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IN RE: THE WARDSHIP OF J.C. D.D., Appellant-Respondent
vs.
ALLEN COUNTY OFFICE OF FAMILY AND CHILDREN, Appellee-Petitioner.
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Issues:
Drug testing, parental rights.
Case Summary:
A father appeals a lower court's decision to terminate his parental rights to his son. The father originally submitted his son to the custody of Allen County officials because he anticipated being arrested by local authorities. When the father was released from police custody, he attempted to regain custody of his son. Social service personnel established a plan for helping the father re-establish himself and maintain custody of his son. The plan called for counseling and treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. The father failed to comply with the plan, and public officials petitioned the court to terminate the father's parental rights.
Decision of lower jurisdiction:
The Superior Court of Allen County ordered a termination of the father's parental rights. The court ruled that the father failed to make a substantive effort to meet the conditions of the custody agreement. The father now appeals.
Outcome:
The father loses. The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling of the lower jurisdiction.