The Teen Mom OG star has come out fighting against a court ruling that granted her ex Andrew Glennon sole legal and physical custody of their child James. In a statement provided to US Weekly, Portwood, 32, said, “I’ve worked so hard to better myself and improve my relationships with my children. I’ve always been candid about my past substance abuse and struggles with mental illness, a person should have the chance to redeem themselves and not be tethered to their problems from the past.”
Not only did the judge grant Andrew sole legal and physical custody but he also granted Glennon’s request to move James from Indiana to Glennon’s family home in California. Portwood currently resides in Indiana. The judge, however, did order Glennon to ask and consider the mother’s opinion before making any major decisions regarding medical treatment, education or religion.
The judge also ordered both parents to undergo monthly drug screening for the next six months and Portwood must attend individual counseling with a therapist of her choosing and must follow the suggestions made by that therapist. Despite the strict ruling, Portwood was allowed overnight visits with James. Portwood lost overnight visits in 2019.
The custody battle started in 2019 after Portwood was arrested for domestic battery in July of 2019. She allegedly chased Glennon around with a machete and threatened suicide. Portwood pled guilty to two felony charges of domestic battery and intimidation. She was sentenced to 906 days of probation and 26 weeks of parenting classes.
Portwood and Glennon started dating in 2017. The two met on the set of Marriage Bootcamp, where Portwood was participating with her ex-fiancé Matt Baier. Two weeks after filming ended, Glennon reached out to Portwood and the two were spotted kissing three months after Portwood broke up with Baier.
Portwood’s legal troubles have been widely reported. However, Glennon is also no stranger to the legal system. He has been accused of stalking by two ex-girlfriends who both served him with restraining orders. RadarOnline reported Glennon was once arrested on drug possession charges. He was in possession of heroin and MDMA and was under the influence. He also was later arrested for possession of a deadly weapon. In 2014 he was arrested for drunk driving.
During Portwood and Glennon’s custody hearing, Glennon admitted to draining the couple’s joint bank account for $38,000 and transferring it to his personal account while Portwood was in jail. Also around the same time, Glennon created a GoFundMe to cover the legal costs of the custody battle and told fans if they donated money, they could meet James.
In response to the legal loss, Portwood said she loves her children more than anything and will never stop fighting for them.
Photo: “Pregnant” by Kevin Dooley is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
