Children Services previously had custody of boy in Riverside abuse case

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Montgomery County Children Services previously had temporary custody of a boy at the center of a Riverside child abuse case in which his parents are accused of starving him and his younger sister.

Montgomery County Juvenile Court records obtained by the Dayton Daily News show a dependency, neglect and abuse case was opened in April 2018 involving Dustin Shade and Maleah Henry-Reed’s son. He was approximately 6 months old at the time.

The court awarded temporary custody to Montgomery County Job and Family Services’ Children Services Division and approved and adopted a case plan at the end of May 2018. Following multiple hearings — including testimony from a Dayton Children’s Hospital physician and a motion for reunification with his mother — the boy was reunited in March 15, 2019, when he was approximately 17 months old. A case plan was also approved and adopted then, according to juvenile court records.

It is not clear what prompted the 2018 court case or when the child was reunited with the parents.

A Riverside police call log on March 25, 2018, showed officers were called to Dayton Children’s Hospital regarding an alleged child endangering case involving the 6-month-old. The child had been in the hospital since March 13 and allegedly had injuries, according to the log. The alleged injuries occurred in the 5100 block of Burkhardt Road.

The Dayton Daily News reached out to the court for additional information, as well as the attorneys for Shade and Henry-Reed.

Credit: Montgomery County Jail

Credit: Montgomery County Jail

Montgomery County Children Services spokeswoman Reba Chenoweth said any documents or records pertaining to reports of child abuse or neglect or an investigation by the agency are confidential under Ohio law.

“As a result, Montgomery County Children Services cannot disclose if there has been prior involvement or if there is a current case open,” she said.

The Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that children services was involved with the family in 2018-19, but could not go into specifics.

In January, Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. announced a grand jury indicted Shade and Henry-Reed on four counts of endangering children and one count of tampering with evidence after their 5-year-old son and 15-month-old daughter were found malnourished.

On Jan. 17, the infant was transferred to Dayton’s Children Hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit after Henry-Reed brought her daughter to a medical facility due to an illness.

The girl weighed approximately 10 pounds, was severely malnourished and had a low heart rate, Heck said.

Hospital staff contacted Riverside police for potential child abuse and officers obtained a search warrant for the family’s Burkhardt Road residence. When they arrived, they found Shade with the couple’s son. An ambulance transported the boy to the hospital. He was approximately 20 pounds.

Heck said during the January press conference his office was seeking custody of both children. He said they will also file for custody of the couple’s third child, which Henry-Reed is currently pregnant with, once it is born.

Credit: Montgomery County Jail

Credit: Montgomery County Jail

Juvenile court documents for the boy indicated a motion for temporary custody was filed on Feb. 2.

A not guilty plea was entered on Shade’s behalf in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court last week during his arraignment. His bond was continued at $500,000.

Henry-Reed is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.

Her defense team at Rion, Rion & Rion LPA Inc., previously said they will use everything they can to defend her and that she has the full force of the office behind her.