Jenelle Evans, 27, and David Eason, 31, are reportedly happily by the sides of their children, Kaiser, 4, and Ensley, 2, again after regaining custody of them on July 3. The Teen Mom 2 stars initially lost custody back in May when there were concerns for their safety from Child Protective Services after David shot and killed the family dog, but now that they have made their court appearances over the past month, a judge ruled in their favor, and Jamie S. Getty, North Carolina family attorney, EXCLUSIVELY tells us what the decision could entail and and how it could affect them.
“Since this is a juvenile case and the court documents are confidential, we can’t know exactly what decision the judge made because it could be one of two options,” Getty EXCLUSIVELY explained to HollywoodLife. “The petition could have either been completely dismissed by the judge which likely means the judge did not believe the allegations in the petition rose to the level of abuse or neglect provided by law. Or the judge granted a trial home placement which means the case would continue to allow social workers to check in on the family. It gives the social workers the opportunity to go back in Jenelle and David’s house and make sure the parents are still following up on the stipulations of their case plan and that the kids are still living in a safe environment.”
Although neither Jenelle or David have publicly spoken out about the details of regaining custody, Getty tells us their actions in the next few months could give an indication of what is going on. “If Jenelle and David are seen back in juvenile court within the next couple months, that either means it was a trail home placement or that a new incident has been reported and a new petition has been filed which would likely be reported in the media,” she said. “It was also reported that David was required to undergo a psych evaluation which I’m assuming came back and didn’t find anything or it didn’t reveal he was a danger to the kids.”
Getty also told us whether or not Jenelle and David could lose their kids again in the future if another incident similar to the dog shooting incident happens. “There would have to be some incident that would be reported to DSS, a new circumstance,” she said about the potential for losing custody of their kids. “In this case, DSS would go in sooner rather than later and their case tends to be scrutinized a bit more because there is prior history. It would not look good for them especially if the new incident is a repeat of a prior situation.”
Getty also explained that the case could have stronger restrictions if Jenelle and David the second time around. “I would imagine that they would have a safety plan that would have more requirements,” she admitted. “If they have not done anything to correct the prior issue, the judge will likely implement some harsher hoops for them to jump through before getting their kids back again.”
After the dog killing incident in May, Jenelle’s son, Kaiser, who she shares with ex Nathan Griffith, went in the custody of his dad,and her daughter, Ensley, who she shares with David, went in the custody of Jenelle’s mother, Barbara. Jenelle’s oldest son, Jace, 9, was already in the custody of Barbara before the incident and it continues to remain that way.