MEMORANDUM DECISION
FILED
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D),
Apr 02 2019, 10:11 am
this Memorandum Decision shall not be
regarded as precedent or cited before any CLERK
Indiana Supreme Court
court except for the purpose of establishing Court of Appeals
and Tax Court
the defense of res judicata, collateral
estoppel, or the law of the case.
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
Steven J. Halbert Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
Indianapolis, Indiana Attorney General
Abigail R. Recker
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
In re the Termination of the April 2, 2019
Parent-Child Relationship Court of Appeals Case No.
of M.C. (Minor Child) and 18A-JT-2612
M.A.C. (Father) Appeal from the Marion Superior
M.A.C. (Father), Court
The Honorable Marilyn Moores,
Appellant-Respondent,
Judge
v. The Honorable Larry Bradley,
Magistrate
Indiana Department of Child Trial Court Cause No.
Services, 49D09-1805-JT-547
Appellee-Petitioner,
and
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-JT-2612 | April 2, 2019 Page 1 of 11
Child Advocates, Inc.,
Appellee-Guardian ad Litem
Vaidik, Chief Judge.
Case Summary
[1] M.A.C. (“Father”) appeals the termination of his parental rights to his
daughter, M.C. (“Child”). We affirm.
Facts and Procedural History
[2] Father and A.N. (“Mother”) are the biological parents of Child, born in
December 2013. Mother’s parental rights were also terminated; however, she
does not participate in this appeal and we therefore limit our narrative to the
facts relevant to Father.
[3] In December 2015, Father was incarcerated when the Department of Child
Services (DCS) removed Child from Mother’s care. DCS placed Child with
Mother’s parents (“Grandparents”) and filed a petition alleging that Child was
a Child in Need of Services (CHINS). In April 2016, the trial court determined
that Child was a CHINS after Mother admitted the allegations in DCS’s
petition and Father waived his right to a hearing. Following the hearing, the
trial court ordered that Father participate in numerous services, including: a
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-JT-2612 | April 2, 2019 Page 2 of 11
fatherhood-engagement program, a substance-abuse assessment, and drug
screens. Child remained placed with Grandparents.
[4] At some point, Father was released to probation. Then in August 2016, Father
was charged with committing Level 5 felony burglary. See Ex. 30. He later
pled guilty, had his probation revoked, and was re-incarcerated. Father
remained incarcerated until June 2017, when he was placed on work release.
Once on work release, Father attempted to complete a substance-abuse program
at the Willows Center but was unsuccessful. In November, Father was released
to probation and was ordered to complete a substance-abuse program provided
by Veterans’ Affairs, but Father was unsuccessful in that program too. Also,
around that time, Father began exercising parenting time in therapeutic
visitation with Child. Therapeutic visits were going well, and Father was
appropriate during parenting time, so DCS dismissed its previously filed
petition to terminate Father’s parental rights to Child. The trial court then held
a permanency hearing and changed Child’s permanency plan back to
reunification and ordered that Father exercise parenting time in supervised, not
therapeutic, visitation. See Ex. 23.
[5] In January 2018, after Child’s permanency plan was changed back to
reunification, Father relapsed on narcotics and alcohol. See Tr. pp. 21-23. In
March, Father’s supervised-visitation facilitator discharged him for non-
compliance because he had “three consecutive cancellations.” Id. at 52. Then
on April 2, while still on probation, Father was arrested and charged with Level
6 felony unlawful possession of a syringe and Class A misdemeanor operating a
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-JT-2612 | April 2, 2019 Page 3 of 11
vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person in Marion County. The next
day, he was charged with Level 6 felony theft with a prior conviction for theft
or conversion and Class A misdemeanor theft for crimes he allegedly
committed in Hendricks County. Later that month, the trial court held another
permanency hearing and Child’s permanency plan was, once again, changed to
adoption. Thereafter, DCS filed a new petition to terminate Father’s parental
rights to Child.
[6] In August, the trial court held a fact-finding hearing on the termination petition.
At the time, Father was on work release and his new criminal charges were still
pending. See id. at 16, 18-19. During the hearing, Family Case Manager
(FCM) Dajour Crawford testified and stated that Father never completed a
fatherhood-engagement program. FCM Crawford also said that she never
received any drug screens for Father through a DCS referral. Finally, FCM
Crawford testified that she believed that termination of Father’s parental rights
was in Child’s best interest because Father was “given a [second] chance at
reunification” and instead “he engaged in illegal substances as well as in illegal
activities that made him become incarcerated.” Id. at 85. Child’s therapist,
Emma Starks, also testified and said that Father and Child had formed a bond,
and that it would greatly affect Child if Father were to be incarcerated again.
Therapist Starks stated that the “number one key for [Child] right now” is
“consistency.” Id. at 49. Guardian ad litem (GAL) Ed Walker testified and
recommended termination of Father’s parental rights because he believed that
Father’s “substance issue . . . hasn’t been remedied at this point.” Id. at 96-97.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-JT-2612 | April 2, 2019 Page 4 of 11
Father also testified and said that he completed a substance-abuse program
through Cummins a month before the hearing, that he was four weeks into a
subsequent program called “Lasting Recovery,” and that he planned to attend
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after he completed the Lasting Recovery
program. Id. at 119-21. Father acknowledged that the last time he lived with
Child was in 2014 but said that he had been consistently visiting Child twice a
week since May 2018. See id. at 19, 29.
[7] In September 2018, the trial court issued an order terminating Father’s parental
rights to Child. The order provides, in relevant part:
12. There is no evidence that [Father] ever submitted to [DCS]
random drug screens.
*****
14. A month prior to trial in this matter, [Father] had completed
the first part of an intensive outpatient substance abuse program
and was attending aftercare within his work release environment.
He was also attending AA meetings.
15. [Father’s] last relapse was as [recent] as April 2018, three to
four months prior to this trial.
16. [Father] participated in Father Engagement beginning in
March of 2017, while he was incarcerated. Although he first
accomplished a lot, his compliance dropped off a few months
after his release from incarceration and he stopped participating,
resulting in being discharged unsuccessfully.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-JT-2612 | April 2, 2019 Page 5 of 11
*****
26. [Father] has obtained a criminal conviction record of at least
five felonies within the last five years.
*****
28. [Father] has had parenting time sporadically during the
CHINS case, and since the end of May 2018 has consistently
visited twice weekly.
29. [Father’s] parenting time had previously been closed in
March of 2018, due to noncompliance.
*****
32. Upon [Father’s] release from jail in 2017, [DCS] dismissed
his pending termination of parental rights case to give him
another chance to work toward reunification, and on January 17,
2018, [Child’s] plan for permanency was changed back to
reunification.
33. On April 18, 2018, [Child’s] permanency plan returned to
adoption with the CHINS Court finding, in-part, that [Father]
had been arrested for drug related charges and admitted to
overdosing, and that he had not been engaged in services since
March. [Father] failed to appear at this hearing.
34. [Father] failed to work with the family case manager to set
up a child and family team meeting to discuss the case after
[Child’s] permanency plan was changed to reunification.
*****
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-JT-2612 | April 2, 2019 Page 6 of 11
42. There is a reasonable probability that the conditions that
resulted in [Child’s] removal and continued placement outside
the home will not be remedied by [Father]. [Father] has
participated in some services late in the CHINS case. He has not
participated in all services and has failed to exercise all his
parenting time opportunities. After given a final chance at
reunification he obtained two new felony cases which are
pending and which could affect his current probation. 1 He also
made the choice to relapse a few months prior to this trial.
43. There is a reasonable probability that the continuation of the
parent-child relationship poses a threat to [Child’s] well-being in
that it would pose as a barrier to obtaining permanency for her
through an adoption when [Father] has demonstrated a pattern
of making poor choices that keeps from being in a position to
offer permanency and parent.
Appellant’s App. Vol. II pp. 54-55.
[8] Father now appeals.
Discussion and Decision
[9] When reviewing the termination of parental rights, we do not reweigh the
evidence or judge witness credibility. In re K.T.K., 989 N.E.2d 1225, 1229 (Ind.
2013). Rather, we consider only the evidence and reasonable inferences that
1
Father later pled guilty to committing Level 6 felony theft with a prior conviction for theft or conversion in
Hendricks County and was sentenced to 545 days. See 32D05-1804-F6-000318. Father’s Marion County
charges are still pending, and a change of plea hearing is scheduled for May 20, 2019. See 49G25-1804-F6-
010866.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-JT-2612 | April 2, 2019 Page 7 of 11
are most favorable to the judgment of the trial court. Id. When a trial court has
entered findings of fact and conclusions, we will not set aside the trial court’s
findings or judgment unless clearly erroneous. Id. To determine whether a
judgment terminating parental rights is clearly erroneous, we review whether
the evidence supports the trial court’s findings and whether the findings support
the judgment. In re V.A., 51 N.E.3d 1140, 1143 (Ind. 2016).
[10] A petition to terminate parental rights must allege, among other things:
(B) that one (1) of the following is true:
(i) There is a reasonable probability that the conditions
that resulted in the child’s removal or the reasons for
placement outside the home of the parents will not be
remedied.
(ii) There is a reasonable probability that the continuation
of the parent-child relationship poses a threat to the well-
being of the child.
(iii) The child has, on two (2) separate occasions, been
adjudicated a child in need of services;
(C) that termination is in the best interests of the child; and
(D) that there is a satisfactory plan for the care and treatment of
the child.
Ind. Code § 31-35-2-4(b)(2). DCS must prove the alleged circumstances by
clear and convincing evidence. In re K.T.K., 989 N.E.2d at 1231. If the court
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-JT-2612 | April 2, 2019 Page 8 of 11
finds that the allegations in a petition are true, the court shall terminate the
parent-child relationship. Ind. Code § 31-35-2-8(a).
[11] Father challenges the trial court’s conclusion that there is a reasonable
probability that the conditions that resulted in Child’s removal and continued
placement outside the home will not be remedied. He specifically contends that
the trial court erred by terminating his parental rights for issues “related to
[Child’s] ‘continued’ placement outside [his] home, rather than [Child’s]
‘initial’ placement” outside his home, and that the trial court’s “distortion of the
statute renders the termination process to be a foregone conclusion and violates
the parent’s due process right to receive a fundamentally fair hearing.”
Appellant’s Br. p. 9.
[12] In determining whether the conditions that resulted in a child’s removal will not
be remedied, the trial court engages in a two-step analysis. First, the trial court
must ascertain what conditions led to their placement and retention in foster
care. In re K.T.K., 989 N.E.2d at 1231; see also In re D.K., 968 N.E.2d 792, 798
(Ind. Ct. App. 2012) (“a court may consider not only the basis for a child’s
initial removal from the parent’s care, but also any reasons for a child’s
continued placement away from the parent”); In re A.I., 825 N.E.2d 798, 806
(Ind. Ct. App. 2005) (“it is not just the basis for the initial removal of the child
that may be considered for the purposes of determining whether a parent’s
rights should be terminated, but also those bases resulting in the continued
placement outside of the home”), trans. denied. Second, the trial court
determines whether there is a reasonable probability that those conditions will
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-JT-2612 | April 2, 2019 Page 9 of 11
not be remedied. In re K.T.K., 989 N.E.2d at 1231. “The trial court must
consider a parent’s habitual pattern of conduct to determine whether there is a
substantial probability of future neglect or deprivation.” Id. Trial courts have
discretion to weigh a parent’s prior history more heavily than efforts made only
shortly before termination, and the court may find that a parent’s past behavior
is the best predictor of his future behavior. In re A.W., 62 N.E.3d 1267, 1273
(Ind. Ct. App. 2016).
[13] Here, Father failed to demonstrate that he was any closer to providing Child a
safe, stable home than he was at the beginning of the CHINS case. The
evidence shows that Father was incarcerated when Child was removed, that he
has been incarcerated intermittently throughout Child’s life, that he did not
complete a fatherhood-engagement program, that he did not submit drug
screens to DCS, and that in April 2018 he was charged with committing four
new criminal offenses, two of which are felonies. The trial court’s unchallenged
findings on this issue support its conclusion that the conditions resulting in
Child’s removal will not be remedied. See, e.g., In re E.M., 4 N.E.3d 636, 644
(Ind. 2014) (findings regarding father’s continued non-compliance with services
support trial court’s conclusion that conditions resulting in children’s removal
from father’s care would not be remedied). To the extent that Father argues
that he recently attempted to engage in services by completing a substance-
abuse program through Cummins, we applaud him in his attempt to free
himself from addiction. However, the trial court was well within its discretion
to disregard the efforts Father made only shortly before termination and to
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-JT-2612 | April 2, 2019 Page 10 of 11
weigh more heavily his history of conduct. See In re K.TK., 989 N.E.2d at 1234.
Accordingly, the trial court did not err when it concluded that there is a
reasonable probability that the conditions resulting in Child’s removal and
continued placement outside the home will not be remedied.2
[14] Affirmed.
Kirsch, J., and Altice, J., concur.
2
Because we affirm the trial court’s conclusion that there is a reasonable probability that the conditions that
resulted in Child’s removal will not be remedied, we do not address its alternate conclusion that there is a
reasonable probability that the continuation of the parent-child relationship poses a threat to the well-being of
Child. See In re A.G., 45 N.E.3d 471, 478 (Ind. Ct. App. 2015) (Indiana Code section 31-35-2-4(b)(2)(B) is
written in the disjunctive and requires the trial court to find only one of the two requirements of subsection
(B) has been established by clear and convincing evidence), trans. denied.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-JT-2612 | April 2, 2019 Page 11 of 11