Image

5:37 AM / Monday November 11, 2024

1 Dec 2013

Ohioans accused of abandoning boy plead not guilty

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
December 1, 2013 Category: Week In Review Posted by:

ABOVE PHOTO: Cleveland and Lisa Cox, along with their attorney, turn themselves in to the Butler County Jail, in Hamilton, Ohio, Friday, Nov. 15, 2013. Authorities say the couple returned their 9-year-old adopted son to the county after raising him since infancy. Both been charged with abandoning the child.

(AP Photo/The Dayton Daily News, Ty Greenlees)

 

By Lisa Cornwell

associated press

 

HAMILTON, Ohio — A southwest Ohio couple accused of abandoning the adopted 9-year-old son they raised from infancy by giving him to child welfare officials pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

 

Cleveland Cox, 49, and Lisa Cox, 52, are charged with nonsupport of dependents. Authorities allege the Middletown couple left boy with children’s services after saying he was displaying aggressive behavior and earlier threatened the family with a knife. Trial is scheduled for Feb. 10.

 

A defense attorney and prosecutor declined to comment after the hearing. The couple was scheduled to be in juvenile court later Wednesday for a pretrial hearing regarding custody of the child.

 

Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser has said there are legal consequences to what he called “reckless” abandonment.

 

Adolfo Olivas, an attorney appointed by the court to protect the boy’s interests, has said the emotionally hurt and confused child is now receiving help that the parents should have gotten for him.

 

The executive director of the Washington-based Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Kathleen Strottman, said she is concerned about the boy’s wellbeing but also worries the threat of criminal prosecution could discourage adoptive parents from seeking help.

 

“I’m hoping that ultimately there was a good cause for this prosecution,” she said. “What everyone wants is a child protection system that first and always stays focused on the needs of the child.”

 

National adoption advocates say failed adoptions or dissolutions are rare in cases where the child was raised from infancy, and such discord seems to occur more often with youths adopted at an older age.

 

There seems to be less trauma in children placed with adoptive parents as infants, but emotional and behavioral issues can surface long after adoption, Strottman said.

 

People within the adoption community say they worry about emotional trauma to the boy. They say giving up a child after so much time is rare and undermines the stability and commitment that adopted children need.

 

As an adoptee, “you need reassurance that you are not alone,” said Sixto Cancel, a junior at Virginia Commonwealth University who said he said he experienced abuse and never found a good fit in foster homes. Cancel now advocates for adopted and fostered children.

 

Greg and Robin Smith, of New Richmond, southeast of Cincinnati, last week adopted four siblings — ages 5 to 12 — who they cared for as foster children for several years.

 

Robin Smith acknowledged some anger and other issues among the children stemming from earlier experiences.

 

“But you just can’t give up on children, not matter how hard the situation is,” she said.

 

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Leave a Comment

Recent News

Color Of Money

Three things to know about learning AI for career advancement

October 29, 2024

Share Tweet Email BPT Artificial intelligence (AI) undeniably continues to shape the workplace. Companies across the globe...

SUNrise

Two historic Philadelphia churches offer lessons for an America divided today and in its infancy

November 3, 2024

Share Tweet Email Sunlight shines through the colorful stained-glass windows at Philadelphia’s Mother Bethel AME on Sunday,...

Travel

From Midwest eats to funky festivals, these are the places to visit in Rapid City this fall

November 10, 2024

Share Tweet Email BPT Fall is the perfect season for a getaway, and Rapid City, South Dakota,...

Seniors

‘I was constantly stressed out’: My fight with excess cortisol

November 10, 2024

Share Tweet Email BPT For Janice, health and fitness were always priorities. Growing up in Jamaica, she’d...

Health

Medicare open enrollment open through Dec. 7

October 21, 2024

Share Tweet Email Family Features If you’re enrolled in Medicare, it’s important to remember Medicare Open Enrollment...

Commentary

Teaching the Padawans

November 10, 2024

Share Tweet Email Former Congressman Bob Brady has been running the Democratic City Committee for slightly longer...

The Philadelphia Sunday Sun Staff