A Clark County Superior Court commissioner on Thursday ordered two autistic boys to stay in state care for now.
The children, ages 6 and 7, were allegedly locked in a dark, empty room with a cage-like door in a Vancouver apartment by their father, John Eckhart, 30, and his live-in girlfriend, Alayna Higdon, 26.
Through their attorneys, Eckhart, Higdon and the boys’ biological mother, Jona Bronson, waived their rights to request that the boys be temporarily placed with them.
Bronson was the only parent present at the brief hearing before Commissioner Carin Schienberg.
The purpose of Thursday’s hearing was to determine temporary placement, not custody, of the boys. A decision about custody could be made at a trial, which will be scheduled at a June 7 hearing.
Bronson’s attorney, Maggie Smith Evansen, told the commissioner that her client would eventually like to be considered for long-term placement.
Bronson declined comment as she left the courtroom with her attorney.
Bronson, who lives in Tillamook, Ore., couldn’t take care of the boys while the case is pending because children in state care are not allowed to be placed outside Washington, said Assistant Attorney General Dana Gigler, who is representing the Department of Social and Health Services. The mother is still allowed visitation rights, Gigler added.
The boys were ordered to remain in the foster care system, and the defendants’ two other boys, ages 9 and 11 months old, will continue to stay with family members. DSHS officials couldn’t provide specifics on where the autistic boys have been placed.
Gigler said in court that the autistic boys are receiving educational evaluations in a local school district and Vancouver’s ESD 112 program and should soon be enrolled in school.
Both Higdon and Eckhart face criminal charges of unlawful imprisonment. Higdon has been free on bail and Eckhart was released Thursday after posting bond.
Coincidentally, police reported on Thursday that Eckhart was a victim of a feces-throwing incident in the Clark County Jail. On April 14, an unknown inmate threw a container of feces in Eckhart’s cell. He was not hit. He was later moved to a different cell, according to Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Schanaker.
Eckhart’s attorney, Jon McMullen, told reporters that his client has received negative attention from jail inmates because of the widespread media attention.
“I think the jail certainly isn’t a pleasant experience for anyone,” McMullen said. “It might be even worse for him.”
About the allegations against his client, McMullen said the description of the room where the two boys were kept is “not the complete accurate portrayal of what’s going on.”
According to police reports, the boys had been living in a bedroom where the door and window had been covered with bars similar to those commonly used in closets. The boys were wearing diapers and the room was bereft of toys and furnishings, except for one juvenile-sized bed frame and mattress, police said.
An apartment maintenance worker became aware of the situation during a routine premises check and notified authorities, who raided the unit last week.
A 30-day review of the boys’ placement is set for May 10.
Reporter Bob Albrecht contributed to this report.
