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Case No. 20-0595

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:
20-0595
Date Published:
Aug 05, 2020
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.

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