Ohio couple accused of abandoning adopted son, giving him back to county after 9 years

CINCINNATI — An Ohio couple who authorities say returned their 9-year-old adopted son to the county after raising him since infancy have been charged with abandoning the child.

Cleveland and Lisa Cox of Liberty Township, north of Cincinnati, were each indicted Wednesday on a misdemeanor count of nonsupport of dependents. The charge accuses them of recklessly abandoning or failing to provide adequate support for the boy they turned over to Butler County Children Services last month.

County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said Thursday that he doesn't usually seek indictments in misdemeanor cases but views this as "reckless" abandonment.

"When you are the parent and you recklessly abandon a child or children, there are criminal consequences," Gmoser said. "These children don't have a return-to-sender stamp emblazoned on their forehead."

Messages left Thursday at the couple's home in Butler County were not immediately returned. It was unclear if they had been served an arrest warrant issued Wednesday.

Children Services and the county sheriff's office also didn't return messages Thursday.

Adolf Olivas, an attorney appointed by the court to protect the child's legal interests, told the Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News that the parents said the boy has aggressive behaviors and would not agree to get help.

"If your 9-year-old needs help, you get him help," Olivas told the newspaper. "It is not a question of a 9-year-old wanting it or not."

Olivas had no additional comment Thursday.

The Coxes could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted of the first-degree misdemeanor.

"This is not about somebody who can't pay to support the child," the prosecutor said.

The median annual income in the region where the parents live is more than $100,000, and the median home value is more than $280,000, according to census data.

Gmoser confirmed the Coxes have other children.

Benjamin Johnson, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, said such cases are rare.