb. 21, 2025, which also includes visitation between the mother and child being “at the discretion of the agency” with an order of no contact between the child and alleged perpetrator.” He said that a case plan has been filed for the mother.
Whitt advised that she had reviewed the complaint with the mother, and Kirk said he agreed that keeping the child in the agency’s custody was in the best interest of the child.
After hearing her rights explained by Greer, the mother said she would admit to the complaint allegations. When asked by the judge if she wanted him to place the child with the agency or take time to think it over — with Greer also explaining that he can revisit the matter at any time at her request — the mother said, “I’d just approve it.”
Greer reviewed the proposed agreement, then again made several warnings to the mother, beginning with reminding her of the importance of “letting us know where you are” so she can receive notices from the court.
The judge then said it “should go without saying,” but he felt the need to warn the mother about associating with the alleged perpetrator in this case.
“A lot of these Children Services cases involve folks — in this case, I guess it’s a boyfriend — and you’re in a position of choosing him or [the child],” Greer said. “As long as he’s still in the picture, I’m going to have a hard time, and am not likely, to agree the child goes back to your house, to you.
“You’ve got a choice — your child or him. I hope you make the right one.”
Greer repeated the same warning before adjourning the hearing. “You’re either going to choose [the child] or your boyfriend,” he said. “It’s that simple to me.”
Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.