In re D.T. CA4/2

I. INTRODUCTION

Defendant and appellant S.T. (Father) appeals August 30, 2023 orders denying

Father reunification services for his three children, S.T., J.T., and D.T., pursuant to

Welfare and Institutions Code section 361.5, subdivisions (b)(3) and (b)(7).1 Father

claims that even if these bypass provisions apply, and authorized the court to bypass or

deny services for Father, the court erred in denying services for Father because it was in

the children’s best interests to reunify with Father. (§ 361.5, subd. (c)(2).) We conclude

1) the bypass provisions apply, and 2) the court did not abuse its discretion in concluding

it would not be in the best interest of the children to reunify with Father, and therefore, to

deny Father reunification services. Thus, we affirm the orders bypassing Father’s

services.

II. FACTS AND PROCEDURE

A. Background

Father and A.G. (the mother) are the parents of S.T., a boy born 2011, J.T., a girl

born in 2015, and D.T., a boy born in 2017. In March 2022, the mother and children

were living with the mother’s boyfriend, M.F. The mother and children had not seen

Father since September 2021 when Father was arrested and jailed for violating a…