Visitation denied for parents who chained son

Published 3:09pm Friday, May 27, 2011
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The Dexter parents who chained one of their sons to his crib have been denied visitation rights.

Brian Dale Miller, 33, and Charity Lynn Miller, 26, requested visitation with the younger of their two sons Friday at a pre-trial hearing about the potential termination of their parental rights.

Brian Miller

Assistant Mower County Attorney Aaron Jones said visitation would only harm the boys further.

“These are two boys who are very frightened of their parents,” Jones said in court.

The Millers are charged with depriving their sons of food and bathroom access; they also chained the 5-year-old to his bed from dinnertime until morning every day, according to a court complaint.

Todd Schoonover, court appointed legal guardian, said the 8-year-old boy does not want contact with his parents. Schoonover recommended contact with the younger son only if it’s in a “therapeutic setting.”

Charity Miller

Judge Fred Wellmann ruled in favor of Schoonover’s recommendation, saying the Millers are to have no contact with their older son and no contact with the 5-year-old unless he is deemed ready and it’s in a therapeutic setting.

The children have been in a foster home since their parents were arrested. The Millers’ fate will be determined in the coming weeks once the couple’s parental rights are determined. Jones said Charity’s mother, who lives out of state, has expressed interest in taking care of the children if the Millers lose their parental rights.

Tina Youngbear, a representative of the Cherokee Nation, spoke via conference call because Charity and one of the children are enrolled in the nation. Youngbear said the nation is on a “diligent search” for a family placement for the boys. She said the nation is in favor of considering Charity’s mother.

The Millers will appear in court for their parental rights trial on June 14. The trial is expected to last at least two days.

Comments
  1. RJ May 27, 2011 at 5:10 pm <Link>

    Please let there be some extensive check on where these boys will go. Hopefully they will keep them together. This story makes me ill–it just proves the old saying: Some people should never be allowed to bear children into this world. Hopefully they will find a better life with sane people.

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  2. leftthehatebehind May 27, 2011 at 5:51 pm <Link>

    Good!

    Why did they want to only see the youngest? Did they know the oldest didn’t want to see them? I hope these boys are somewhere good now, and getting the love and care they weren’t. And I hope they keep them together as well.

    I really do hope they lose their parental rights. They proved they are not fit to be parents and shouldn’t ever be again. For some reason it worries me a bit about the mother of Charity taking the children. They need to do some extensive checking before they do so. That worries me. She may be perfectly fine, but it also may be a “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” situations.

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  3. happyass2011 May 27, 2011 at 10:50 pm <Link>

    No No No do not let these poor children go with gramma. Because guess what she will let the goofy parents see the kids. Gramma is probably goofy and screwed up to. I think that if the court system lets these boys down by letting them go with Gramma they will probably not have much of a life. Put them with some parents who will love them, cherish them, protect them for ever. Dont toss them around they have been thru enough. Listen to these poor kids.There are people out there that want children and cannot have them. Lets these poor little boys have a chance with a nice stable family. they deserve no less than that…

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  4. HWYSTAR May 29, 2011 at 6:28 pm <Link>

    It’s a good thing that they don’t have Judge Rysucky hearing this case because he might give them an “unconstitutional upward departure”.

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