In the Interest of D. E.

The mother's lengthy history of drug and alcohol abuse, her inability to provide a stable living environment and her failure to comply with the terms of the reunification plan supported the termination of her parental rights.

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The Henry County Juvenile Court terminated the parental rights of the mother and father of minor child D. E. The mother appeals from the termination order. She argues that there is insufficient evidence to support the juvenile court’s finding that the cause of the child’s deprivation is likely to continue and that a plan designed to reunite her with the child did not meet statutory requirements. The arguments are without merit, and we therefore affirm the juvenile court order. Viewed in the light most favorable to the juvenile court’s disposition,1 the evidence presented at the termination hearing shows that the mother dropped out of school when she was in tenth grade because she was pregnant. She and the child’s father were not married, but were living together when D. E. was born on February 4, 1998. Two weeks later, the father was incarcerated on charges that he had shot an undercover police officer from whom he had attempted to buy illegal drugs. The father was convicted of aggravated assault and attempting to purchase drugs, and was given a 10-year sentence which he was still serving in prison at the time of the termination hearing.

In August 1999, the Department of Family and Children Services became involved with the mother and the then 18-month-old child because of the mother’s substance abuse and unstable living conditions. Over the next several months, the mother continued to test positive for drugs and was unable to provide a stable environment for D. E. She was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol and underage drinking, and was placed on probation. In November 2000, she was arrested on a charge of domestic violence involving the man who is now her husband. That charge was dismissed, but she was found to have violated her DUI probation and was not released from jail until January 2001.

In the Interest of D. E.

The mother's lengthy history of drug and alcohol abuse, her inability to provide a stable living environment and her failure to comply with the terms of the reunification plan supported the termination of her parental rights.

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