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In the Interest of L.T., Minor Child
A.T., Mother-Appellant
Attorney for Appellant Mother
Dusty Lea Clements
Attorney for Appellee State
Mackenzie Moran, Assistant Attorney General
Guardian ad Litem
Samuel K. Erhardt
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Wapello County, Richelle Mahaffey, Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Schumacher, P.J., and Badding and Chicchelly, JJ. Opinion by Badding, J. (11 pages)
The mother appeals from a juvenile court order terminating her parental rights. She challenges each of the steps in our termination analysis and the court’s denial of her request for more time. OPINION HOLDS: Due to the mother’s long history of using methamphetamine, we find the child could not be returned to her care at the time of the termination hearing and termination is in the child’s best interests. Even though the mother and child shared a close bond, and the mother had recently obtained sobriety, we agree with the juvenile court’s decision to not apply a statutory exception to termination and denial of the mother’s request for additional time.
