Washington Mother Represents Herself in Court and Beats CPS – Judge Orders Baby Returned Home
A Washington couple, 22-year-old Sophia Rosas and her fiancé, 23-year-old Sean Kilkenny, of Bremerton, have been fighting tooth and nail for the last month to bring home their two young children. The month of September ended quite differently than it began for the young couple, with relief and tears of joy instead of grief and sorrow, as Sophia and Sean's youngest son Riley was returned home for the second time, despite CPS objection. On September 30th, 2020, Sophia and Sean attended a Status Hearing in Kitsap County, Washington, regarding the out-of-home placement of their son, Riley. After hearing from all parties, and to the joy of the family and onlookers, Commissioner Clucas ordered that Riley be returned home immediately to his parents - that day! Sophia did an amazing job representing herself at the hearing, despite not being allowed to continue pro se. During the hearing, Commissioner Clucas mentioned seeing Sophia at the courthouse filing documents and commended Sophia for her efforts in her case, saying she had “done an excellent job so far.” He also said, “I wish that you could move on with your education, go to law school and sit here and represent parents” and then even told her “when this case is all over with, come talk to me about other ways you can work in this system.” Riley returned home the night of September 30th to a very happy Sophia and Sean. The family documented the joyous reunion through her facebook account, with many additional photos and videos following over the next few days. Sophia says “having Riley home is a huge relief and gives us all a lot of faith that Zurius will be returning home soon as well.”