I did not receive the DSS report and was not served any paperwork regarding the EPC action until 12:45 pm on February 15th at Horry County Courthouse. Attorney Taylor Silver advised me that this would be a lopsided (perhaps a predetermined type) hearing where he could use hearsay and I was not allowed to do anything except cross examine.
He also stated that I probably would not get a court-appointed attorney because my ex lived out of state, but I was finally given a court appointed attorney by Judge Frazier on February 15th. Though a 72-hour hearing should have occurred by February 16th or 3 days from the EPC, it has not been scheduled until February 20th.
To add insult to injury, I also have to pay support to DSS for taking my daughter while reimbursing my ex $1500 toward the “court evaluator,” and personally paying the evaluator another $1700 within 45 days or I risk being jailed. I work diligently as a home health care aide, but that amount is nearly 100% of my full-time (pre-tax) salary over the next 6 weeks. I have no idea how I will pay.
My daughter is now separated from all of her family, not eating nor sleeping in DSS custody, being sent to a group home in another area of the state, will start a new school, and have only intermittent and supervised visits with her ‘safe’ parent. My daughter has a fit, willing, and able mother and was thriving in my care. Kylie is in 4H and the National Beta Club, has excellent manners, loves her friends, and has always received the best of everything I can provide.
At my short, supervised visit today with Kylie, she wept uncontrollably as DSS workers shoved her into their car.
Though I did not know it at the time, a family member of Judge Bromell-Holmes was watching the exchange at East Bay Park and approached me after DSS workers had taken my sobbing daughter away. She told me she could not believe this was happening and warned me that “selling children” tragically does happen here and she genuinely empathized that her aunt was involved in it.
My court-appointed attorney, Russell Hall, finally returned my call today and claims he cannot do a motion to vacate, but I continue to encourage him to reconsider that or something very similar.
This post was originally published on 3rd party site mentioned in the title of this page
