In re A.R.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

In September 2012 Ontario police pulled over a car driven by father J.R., who was under the influence of both methamphetamine and alcohol. In addition to drugs and open alcohol containers, the police found J.R.’s daughters – seven-year-old A.R. and five-year- old C.R. – in the car. The two girls were not wearing seat belts. In October 2012 the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) filed a petition with the juvenile court alleging that the minors were dependents of the court because father had the children with him when he drove while intoxicated and because father’s substance abuse prevented him from providing the girls with proper care. (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 300, subd. (b).)1 The petition alleged that the whereabouts of mother A.R. were unknown2 and a DCFS report noted that mother had been absent for more than two years. Mother was located soon after in Reno, Nevada, where she was living with another man and expecting another child. DCFS filed a first amended petition alleging that the minors were at risk due to domestic violence in the home, mother’s history of drug use and mental illness, and mother’s failure to…