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Case No. 19-2092

For summaries from opinions prior to August, 2018, view PDF versions here

In the Interest of A.D., Minor Child

D.D., Father-Appellant

Attorney for Appellant Father

Dale Mays

Attorney for Appellee State

Meredith L. Lamberti, Assistant Attorney General

Guardian ad Litem

Paul White

Court of Appeals

Court of Appeals Opinion

Opinion Number:
19-2092
Date Published:
Mar 04, 2020
Summary

            Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Colin J. Witt, District Associate Judge.  AFFIRMED.  Considered by Tabor, P.J., and Mullins and Schumacher, JJ.  Opinion by Tabor, P.J.  (6 pages)

            A father appeals the termination of his parental rights to his three-year-old daughter.  He contends the juvenile court should have given him an additional six months to work toward reunification and it was not in his daughter’s best interests to terminate his rights.  OPINION HOLDS: A.D. has spent two of her three years of life outside of the father’s care.  After a previous child-in-need-of-assistance case was closed, the father had a severe relapse into alcoholism, resulting in A.D. being inadequately supervised.  Although the father has made recent efforts toward sobriety and stability, we are not convinced he has demonstrated his ability to maintain long-term sobriety outside the prison or treatment setting.  Under these circumstances, we are not confident the need for removal would no longer exist in six months.  We further find it was in A.D.’s best interests to terminate the father’s rights and pursue a permanent home for her after so long out of his care.  We affirm. 

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