In re J.B. CA2/1

BACKGROUND

On July 26, 2012, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) received a custody alert that Mother (age 21) had been arrested for burglary at a Target store, and her two sons (J.B., age 3 and C.B., age 22 months) were being held at the police station in Pasadena. As set forth in DCFS’s detention report, Mother “took items from a clearance rack inside the store and then attempted to return them in exchange for the cost of the merchandise being put onto a store gift card.” Mother told a DCFS social worker, who interviewed Mother at the station, that she “became scared and left the store with about five shirts.” Mother’s children were with her at the store when she was arrested. Mother told the social worker she “didn’t think that stealing was a serious crime and that her children were not in any danger.” Mother’s girlfriend, T.K., also was at the store with Mother and the children and was arrested for grand theft auto because she was driving a car that had been reported stolen. Mother told an officer she did not know T.K. was driving a stolen car. The social worker observed that the children were dressed and groomed appropriately, appeared on…