In the Interest of J.S., Minor Child
L.S., Father-Appellant
Attorney for Appellant Father
Ryan J. Mitchell
Attorney for Appellee State
Mary A. Triick, Assistant Attorney General
Guardian ad Litem
Sam K Erhardt
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Wapello County, William Owens, Associate Juvenile Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Doyle, P.J., Greer, J., and Potterfield, S.J. Opinion by Potterfield, S.J. (5 pages)
The father appeals the termination of his parental rights to his child, J.S. The father does not contest the statutory ground for termination. He maintains termination of his rights is not in J.S.’s best interests and argues he should be given additional time to work toward reunification. OPINION HOLDS: The father, who has never been the caretaker of J.S., remained in prison at the time of the termination hearing and did not anticipate being released for at least six months. Even after being released, he will need time to prove he can maintain sobriety outside of an institutional setting. For these reasons, termination of his parental rights is in J.S.’s best interests and additional time is not warranted. We affirm.