LARGO, Fla. – Two recently-released court orders detail why a Pinellas County judge agreed to return custody of Jordan Belliveau Jr. to his birth mother and father, despite their troubled past.
According to documents signed by Judge Kimberly Todd, a special magistrate explained that the conditions that caused Belliveau Jr. to be removed from his home in the first place had been corrected and that it was in the best interest of the child to be placed back with his parents.
A guardian ad-litem, who acts as a child advocate, objected to the decision, saying there was no documentation that the mother was undergoing counseling. However, that objection was overruled. A magistrate wrote in the document that “no evidence was presented to show that the circumstances that caused the out-of-home placement have not been remediated to the extent that the return of the child to the mother’s care with an in-home safety plan…will not be detrimental to the child’s…health.”
The Department of Children and Families examined the child’s home and determined the conditions were safe. A case manager was also helping the family with service referrals, making monthly visits and monitoring case plan compliance.
However, court officials confirmed the judge was unaware of a domestic violence incident where Jordan Belliveau Sr. was accused of punching the child’s mother, Charisse Stinson. This allegedly happened on July 15, just one day before the judge signed off on a change of custody case plan approval.
Read the court documents below.
Change of Custody Case Plan Approval by 10News WTSP on Scribd
Report and recommendations of general magistrate on custody of Jordan Belliveau, Jr. by 10News WTSP on Scribd
Emerald Morrow is a reporter with 10News WTSP. Like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. You can also email her at emorrow@wtsp.com.
