In a contested matter on the Chancery docket, counsel for the petitioner asked the court to discontinue visitation between the mother and a minor child, citing missed visits, alleged alcohol use, and the child’s repeated illness following contact.

The mother was not present at the hearing, and defense counsel said the office had no record of forwarding the motion to the mother’s disconnected phone number. The guardian, who had been involved in a related dependency-and-neglect matter, confirmed concerns about missed visits during the pendency of that case.

After discussion, Judge David D. Wolfe said he was “hesitant to suspend all contact between the mother and the child … without some sort of evidence,” but concluded that an interim suspension was appropriate to protect the child pending a prompt hearing. The court continued the motion to a judge on November 4 at 9:00 a.m. and ordered that visitation be suspended until that hearing.

The court instructed the petitioner’s counsel to attempt additional contact with the mother and to inform the next judge; counsel also planned to have a representative reach out to the mother at her last known address. The court emphasized the mother’s obligation to stay in contact with counsel and that the next judge may alter the suspension based on evidence presented at the Nov. 4 hearing.