In re J.M. CA2/8

BACKGROUND

The family is comprised of Father and J.M. Mother abandoned the family when J.M. was one and a half years old. Since mother left, Father has raised J.M. with help from paternal grandmother. This appeal arises from the second of two dependency proceedings. The first proceeding began in 2018 when J.M. was four years old. Police were called to the family apartment following a neighbor’s report that Father was inside yelling and screaming, which included a statement that he was going to “kill.” When police arrived, they heard Father “ranting and screaming” and “making strange noises.” Father initially denied that he had been ranting and screaming, and claimed that he had been asleep. However, when the officers told him that they heard him making noises from outside the apartment, Father “began laughing and joking.” The officers entered the apartment and found multiple open beer cans while J.M. was sitting on her bed, clutching a blanket, and “ ‘scared out-of-her mind.’ ” Father was placed on a psychiatric hold, and the referral was promoted to a case with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). The juvenile court found true and sustained…