Matter of T.K.
Matter of T.K.
Opinion
This is an appeal from an order declaring T.K. to be a child in need of supervision and placing him under the supervision of a court services officer for a term of six months. We affirm.
On the afternoon of June 17, 1989, Sheriff O'Donnell was called to a disturbance on the private cemetery of the Bon Homme Hutterian Brethren Colony near Tabor, South Dakota. It is apparently the only South Dakota cemetery in the Hutterian System. On his way to the cemetery, Sheriff O'Donnell stopped to pick up Reverend David Waldner, Vice-President of the Colony and its Elder, Ben Stahl.
Upon his arrival, Sheriff O'Donnell observed a group of people within the fence which enclosed the cemetery. He testified that the individuals in this group identified themselves as members of the "Arc of the New Covenant." O'Donnell further testified that the members of the group were digging holes in the cemetery ground and attempting to erect a new and separate fence inside the cemetery. He testified that the members of the Arc of the New Covenant had placed a headstone at a gravesite in the cemetery. O'Donnell also observed some members of the Bon Homme Hutterian Brethren Colony in the cemetery at the same time.
Sheriff O'Donnell observed T.K. in the cemetery at that time. While investigating the disturbance, he instructed each member of the Arc of the New Covenant to write his or her name and address on a piece of paper for identification purposes.
Reverend Waldner testified that the cemetery is private. Further, that he saw T.K. at the cemetery on the day in question, and T.K. was without permission to be there. However, Reverend Waldner testified that any Colony member has power to give permission for one to enter onto the grounds of the private cemetery and that it was possible that someone else gave permission for T.K. (whose mother formerly lived at the Colony) to have been there.
T.K. did not testify at the juvenile hearing. At the conclusion of the proceeding, the trial court found that the State had not established beyond a reasonable doubt that T.K. had committed the offense of trespass. It did, nevertheless, determine that T.K. was a child in need of supervision (ChINS). It ordered, based upon the best interests of the child, that T.K. be placed under the supervision of the court services officer for a period of six months. The court further emphasized that T.K. required supervision to prevent him from becoming embroiled, by his parents, in the serious dispute between the members of the Arc of the New Covenant and members of the Hutterian Brethren.2 The court also *Page 895 instructed T.K.'s parents to make the child available to the court services officer to prevent his involvement, during his minority, in any ongoing illegal actions or civil disobedience with respect to the Bon Homme Colony.
T.K. has appealed. We affirm.
In cases involving ChINS, the burden of proof rests upon the State to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. See SDCL 26-8-22.5. Thus, the State must show beyond a reasonable doubt that the child is a truant, runaway or danger to himself or others.
Although this court has never specifically reviewed a ChINS adjudication, in reviewing a dependency and neglect adjudication, we have held that we consider whether the findings of the trial court are clearly erroneous. See People in Interest of M.W.,
T.K.'s parents were members of the Arc of the New Covenant. This religious sect was engaged in an ongoing conflict with the Bon Homme Hutterian Brethren Colony in Tabor, South Dakota. Confrontations between the members of these two rival religious factions created a potential for violence which has threatened T.K.'s welfare. As the trial judge noted, it is inappropriate to permit parents to exploit a child by dragging him into a religious dispute involving civil disobedience.
T.K. argues that the statutory definition of a ChINS does not encompass civil disobedience. He reasons that civil disobedience is not behavior which endangers an individual child's welfare. We disagree.
The evidence here supports the trial court's findings of fact and conclusions of law. Sheriff O'Donnell and Reverend Waldner testified that they observed T.K. inside a private cemetery of the Colony. Sheriff O'Donnell testified that T.K. and members of the Arc of the New Covenant were erecting a fence and headstone inside this private cemetery. Reverend Waldner testified that the Colony had previously obtained an injunction to prevent unauthorized visitors on the Colony's property. At a prior hearing, an order was granted prohibiting members of the Arc of the New Covenant from entering the colony's private cemetery without permission. The potential of violence existed. T.K.'s and other persons' welfare was threatened.
The record in this case reflects that the petition alleging T.K. to be a delinquent *Page 896 child was filed August 8, 1989. The order declaring him to be a child in need of supervision was filed on October 17, 1989. The trial court's findings of fact and conclusions of law were also filed October 17, 1989. T.K. filed notice of appeal on November 7, 1989. In March, 1990, the State made a motion to amend the record to include the circuit court file of a case entitled BonHomme Hutterian Brethren, Inc. v. Sam Wurtz a/k/a Sammy Wurtz,Herman Wurtz, Jim Kleinsasser, Joe Wurtz, Gary Wurtz, ElizabethWurtz, Rose Wurtz, Anna Wurtz, Paula Wainscoat and Ernie Stahl in the settled record on appeal. The trial court later entered an order that the findings of fact and conclusions of law and the judgment and order in Bon Homme Hutterian Brethren be included in the settled record of this case.
T.K. argues that the trial court improperly allowed State to amend the record, asserting that an appeal strips a circuit court of subject matter jurisdiction except as to certain trivial matters, one of which is to correct the record, citing Matter ofD.H.,
SDCL 26-8-61 provides:
The court may modify or set aside any order or decree made by it, except a decree terminating parental rights.
No modification of an order or decree shall be made without a hearing when a violation of the terms of probation by a child is alleged; or the effect of modifying or setting aside an order or decree may be to deprive a parent of legal custody of a child or to make any other change in legal custody.
In D.H., supra, this court held that a trial court did not have jurisdiction to conduct further proceedings (in a parental rights termination proceeding) after an order of termination was entered and notice of appeal was filed with this court. We held "[w]hen the termination order was entered and the notice of appeal was filed, jurisdiction shifted to this court." Id. 354 N.W.2d at 192. "The general rule is that appeal from a judgment or order strips the trial court's jurisdiction over the subject matter of the judgment or order, except as to certain trivial matters, and this court then has jurisdiction until determination of the appeal." Id. (citing Matter of Estate of Tollefsrud,
Although the trial court did commit error in this case, we find the error to be harmless. To be prejudicial, the error must produce some effect on the final result and affect rights of the party assigning it. See In Interest of A.D.,
The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
All the Justices concur.
Any person who, knowing that he is not privileged to do so, enters or remains in any place where notice against trespass is given by:
(1) Actual communication to the actor;
(2) Posting in a manner reasonably likely to come to the attention of intruders; or
(3) Fencing or other enclosure which a reasonable person would recognize as being designed to exclude intruders;
is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor, but if he defies an order to leave personally communicated to him by the owner of the premises or by any other authorized person, he is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
If anything material to either party is omitted from the record, is misstated therein, or is improper, the parties by stipulation, or the trial court, before the record is transmitted to the Supreme Court, or the Supreme Court, on motion by a party or on its own initiative, may direct the record be corrected and if necessary require a supplemental record be approved and transmitted.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- In the Matter of T.K., a Child in Need of Supervision.
- Cited By
- 5 cases
- Status
- Published