Opinion ID: 2011173
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: M.D., Jr.'s History.

Text: M.D., Jr. was born on October 13, 1990. His mother was a cocaine addict and abused cocaine during her pregnancy; M.D., Jr. tested positive for cocaine at birth. His father has been incarcerated for robbery and for indecent liberties with a minor, and has been hospitalized for serious psychological problems, which have resulted in several suicide attempts, homicidal ideation, and threatening conduct. During the first seven months of his life, M.D., Jr. lived with both of his parents. His mother continued to use crack cocaine, and his father, who was unemployed for most of this period, attempted to care for him. [1] When the father found occasional work as a janitor, however, he left M.D., Jr. with the mother. As the trial judge expressly found, periodic child care from a cocaine-abusing mother simply was not best for the infant. In May, 1991, the mother left M.D., Jr. with a neighbor whom the judge later described as an unwilling caretaker. The father decided he was going to go to work, rather than stay at home with the baby. Accordingly, the father surrendered M.D., Jr. to a police officer, who took him to the Department of Human Services (DHS). Two weeks later, the parents signed an agreement voluntarily placing M.D., Jr. with DHS for a period of ninety days. The agreement provided that at the end of this period, M.D., Jr. was to be returned to the parents unless the agency instituted neglect proceedings. In September, 1991, DHS did file a neglect complaint, and M.D., Jr. was subsequently committed to the custody of the agency by order of the Superior Court. Upon being delivered to DHS, M.D., Jr. was placed at St. Ann's Infant and Maternity Home. He initially experienced periods of inconsolable crying often associated with prenatal exposure to cocaine. [2] He received specialized treatment at St. Ann's, and his condition gradually improved. In February, 1992, M.D., Jr. was introduced to appellant L.L., the foster mother. On February 22, following a weekend visit, he was placed in L.L.'s home. He has lived there ever since. During the time that M.D., Jr. has been in the care of DHS, the father has visited him somewhat intermittently; [3] the mother has come even less frequently. The judge found that, as between father and son, most or all of the visits went very well. The father was, however, boisterous and argumentative with social workers, [4] and his threat against one of them resulted in his being barred from the For Love of Children (FLOC) building. The father agreed to participate in drug testing and to register for outpatient treatment at St. Elizabeths Hospital but, as the judge expressly found, he did not comply.