Ohio Couple Gives BACK Adopted Son They Raised From Infancy After 9 Years

Cleveland Cox, 49, and his wife, 52-year-old, Lisa Cox, made the very uncommon decision recently to return their 9-year-old adopted son to child welfare officials after he reportedly became too aggressive for them. What they didn’t know when they did such a thing at the time, was that such actions get you in big trouble with the law.

The couple says that while they’ve had the young boy since he was a baby, years later he’s become increasingly aggressive, and even threatened the family (the Coxs have other sons) with a knife. They took the boy to child welfare offices last month and left him there, but soon after, a warrant was issued for their arrest and they tried to go into hiding. The couple has since been charged with a misdemeanor of nonsupport of dependents and eventually turned themselves in to authorities on November 15. The couple appeared in court today and plead not guilty to their charges, and hope to fight them. But many, including County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser who gave out the charges, are enraged at the behavior of these parents. He told the AP that the child needed help if he did indeed threaten their family, not to be abandoned.

“When you are the parent and you recklessly abandon a child or children, there are criminal consequences. These children don’t have a return-to-sender stamp emblazoned on their forehead.

These are the only parents he has ever known. do you think happens at night when he goes to sleep and doesn’t have his brothers around or someone to talk to he has known for nine years?”

And the lawyer appointed to the 9-year-old, Adolf Olivas, says that the boy is very hurt and confused about why he’s no longer with the family he has known since he was baby since the stability he thought he had is now gone. Olivas says they should have stuck with him and helped him seek therapy.

“If your 9-year-old needs help, you get him help. It is not a question of a 9-year-old wanting it or not.”

This whole thing is just terrible. If the Coxs are found guilty of their neglect charge, they could face up to six months in jail and a hefty fine.