[Cite as In the matter of J. B., 2012-Ohio-575.]

COURT OF APPEALS 

MUSKINGUM COUNTY, OHIO 

FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT 

IN THE MATTER OF: : JUDGES: 

 : Hon. Patricia A. Delaney, P.J. 

J. B. : Hon. Sheila G. Farmer, J. 

 : Hon. Julie A. Edwards, J. 

 : 

 : Case No. CT2011-0041 

 : 

 : O P I N I O N

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Appeal from the Court of Common 

 Pleas, Juvenile Division, Case No. 

 20930059 

JUDGMENT: Affirmed 

 

DATE OF JUDGMENT: February 13, 2012 

APPEARANCES: 

For Appellant For Appellee 

BRIAN W. BENBOW MOLLY MARTIN 

605 Market Street 22 North Fifth Street 

Zanesville, OH 43701 Zanesville, OH 43701 

 Guardian ad Litem 

RUTHELLEN QUILLEN WEAVER 

 542 South Drexel Avenue 

 Columbus, OH 43209 
Muskingum County, Case No. CT2011-0041 2 

Farmer, J. 

{¶1} On October 20, 2009, J. B. born May 19, 2009, was adjudicated a 

dependent child. Mother of the child is Anja Brofford; father is appellant, James 

Maston. The child's maternal grandmother is Deborah Brofford. On June 14, 2010, 

appellee, the Muskingum County Children's Services Board filed a complaint for the 

permanent custody of the child. An amended complaint was filed on November 17, 

2010. 

{¶2} A hearing before a magistrate was held on May 4, 2011. By decision filed 

May 17, 2011, the magistrate recommended terminating parental rights and granting 

permanent custody to appellee. 

{¶3} All parties filed objections. By judgment entry filed August 9, 2011, the 

trial court denied the objections and approved and adopted the magistrate's decision. 

{¶4} Counsel for appellant has filed a motion to withdraw and a brief pursuant 

to Anders v. California (1967), 386 U.S. 738, rehearing denied (1967), 388 U.S. 

924, indicating that the within appeal is wholly frivolous and setting forth one proposed 

assignment of error. Appellant did not file a pro se brief alleging any additional 

assignments of error. 

{¶5} Counsel raises the following proposed assignment of error: 

I 

{¶6} "THE TRIAL COURT'S JUDGMENT THAT THE MINOR CHILDREN'S 

BEST INTEREST WOULD BE SERVED BY GRANTING OF PERMANENT CUSTODY 

TO MUSKINGUM COUNTY CHILDREN'S SERVICES WAS AGAINST THE MANIFEST 

WEIGHT AND SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE." 
Muskingum County, Case No. CT2011-0041 3 

{¶7} The Anders court established five criteria which must be met before a 

motion to withdraw by appellate counsel may be granted. The five criteria are: (1) a 

showing that appellant's counsel thoroughly reviewed the transcript and record in the 

case before determining the appeal to be frivolous; (2) a showing that a motion to 

withdraw by appellant's counsel was filed; (3) the existence of a brief by appellant's 

counsel raising any potential assignments of error that can be argued on appeal; (4) a 

showing that appellant's counsel provided a copy of the brief which was filed to the 

appellant; and (5) a showing that appellant's counsel provided appellant adequate 

opportunity to file a pro se brief raising any additional assignments of error appellant 

believes the court should address. Anders at 744. The Anders court further explained 

the following at 744: 

{¶8} "[T]he court-not counsel-then proceeds, after a full examination of all the 

proceedings, to decide whether the case is wholly frivolous. If it so finds it may grant 

counsel's request to withdraw and dismiss the appeal insofar as federal requirements 

are concerned, or proceed to a decision on the merits, if state law so requires. On the 

other hand, if it finds any of the legal points arguable on their merits (and therefore not 

frivolous) it must, prior to decision, afford the indigent the assistance of counsel to argue 

the appeal." 

{¶9} According to an amended proof of service filed January 11, 2012, 

Attorney Benbow complied with the procedures set forth in Anders. To date, his client 

has not filed a pro se brief.
Muskingum County, Case No. CT2011-0041 4 

{¶10} We note in In the Matter of Diamond S., Guernsey App. No. 03-CA-24, 

2004-Ohio-611, this court extended the principles of Anders to cases involving the 

termination of parental rights. 

{¶11} We will now address the merits of appellant's proposed assignment of 

error. 

I 

{¶12} Appellant argues the trial court's decision on best interests is against the 

manifest weight and sufficiency of the evidence. Specifically, appellant claims legal 

custody of the child should have been granted to the maternal grandmother, Deborah 

Brofford, in lieu of permanent custody to appellee. We disagree. 

{¶13} A judgment supported by some competent, credible evidence will not be 

reversed by a reviewing court as against the manifest weight of the evidence. C.E. 

Morris Co. v. Foley Construction Co. (1978), 54 Ohio St.2d 279. A reviewing court must 

not substitute its judgment for that of the trial court where there exists some competent 

and credible evidence supporting the judgment rendered by the trial court. Myers v. 

Garson, 66 Ohio St.3d 610, 1993-Ohio-9. 

{¶14} Furthermore, it is well-established " '[t]he discretion which the juvenile 

court enjoys in determining whether an order of permanent custody is in the best 

interest of a child should be accorded the utmost respect, given the nature of the 

proceeding and the impact the court's determination will have on the lives of the parties 

concerned.' " In re Mauzy Children (November 13, 2000), Stark App. No. 

2000CA00244, quoting In re Awkal (1994), 95 Ohio App.3d 309, 316.
Muskingum County, Case No. CT2011-0041 5 

{¶15} R.C. 2151.414(B)(1) enables a trial court to grant permanent custody if the 

court determines by clear and convincing evidence that it is in the best interest of the 

child. "Clear and convincing evidence" is "that measure or degree of proof which is 

more than a mere 'preponderance of the evidence,' but not to the extent of such 

certainty as is required 'beyond a reasonable doubt' in criminal cases, and which will 

produce in the mind of the trier of facts a firm belief or conviction as to the facts sought 

to be established." Cross v. Ledford (1954), 161 Ohio St. 469, paragraph three of the 

syllabus. Said statute states the following: 

{¶16} "Except as provided in division (B)(2) of this section, the court may 

grant permanent custody of a child to a movant if the court determines at the hearing 

held pursuant to division (A) of this section, by clear and convincing evidence, that it is 

in the best interest of the child to grant permanent custody of the child to the agency 

that filed the motion for permanent custody and that any of the following apply: 

{¶17} "(a) The child is not abandoned or orphaned, has not been in the 

temporary custody of one or more public children services agencies or private child 

placing agencies for twelve or more months of a consecutive twenty-two-month 

period,***and the child cannot be placed with either of the child's parents within a 

reasonable time or should not be placed with the child's parents. 

{¶18} "(b) The child is abandoned. 

{¶19} "(c) The child is orphaned, and there are no relatives of the child who are 

able to take permanent custody. 
Muskingum County, Case No. CT2011-0041 6 

{¶20} "(d) The child has been in the temporary custody of one or more public 

children services agencies or private child placing agencies for twelve or more months 

of a consecutive twenty-two-month period***." 

{¶21} R.C. 2151.414(D)(1) sets out the factors relevant to determining the best 

interests of the child. Said section states relevant factors include, but are not limited to, 

the following: 

{¶22} "(a) The interaction and interrelationship of the child with the child's 

parents, siblings, relatives, foster caregivers and out-of-home providers, and any other 

person who may significantly affect the child; 

{¶23} "(b) The wishes of the child, as expressed directly by the child or through 

the child's guardian ad litem, with due regard for the maturity of the child; 

{¶24} "(c) The custodial history of the child, including whether the child has been 

in the temporary custody of one or more public children services agencies or private 

child placing agencies for twelve or more months of a consecutive twenty-two-month 

period***; 

{¶25} "(d) The child's need for a legally secure permanent placement and 

whether that type of placement can be achieved without a grant of permanent custody 

to the agency; 

{¶26} "(e) Whether any of the factors in divisions (E)(7) to (11) of this section 

apply in relation to the parents and child." 

{¶27} In his decision filed May 17, 2011, as approved and adopted by the trial 

court, the magistrate found the following in pertinent part: 
Muskingum County, Case No. CT2011-0041 7 

{¶28} "7) The mother now has stable housing, but that is the only part of her 

case plan that she has completed. The mother attended some mental health and 

substance abuse counseling, including residential treatment; but failed to attend and 

successfully complete follow up counseling as recommended, and was jailed on a 

probation violation and discharged unsuccessfully from counseling during the pendency 

of the case plan. The mother then failed to follow up on an additional intake coordinator 

referral. The mother had failed to visit the child consistently, and has not visited this 

one year old child at all in 2011. 

{¶29} "8) The father attended three separate mental health and substance 

abuse counseling assessments, but failed to attend and successfully complete follow up 

counseling as recommended, or to maintain stable housing or income, or to keep 

Muskingum County Children Services properly informed of his current address during 

the pendency of the case plan. While the father initially had some visits with the child, 

he later began missing visits and has had no visits with this one year old child since 

September 2010. 

{¶30} "10) The child cannot be placed with either parent within a reasonable 

time or should not be placed with either parent. It is in the child's best interest to 

permanently terminate the parental rights of both parents. 

{¶31} "11) The child has been in the temporary custody of Muskingum County 

Children Services for twelve (12) or more months of a twenty-two month period ending 

on the hearing on May 4, 2011. In the twenty-one months that the child has been in the 

foster home, the child has become very attached or bonded with the foster parents, who 
Muskingum County, Case No. CT2011-0041 8 

wish to adopt the child. The child is not significantly bonded or attached to either the 

mother or the father.***. 

{¶32} "12) The Court also received considerable evidence, through a 

Muskingum County Children Services Home Assessment filed March 10, 2010, 

physician deposition transcripts from Dr. Delphia and Dr. Kelso filed April 28, 2011, and 

direct testimony at the May 4, 2011 hearing, as to the suitability or unsuitability of the 

maternal grandmother as a possible custodian for the child. 

{¶33} "The evidence presented raises serious concerns about the maternal 

grandmother's ability to adequately provide proper parental care for this child. The 

maternal grandmother's prior children services involvement while the mother was yet a 

juvenile herself in 2003 was a result of a direct referral by this Court and this Magistrate 

to Muskingum County Children Services due to the maternal grandmother's apparent 

inability to care for the mother when a juvenile herself because of the maternal 

grandmother's serious health issues at the time. 

{¶34} "The maternal grandmother admits to having Hepatitis C and cirrhosis of 

the liver since at least 2001, which does appear to be under control at this time; but she 

has failed to either fully cooperate with Muskingum County Children Services in 

providing her full medical history, or is unable to remember her history.*** 

{¶35} "Despite having over a year to prepare to respond to the concerns raised 

in the Home Assessment filed March 10, 2010, the maternal grandmother failed to 

eliminate or significantly offset those concerns in the May 4, 2011 hearing. 

{¶36} "13) The child's need for a legally secure permanent placement cannot be 

achieved without a grant of permanent custody to Muskingum County Children 
Muskingum County, Case No. CT2011-0041 9 

Services. It is in the child's best interest for Muskingum County Children Services to be 

granted permanent custody." 

{¶37} James Henceroth, a chemical dependency counselor, testified appellant 

"had been assessed. Did not attend and had been unsatisfactorily discharged and then 

he scheduled an update assessment, had been reassessed. Came to one session and 

had been administratively or unsatisfactorily discharged again." T. at 57. Appellant had 

been "diagnosed with cannabis dependency." T. at 67. Appellant essentially "gave up 

on the plan." T. at 71. 

{¶38} Prior to Mr. Henceroth, Kelly Edgell, another chemical dependency 

counselor, was involved with appellant. T. at 88. Mr. Edgell testified appellant did not 

complete the program and was discharged. T. at 89-90, 98. 

{¶39} Kelsey Coe, the ongoing caseworker, testified she has "not received a 

successful completion from either the substance abuse counselor or a mental health 

assessment" for appellant as required in the case plan. T. at 145. He has "never, 

never reported to me that he was able to find income during the life of this case." T. at 

146. Appellant obtained housing in December of 2009 and was evicted in May of 2010. 

T. at 141. He resided with his girlfriend for a time until the girlfriend reported that he 

was no longer living there. T. at 143. His last known address was his parents' address. 

T. at 144. At the time of the hearing on May 4, 2011, appellant had not seen the child 

since the end of September, 2010. T. at 148. 

{¶40} Appellee has had several involvements with maternal grandmother over 

the years, stemming back to when mother was a juvenile to taking care of another of 

mother's children, an older sibling to the child sub judice. T. at 8, 18-20, 23, 37-39, 125-
Muskingum County, Case No. CT2011-0041 10 

128. Ms. Coe testified to being concerned about maternal grandmother's "incurable 

medical condition which at times has prevented her from, from parenting." T. at 159. 

Her physician, Robert Kirkpatrick, M.D., testified maternal grandmother has cirrhosis of 

the liver due to hepatitis C, and her medical condition is currently stable. T. at 202, 207. 

Maternal grandmother testified in addition to hepatitis C and cirrhosis of the liver, she 

suffers from sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and migraine headaches, and takes 

Zoloft for anxiety. T. at 291-292, 303. She is fifty-five years old. T. at 320. She feels 

she can take care of the child and protect the child from mother should she show up at 

the door. T. at 289, 318, 360. A home study for maternal grandmother was completed 

and denied. T. at 387, 390-391. 

{¶41} The guardian ad litem, Ruthellen Weaver, filed a report on April 28, 2011 

and opined the best interests of the child would best be served with granting permanent 

custody to appellee. 

{¶42} The child is very bonded to the foster family and is very comfortable there. 

T. at 155. The foster family wishes to adopt the child. T. at 157-158. The child does 

have a bond with the maternal grandmother. T. at 161, 240, 317. The foster family is 

willing to have a relationship with the maternal grandmother for visitation. T. at 380-

381. The child was placed into shelter care for more than twelve months. T. at 158. 

{¶43} We note appellant's counsel, appellate counsel herein, was diligent in 

cross-examination and in making objections. 

{¶44} After independently reviewing the record, we agree with counsel's 

conclusion that no arguably meritorious claims exist upon which to base an appeal. 
Muskingum County, Case No. CT2011-0041 11 

Hence, we find the appeal to be wholly frivolous under Anders, grant counsel's request 

to withdraw, and affirm the trial court's judgment. 

{¶45} The proposed assignment of error is denied. 

{¶46} The judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Muskingum County, Ohio, 

Juvenile Division is hereby affirmed. 

By Farmer, J. 

Delaney, P.J. and 

Edwards, J. concur. 

 

 s/ Sheila G. Farmer_____________ 

 

 s/ Patricia A. Delaney___________ 

 s/ Julie A. Edwards______________ 

 JUDGES 

SGF/sg 103
[Cite as In the matter of J. B., 2012-Ohio-575.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS FOR MUSKINGUM COUNTY, OHIO 

FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT 

IN THE MATTER OF: : 

 : 

J. B. : JUDGMENT ENTRY 

 : 

 : 

 : 

 : CASE NO. CT2011-0041 

For the reasons stated in our accompanying Memorandum-Opinion, the 

judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Muskingum County, Ohio, Juvenile Division 

is affirmed. Costs to appellant. 

 s/ Sheila G. Farmer_____________ 

 

 s/ Patricia A. Delaney___________ 

 s/ Julie A. Edwards______________ 

 JUDGES