Title: MATTER OF DECLARING HENDERSON

State: montana

Issuer: Montana Supreme Court

Document:

No. 12992 I N T H E S U P R E M E C O U R T O F T H E STATE O F M O N T A N A 1975 I N T H E M A T T E R O F DECLARING A L A N BERRY H E N D E R S O N A Dependent and Neglected Child. Appeal from: D i s t r i c t Court of the Eighth J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t , Honorable Truman G. Bradford, Judge presiding. Counsel of Record: For Appellant : McCarvel, Barron and Conner, Great F a l l s , Montana Dennis Conner argued, Great F a l l s , Montana For Respondent : J. Fred Bourdeau, County Attorney, Great F a l l s , Montana Norman L. Newhall 111, Deputy County Attorney, argued, Great F a l l s , Montana Robert Tucker, Great F a l l s , Montana Thomas Mahan, Helena, Montana Submitted: September 24, 1975 Decided: ?\'sV 2 6 1975 - " n Filed: \" :i 2 2 Mr. Justice Frank I. Haswell delivered the Opinion of the Court. This is an appeal by the mother of a sixteen month old child from an order of the district court, Cascade County, de- claring the child to be dependent and neglected and awarding permanent custody to the State Department of Social and Rehabili- tation Services. Appellant Eileen Chambers is the seventeen year old unwed mother of Alan Barry Henderson, Jr. Alan Henderson, the father, is the mother's first cousin. On August 1, 1974, when the child was two weeks old, the parents voluntarily gave temporary custody to the Cascade County Department of Public Welfare. The child was returned to the mother on September 3, 1974, when she established a home for him with the financial assistance of an Aid to Dependent Children grant. On October 10, 1974, the welfare department was requested to pick the child up from the home of a baby sitter. The mother had taken the child to the baby sitter, left for Spokane, Wash- ington and failed to return for the child. The welfare depart- ment filed a petition for temporary custody on October 11, 1974 and the court awarded it temporary custody. The Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services petitioned for permanent custody on November 4, 1974. Following a hearing on the petition, District Judge Truman Bradford on January 17, 1975, held Alan Barry Hender- son to be a dependent and neglected child and awarded custody to the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services with the right to assent to the child's adoption. Only the mother appeals from this judgment. The father does not appeal. The issues presented for review are: 1) Was the infant "dependent" or "neglected" within the meaning of section 10-1301, R.C.M. 1947? 2) Did the district court abuse its discretion in granting the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services permanent custody and the right to assent to the adoption? Section 10-1301, R.C.M. 1947, defines a neglected or dependent child: "(2) 'Abuse' or 'neglect' means: "(a) The commission or omission of any act or acts which materially affect the normal physical or emotional development of a youth, any excessive physical injury, sexual assault or failure to thrive, taking into account the age and medical history of the youth, shall be presumptive of 'material affect' and nonaccidental; or "(b) The commission or omission of any act or acts by any person in the status of parent, guardian or custodian who thereby and by reason of physical or mental incapacity or other cause, refuses, or with state and private aid and assistance is unable to discharge the duties and responsibilities for proper and necessary subsistence, education, medi- cal or any other care necessary for his physical, moral and emotional well-being. "(3) 'Dependent youth' means a youth who is abandoned, dependent upon the public for support, and who is destitute or is without parents or guardian or under the care and supervision of a suitable adult or who has no proper guidance to provide for his necessary physical, moral and emotional well-being. A child- may be considered dependent and legal custody transferred to a licensed agency if the parent or parents voluntarily relinquish custody of said child." (Emphasis supplied.) Section 10-1314, R.C.M. 1947, provides that if a child is found to be abused, dependent or neglected, the district court may transfer legal custody to the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. There is substantial evidence to support the district court's decision that the infant is dependent and neglected. Test- imony at the permanent custody hearing elicited these facts: The mother did not devote sufficient time to care for the baby ade- quately. Her social worker, Mrs. Ford, never saw her pick up, hold, or play with the baby, the infant was either in his crib or not at the apartment. On two occasions Mrs. Ford found the baby overheated and soaked with sweat because a portable heater had been placed too close to his crib. The apartment was always dirty and unkept. One time when Mrs. Ford arrived for an appointment the mother was in bed, two men were hiding in the bathroom and beer cans were strewn around the apartment. These facts are sufficient to establish neglect. The mother did not discharge her duties and responsibilities for the proper and necessary subsistence and care of the child or provide a suitable home and environment for him. The testimony also reveals the mother abandoned the infant by taking him to a baby sitter, who was to care for him for only one night, and then taking off to Spokane, Washington, and not returning for her child. After caring for the infant for two days the baby sitter's mother called the welfare depart- ment and requested that it take over the care of the child. The mother did not return to Great Falls until October 15, 1974, five days after the department assumed responsibility for the child. At that time Mrs. Ford arranged a meeting with her to plan for the child's future, but the mother broke this appoint- ment and went back to Spokane. Mrs. Ford did not hear from her again until November 12, 1974, approximately one month later. During this time the child was dependent upon the Department of Public Welfare for his care and support. This evidence supports a finding of abandonment. In awarding custody the best interests of the child are the paramount concern. In the Matter of Declaring Jones and Peterson Children Dependent and Neglected Children, Mont . , 539 P.2d 1193, 32 St.Rep. 910; In re Olson Children, 164 Mont. 431, 524 P.2d 779; In re Julia Ann Bad Yellow Hair, 162 Mont. 107, 112, 509 P.2d 9. This Court s t a t e d i n I n re Adoption of Biery, 164 Mont. "Whbt i s , o r what is not i n t h e b e s t i n t e r e s t s of t h e c h i l d depends upon t h e f a c t s and circumstances of each case. The r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of deciding custody is a d e l i c a t e one which i s lodged with t h e d i s t r i c t court. The judge hearing o r a l testimony i n such a controversy has a superior advantage i n determining t h e same, and h i s decision ought not t o be disturbed except upon a c l e a r showing of abuse of d i s c r e t i o n . " O n review of t h e proceedings of t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t , we f i n d t h e r e is s u b s t a n t i a l c r e d i b l e evidence t o suppore t h e decision of t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t and t h e r e was no abuse of d i s c r e t i o n . Accordingly, t h e judgment of t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t i s affirmed. Just ice We concur: > ' Chief Justice - ...................................... Associate Justices