NORWALK, Ohio - A Huron County couple who kept some of their 11 adopted special-needs children in wood-and-wire cages learned yesterday that the youngsters won't be coming home for Christmas - or possibly ever.
Huron County Juvenile Court Judge Timothy Cardwell ruled that Michael and Sharen Gravelle abused eight of the children by keeping them confined for sleeping and as punishment. The judge also found that all 11 children were dependent, meaning that conditions in the home put them at risk of being abused or neglected.
The ruling means the youngsters, ages 1 to 15, will remain in foster care pending a dispositional hearing that is expected to be held next month in Judge Cardwell's court.
The Gravelles, who have not been charged with any crimes, have said they built the cages to keep the children from hurting themselves and one another.
"We are very disappointed by the ruling," the couple said in a statement read in front of the Huron County Courthouse by their attorney, Kenneth Myers. "We love our children very much and we will continue to do everything possible to get them home."
As part of his eight-page decision, the judge dismissed allegations by county officials that the Gravelles neglected the children, saying there was no evidence the youngsters lacked adequate food, clothing, shelter, or specialized services.
He also wrote that he had "no reason to question the motives of the Gravelles for adopting 11 children."
However, Judge Cardwell said he found "clearly and convincingly that [eight of the Gravelle youngsters] are abused children."
The children, who suffer from such conditions as fetal-alcohol syndrome and pica, a compulsion to eat nonfood items, were removed from the Gravelles' home in Clarksfield Township near Wakeman on Sept. 9 after authorities found six cages that were rigged with alarms. Two of the other children slept in a room that was sometimes barricaded with a dresser.
One of the Gravelles' adopted sons testified during a custody hearing earlier this month that he slept in one of the cages and was sometimes confined there during the day as punishment.
The boy also testified that some of the children were spanked with a wooden board for setting off the cages' alarms and that he was once confined to a bathroom for 81 days for urinating in his bed.
Elaine Thompson, a therapist for the children, testified during the hearing that she "recoiled" the first time she saw the cages but came to accept the parents' rationale that they were needed to protect the youngsters.
In his ruling, Judge Cardwell rejected that reasoning.
"Over time, many factors contributed to the Gravelles becoming overwhelmed by the challenge of raising the growing number of at-risk special needs and/or developmentally disabled children in the household," he wrote.
"In this overwhelmed state, the Gravelles made a series of poor parental decisions that were detrimental to the children and led to an appropriate intervention by the Huron County Department of Job and Family Services and the Huron County sheriff," the judge wrote.
Prosecutors applauded the ruling.
"I'm pleased with the judge's decision," said Jennifer DeLand, a Huron County assistant prosecutor who presented the county's case during the custody hearing this month. "I'm pleased with his findings because I think they're in the best interests of the children. I think the judge was very fair."
County Prosecutor Russell Leffler said his office would continue a criminal investigation into the matter.
Mr. Myers said his clients had done nothing wrong and that he would consider whether to appeal Judge Cardwell's decision to the Ohio 6th District Court of Appeals after the dispositional hearing.
He also said the Gravelles hold out hope of being reunited with the children.
"The Gravelles want the children back very desperately and, given this ruling, they're in the position where they will work with the court and with the county to see under what conditions the children would be allowed to come back and will do their very best to accommodate those conditions," Mr. Myers said.
T. Douglas Clifford, an attorney for the children, said he considered such a reunion possible but unlikely based on the judge's decision and the evidence presented during the custody hearing.
"I know it's possible," he said. "The law allows for that kind of thing. Would I put money on it? No."
Mr. Clifford said he thinks the Gravelles should undergo psychological evaluations as part of the court's decision on the children's future.
Asked under what conditions he might support returning the youngsters to the couple, he replied, "I think, at a minimum ... the beds have to be taken down. I think that there needs to be a long-term therapeutic plan for the children that's appropriate."
Mr. Clifford said the children continue to see the Gravelles during supervised visitations every other weekend and to get together as a group once a week. During the most recent such gathering Wednesday night, the children ate pizza and exchanged Christmas gifts, he said.
"Everybody seemed to enjoy themselves," he said.
Mr. Myers said the Gravelles' next scheduled visit with the children is not until next month. It was unclear whether they would be able to see the youngsters over the Christmas weekend.
"Clearly, they're disappointed," he said of the Gravelles. "They were looking forward to a more favorable ruling and the possibility of the children coming home sooner rather than later."
Contact Steve Murphy at:
smurphy@theblade.com
or 419-724-6078.
First Published December 23, 2005, 12:56 p.m.