DATE: Thursday, November 13, 1997           TAG: 9711130497

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   56 lines

PARENTS LOSE PARENTAL RIGHTS OVER DAUGHTER, 10 JUDGE AWARDS GIRL TO FOSTER FAMILY

The parents of 10-year-old Casey D'Amico had their parental rights severed Wednesday, clearing the way for a foster family to adopt the girl.

Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge Deborah Rawls terminated the parental rights of Joe and Donna D'Amico after a three-hour hearing.

``I knew in my heart this was going to happen, that she was going to be adopted,'' Joe D'Amico said. ``I pray to God that people do not have to go through what we did. I hope people will learn from our story.''

Casey D'Amico was first removed from the D'Amico family in December 1993 for educational, emotional and physical neglect. Her mother, Donna, is mentally retarded, and her father has struggled with alcoholism and difficulty keeping a job. Their trailer was often untidy, and the couple had a hard time keeping Casey fed and attending school.

Casey was returned to the family a month later, and a service plan was drawn up in which the family received help from the city's Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. After two years, however, the D'Amicos were not following all the steps of the plan, and Casey was removed from their home in October 1995 and placed in the foster family of Mary and Jaime Lopez. The D'Amicos continued to have visitation with Casey.

A year later, the Lopez family moved to Texas when Jaime Lopez was transferred in the Navy. The D'Amicos and an advocate for them, Steve Burman, argued against the move, saying Casey should be placed with a foster family in Hampton Roads, so that the bond between Casey and her biological parents could be maintained.

Rawls, however, opted to keep Casey with the the Lopezes, and ordered the Department of Social Services to fly Casey back to Virginia three times a year to visit the D'Amicos.

The Department of Social Services began the process of terminating the D'Amicos' parental rights in the spring.

The D'Amicos wanted Casey to return to live with them - they now live in Norfolk. If that was not possible, they hoped she could be moved to a foster family in Hampton Roads, where they could visit her.

``She's still our little girl, and she will always be our little girl,'' said Joe D'Amico.

Mary Lopez, who flew to Virginia from Texas to attend the hearing, said she and her husband will now move ahead with adopting Casey.

But, she said, she will make sure that the D'Amico family is always informed of how Casey is doing. Mary Lopez tried to comfort Donna D'Amico, who broke into tears.

``I have reiterated to them that I will do everything I can to enhance and facilitate the communication between them,'' Lopez said. ``That will be important for Casey, too. I encouraged them to keep writing her. She needs to know they're OK.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Joe D'Amico KEYWORDS: PARENTAL RIGHTS ADOPTION CUSTODY FOSTER CHILD

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