In re Allen W.

── In re Allen W. ── Court: Appellate Court of Illinois Date: June 05, 2026 Category: General NOTICE 2026 IL App (5th) 260126-U NOTICE Decision filed 06/05/26. The This order was filed under text of this decision may be NO. 5-26-0126 Supreme Court Rule 23 and is changed or corrected prior to the filing of a Petition for not precedent except in the Rehearing or the disposition of IN THE limited circumstances allowed the same. under Rule 23(e)(1). APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS FIFTH DISTRICT In re ALLEN W., a Minor ) Appeal from the ) Circuit Court of (The People of the State of Illinois, ) Champaign County. ) Petitioner-Appellee, ) ) v. ) No. 25-JA-70 ) Lucero G., ) Honorable ) Robert E. Jacobson, Respondent-Appellant). ) Judge, presiding. ______________________________________________________________________________ JUSTICE McHANEY delivered the judgment of the court. Justices Hackett and Clarke concurred in the judgment. ORDER ¶1 Held: The dispositional order that found it to be in the best interest of the minor to be made a ward of the court and placed in the custody and guardianship of the Department of Children and Family Services is affirmed because the circuit court’s findings were not against the manifest weight of the evidence and the selected disposition was not an abuse of discretion. ¶2 The respondent, Lucero G. (Mother), appeals the circuit court of Champaign County’s January 15, 2026, dispositional order. Mother challenges the circuit court’s finding that she was unfit and unable to parent the minor and asserts that the circuit court abused its discretion in finding that removal of the minor from her custody was in his best interest. For the following reasons, we affirm. 1 ¶3 I. BACKGROUND ¶4 This case began with the filing, on September 17, 2025, of a petition for adjudication of abuse, neglect, or dependency regarding Mother’s minor child, Allen W., who was born in September 2016. The petition alleged the minor is neglected pursuant to section 2-3(1)(b) of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 (Juvenile Court Act) (705 ILCS 405/2-3(1)(b) (West 2024)) by reason of being in an environment that is injurious to his welfare when he resides with Mother because he is exposed to substance abuse (count I), and he is exposed to domestic violence (count II). The petition was amended by interlineation on October 16, 2025, to correct the minor’s address and Mother’s birthdate. The allegations of neglect remained the same. ¶5 An adjudicatory hearing was held on December 18, 2025. Mother admitted and stipulated to the allegations of count I, that the minor is neglected by reason of being in an environment that is injurious to his welfare when he resides with Mother because he is exposed to substance abuse. Count II was dismissed. The State provided the following factual basis for the stipulation. Mother had been involved with the One Hope United intact family service program since February 2