Father of kids ordered to juvenile detention gives his side

“She is poisoning them, and the judge realized that,” Omer Tsimhoni said.

The family was in court recently to hash out details of his supervised visitation. Both parents have joint legal custody of the children, and their mother has physical custody. During the court proceeding, Circuit Court Judge Lisa Gorcyca ordered the three children, ages 9, 10 and 14, held in juvenile detention until they make an effort to have a relationship with their father.

During the June 24 hearing, Gorcyca specifically addressed the Tsimhonis' 14-year-old son.

“You’re very defiant," she said. "You have no manners. … There is no reason why you do not have a relationship with your father. Your father has never been charged with anything. Your father’s never been convicted of anything. Your father doesn’t have a personal protection order against him. Your father is well-liked and loved by the community, his co-workers, his family (and) his colleagues,” she said. “You, young man, have got it wrong. I think your father is a great man who has gone through hoops for you to have a relationship with you.”

In an interview with The Observer News, Omer Tsimhoni explained the circumstances of the couple's divorce, which involved a move from Michigan to Israel and back again. When asked if he could recall an incident that would make his children not want to see him, Omer Tsimhoni drew a blank, except for what he considered a minor incident blown out of proportion by his ex-wife.

During a supervised visit with his children, Omer Tsimhoni said he and his wife became embroiled in an argument.

“I was very careful not to do anything, but she claimed that I pushed her … The police showed up and Maya was screaming and the police confirmed that nothing happened,” he said.

The judge has forbidden the children's mother and any of her family from visiting the children while they are in the detention facility.

A review hearing is set for Sept. 8.