Opinion ID: 1795717
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Charles Oathout's witnesses:

Text: ¶ 16. Max Walker, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and expert witness for Charles Oathout, testified that he conducted a home study of Charles's home and found nothing that would cause any problems for the children, and stated that Charles and the two boys interact normally. He testified that Charles was depressed by the situation, but that his personality was not such that he would abuse the boys. He also testified that Charles had brought the younger boy in to see him for depression. He testified that he was concerned that Helen had programmed the boys to call their father Charles, rather than father or daddy, and that continued custody with Barnett could be potentially damaging to the boys. He conceded on cross-examination that he knew that a third child had been removed from the Oathout home, [3] that in early 1997 Charles had been found smoking marijuana in front of the older boy who was at the time a little over two years old, and that DHS had required Charles to go to drug counseling. He stated that he had not talked with Helen, but he had requested Helen to come to his office, which she did not do. He asserted his opinion that custody should be restored to Charles because people can change. ¶ 17. Ray Flanagan, a minister, stated that he had known Charles since Charles was five or six years old, when Charles came to his church when he was the youth director. He stated that Charles had stayed away from church a long time, but had been bringing the boys to church for a couple of years prior to DHS taking custody of them. He agreed to allow Charles's supervised visitation to occur in his home. He said the boys were always glad to see Charles, did not seem to be afraid of Charles, and were typical young boys. ¶ 18. Karlene Oathout, Charles's new wife, testified that she had been a nurse for 11 years, and knew how to administer the boys' medications and breathing treatments. She brought two children into the marriage, and she and Charles have had one child together. She has a close-knit family that lives close by. She had not worked since her last child was born, but planned to go back. She testified that she gets along well with the boys as do her children. She said that Charles had straightened up his life since they met and that they now attend church regularly. She has epilepsy which is controlled by medication. ¶ 19. Brenda, Oathout's first wife and the mother of the boys, testified that Charles is a good father and the boys would be safe with him. She stated that Charles allowed her to visit the boys and talk to them on the phone when they were with him. She stated that Helen has also allowed her to visit with the boys, but Helen told her that if she spoke for Charles at the trial, Helen would no longer allow it. ¶ 20. Carolyn Oathout, Charles's mother, testified that Helen was at one time a friend of hers and that she allowed Helen to babysit the boys during the week, while she was away on her job driving a truck. She had custody of the boys for a while, then shared custody with Helen. She and Helen eventually had problems, after which Helen would not allow Carolyn to visit the boys. She said she did not intend Helen to get custody of the children. She acknowledged that Charles has had problems, but stated that she would not help him get custody of the boys if she thought he would hurt them. She also stated that Charles and Karlene together are able to administer the boys' medical treatments. ¶ 21. Polly Martin, Karlene's sister, testified that Charles is a good father and that Karlene and the two boys get along well.