Filed Jul 21, 2021
View Opinion No. 21--0615
View Summary for Case No. 21-0615
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Wapello County, William Owens, Associate Juvenile Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Vaitheswaran, P.J., and May and Schumacher, JJ. Opinion by May, J. (4 pages)
A mother appeals the termination of her parental rights to her child. OPINION HOLDS: Termination is in the child’s best interest, so we affirm termination of the mother’s parental rights.
Filed Jul 21, 2021
View Opinion No. 21-0636
View Summary for Case No. 21-0636
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Dubuque County, Thomas J. Straka, Associate Juvenile Judge. AFFIRMED ON BOTH APPEALS. Considered by Tabor, P.J., and Greer and Schumacher, JJ. Opinion by Schumacher, J. (9 pages)
A mother and father separately appeal the termination of their parental rights to their one-year-old daughter. OPINION HOLDS: It is in the best interests of the child that the parental rights of her parents be terminated. A six-month extension for reunification efforts is not warranted under the facts in this record. Finally, clear and convincing evidence supports termination of the mother’s parental rights pursuant to Iowa Code section 232.116(1)(h) (2021). Accordingly, we affirm the order of the juvenile court.
Filed Jul 21, 2021
View Opinion No. 21-0660
View Summary for Case No. 21-0660
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Black Hawk County, Daniel L. Block, Associate Juvenile Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Doyle, P.J., and Mullins and May, JJ. Opinion by May, J. (3 pages)
A father appeals one of the two statutory grounds authorizing termination. OPINION HOLDS: Because the father only challenges one of the two statutory grounds, we affirm under the unchallenged ground.
Filed Jul 21, 2021
View Opinion No. 21-0670
View Summary for Case No. 21-0670
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Lynn Poschner, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Bower, C.J., and Tabor and Ahlers, JJ. Opinion by Tabor, J. (8 pages)
A mother, Jessica, appeals the termination of her parental rights to her one-year-old daughter. OPINION HOLDS: We find clear and convincing evidence to support a ground for termination under Iowa Code section 232.116(1)(h) (2021) based on Jessica’s unresolved substance‑abuse and mental-health issues. That same evidence shows termination is in the child’s best interests and a six-month extension is not warranted. Thus, we affirm the termination order.
Filed Jul 21, 2021
View Opinion No. 21-0682
View Summary for Case No. 21-0682
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Franklin County, Peter B. Newell, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Doyle, P.J., Tabor, J., and Potterfield, S.J. Opinion by Potterfield, S.J. (6 pages)
The father appeals the termination of his parental rights to his child, A.R., born in 2019. He claims the State failed to make reasonable efforts to reunify him with A.R. and he should get additional time because of this failure. The father maintains his first counsel—who withdrew about six weeks before the State filed the petition to terminate—provided ineffective assistance. Specifically, he claims counsel breached duties in failing to advise the father (1) there were additional services he could request and (2) advise the father the failure to participate in services would lead to the termination of his parental rights. OPINION HOLDS: The father’s claims of ineffective assistance fail. And he does not otherwise contest the termination of his parental rights, so we affirm without further consideration.
Filed Jul 21, 2021
View Opinion No. 21-0763
View Summary for Case No. 21-0763
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Romonda Belcher, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Doyle, P.J., and Tabor and Greer, JJ. Opinion by Greer, J. (10 pages)
The mother appeals the termination of her parental rights. She does not contest the grounds for termination under Iowa Code Section 232.116(1)(h) (2021). Instead, she argues the State did not make reasonable efforts toward reunification, maintains the court should have granted a six-month extension, and claims loss of her rights is not in the child’s best interests. OPINION HOLDS: We decline to grant an extension and affirm the termination of the mother’s parental rights.
Filed Jul 07, 2021
View Opinion No. 19-0775
View Summary for Case No. 19-0775
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Black Hawk County, Bradley J. Harris, Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Doyle, P.J., Schumacher, J., and Mahan, S.J. Opinion by Mahan, S.J. (22 pages)
Carlos Roig Gonzalez appeals his convictions for two counts of robbery in the first degree and one count of robbery in the second degree. Roig Gonzalez challenges the severance of his charges and the sufficiency of the evidence to support the juries’ verdicts, argues his speedy-trial rights were violated, and claims the district court abused its discretion in admitting evidence in his second trial. OPINION HOLDS: We affirm Roig Gonzalez’s convictions.