In the Termation of the Parent-Child Relationship of: A.P. and T.P. (Minor Children), and J.P. (Mother) v. Indiana Department of Child Services (mem. dec.)

CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 12, 2017
Docket26A01-1702-JT-424
StatusPublished

This text of In the Termation of the Parent-Child Relationship of: A.P. and T.P. (Minor Children), and J.P. (Mother) v. Indiana Department of Child Services (mem. dec.) (In the Termation of the Parent-Child Relationship of: A.P. and T.P. (Minor Children), and J.P. (Mother) v. Indiana Department of Child Services (mem. dec.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In the Termation of the Parent-Child Relationship of: A.P. and T.P. (Minor Children), and J.P. (Mother) v. Indiana Department of Child Services (mem. dec.), (Ind. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION FILED Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), 09/12/2017, 10:59 am

this Memorandum Decision shall not be CLERK Indiana Supreme Court regarded as precedent or cited before any Court of Appeals and Tax Court

court except for the purpose of establishing the defense of res judicata, collateral estoppel, or the law of the case.

ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE Steven E. Ripstra Curtis T. Hill, Jr. Jacob P. Wahl Attorney General of Indiana Ripstra Law Office Jasper, Indiana Abigail R. Recker Deputy Attorney General Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

In the Termination of the Parent- September 12, 2017 Child Relationship of: Court of Appeals Case No. 26A01-1702-JT-424 A.P. and T.P. (Minor Children), Appeal from the Gibson Circuit Court and, The Honorable Jeffrey Fowler Meade, Judge J.P. (Mother), Trial Court Cause No. 26C01-1608-JT-208 Appellant-Respondent, 26C01-1608-JT-209

v.

Indiana Department of Child Services,

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 26A01-1702-JT-424| September 12, 2017 Page 1 of 17 Appellee-Petitioner.

Barnes, Judge.

Case Summary [1] J.P. (“Mother”) appeals the termination of her parental rights to her children,

A.P. and T.P. We affirm.

Issue [2] The sole restated issue before us is whether there is sufficient evidence to

support the termination of Mother’s parental rights.

Facts [3] T.P. was born in 2002, and A.P. was born in 2003. Mother, unfortunately,

suffers from mental illness. In January 2015, she began being receiving

treatment from psychiatrist Dr. Greg Unfried. Mother previously had received

treatment through the facility where Dr. Unfried worked. At Mother’s first visit

with Dr. Unfried, she was “[n]ot [doing] very well.” Tr. Vol. I p. 14. Dr.

Unfried had difficulty obtaining useful information from her because she would

not directly answer his questions. Based on Mother’s prior visits to the facility, Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 26A01-1702-JT-424| September 12, 2017 Page 2 of 17 she was diagnosed with major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (“ADHD”). Later, Dr. Unfried

amended the diagnosis to include borderline personality disorder and post-

traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”). A person with borderline personality

disorder has difficulty maintaining stable relationships. Dr. Unfried continued

Mother on prescriptions for Abilify, Adderall, and Viibryd. Mother also was

prescribed Klonopin from a pain doctor. Abilify is an antipsychotic mood

stabilizer; Viibryd is an antidepressant; Klonopin is an anti-anxiety tranquilizer;

and Adderall is a stimulant used to treat ADHD. Klonopin and Adderall are

both addictive and have a potential for abuse.

[4] The next time Dr. Unfried saw Mother was in February 2015. At that time she

was being hospitalized for mental health issues. She informed Dr. Unfried that

she was suffering from oleander poisoning. After Mother was hospitalized, the

Vanderburgh County Office of the Department of Child Services (“DCS”)

received a report regarding the hospitalization. After receiving the report, DCS

caseworker Robyn Parkhill went to Mother’s home and found the children

being cared for by Mother’s boyfriend, Richard Springs. The home was very

cluttered, with boxes and clothes strewn about and a pathway made between

the living and dining rooms. Springs took the children to the home of Mother’s

parents after Parkhill’s visit. Parkhill also went to speak with Mother at the

hospital, but she was unable to do so for three or four days because of Mother’s

mental state. Parkhill later learned that Mother had ceased taking her

prescribed medication. Additionally, Parkhill learned that Mother frequently

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 26A01-1702-JT-424| September 12, 2017 Page 3 of 17 visited emergency rooms, seeking narcotic pain medication and then leaving

against medical advice if she did not receive it.

[5] DCS filed a petition alleging T.P. and A.P. were CHINS. Mother was released

from the hospital in early March 2015, after a ten-day stay. On May 26, 2015,

the trial court held a fact-finding hearing on the CHINS petition. Mother

apparently left the courtroom during the hearing and before presenting evidence

on her behalf. The trial court then entered a default judgment against Mother

on the CHINS petition. At that time, the trial court also ordered that the

children be removed from the maternal grandparents’ care and placed in foster

care after the grandparents advised the court they could no longer care for the

children. Springs, as the children’s previous custodian, also was ordered to

participate in CHINS services.

[6] In the summer of 2015, Dr. Unfried decided to try prescribing Mother a higher

dosage of Adderall and Klonopin. For a couple of months this treatment

seemed to work, and Mother appeared calmer. However, in September 2015,

Mother again was hospitalized for mental health treatment. Dr. Unfried then

ceased Mother’s Adderall and Klonopin prescriptions, which displeased

Mother, and Mother’s behavior regressed to what Dr. Unfried had originally

observed when he first began treating her. Dr. Unfried was concerned about

Mother’s ability to control her behavior and care for children, given that she

was unable to control her behavior within the structured environment of his

office. Mother “fired” Dr. Unfried as her psychiatrist in October 2015 because

she believed he was “nasty” and lying to her. Id. at 35. Dr. Unfried thought it

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 26A01-1702-JT-424| September 12, 2017 Page 4 of 17 was unlikely there was any additional treatment that could dramatically benefit

Mother that he had not already tried. Mother then began seeing Dr. Williard

Whitehead, another doctor in the practice where Dr. Unfried worked.

[7] After their removal from Mother’s care, it was determined the children needed

counseling services. A.P. initially presented with an adjustment disorder with

anxiety features, but was later believed to have PTSD. T.P. was more guarded

with the counselor and had difficulty expressing emotions, which also is

common in traumatized children. The children’s counselor believed the PTSD

resulted from neglect by Mother, not because of their removal from Mother.

A.P., in particular, described Mother’s behavior as being very erratic and out of

control, including Mother’s waking A.P. up in the middle of the night when

Mother wanted to find drugs to use. A.P. also discussed fights between Mother

and Springs that included Mother physically assaulting Springs; during these

incidents, A.P. would either hide in her closet or go to a neighbor’s house. A.P.

also described marijuana use and prescription pill abuse by Mother. Mother

denied such drug usage, but Springs admitted to past methamphetamine and

marijuana use and tested positive for methamphetamine in January 2016,

which violated his probation for a burglary conviction. Also during the

pendency of the CHINS case, Mother was arrested for operating a vehicle while

intoxicated (“OWI”), and she pled guilty to that charge.

[8] The trial court appointed a court-appointed special advocate (“CASA”). The

CASA went to Mother’s home at least ten times, beginning in September 2015.

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