Hansen petition transferred to juvenile court

A petition requesting an adoption agency be appointed as a temporary guardian for a Russian boy sent back to his homeland by his adoptive mother has been moved to juvenile court.

The World Association for Children and Parents filed the petition in May requesting that Bedford County's Circuit Court appoint the agency as a temporary guardian for 8-year-old Justin A. Hansen.

The agency, based in Washington state, had placed the Russian boy with Torry Hansen last year, but she sent him back to Moscow in April without an adult escort, triggering an international uproar.

The matter was supposed to be before Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell on Thursday, but it was moved off his docket following an agreed order being signed last week that moves the case under the jurisdiction of General Sessions Judge Charles Rich, who handles juvenile court.

No date has been set before Rich to address the petition, and Hansen's attorney, Trisha Henegar, said she would be filing preliminary motions in the case.

Attorney Larry L. Crain, who represents the adoption agency, stated that the grounds for the motion "is a declaration that the minor child is dependant and neglected ..." as defined by Tennessee state law and that "the Juvenile Court is vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear such cases."

Crain also filed an amended petition that sets forth additional ground for the relief sought in the case and named Jennifer Terhune, as a co-petitioner, who is described in court papers as "an adopted mother who is willing to serve as guardian for the minor child."

The boy has reportedly been placed in a Russian orphanage, according to Crain.

Russian media is also reporting that Education and Science Ministry officials state that Hansen remains the legal parent of the boy because she has not renounced her rights in court and the note carried by the boy was not a legal document.

Crain said in May that they went to court out of frustration that no one was investigating claims that the Hansens abandoned and endangered the child.

The boy's adoptive grandmother, Nancy Hansen, stayed with the boy until they reached an airport in Virginia, but she left him in the care of flight attendants for the flight overseas.

However, since the incident occurred in April, local authorities have said they have not been able to file any charges against the Hansens because there is no evidence that any crime was committed in Bedford County.