Trevor M. v. Alaska Dept. of Health & Social Services, Office of Children’s Services

Maya S. was the three-year-old daughter of Sarah S. and Trevor M. Trevor’s criminal history included a number of assault charges and domestic violence restraining orders involving different victims; he has also struggled with substance abuse.The Office of Children’s Services (OCS) took custody of the young girl due to her mother’s neglect and substance abuse. Trevor had been incarcerated at the time, but on his release he made limited efforts to participate in his case plan. OCS filed a petition to terminate his parental rights, asserting that he had abandoned his daughter, and the superior court granted the petition and terminated his rights. Trevor appealed, arguing that he did not abandon his daughter and that if he did, he was not given enough time to remedy the problem. Because the superior court’s findings were not clearly erroneous, the Alaska Supreme Court affirmed. View "Trevor M. v. Alaska Dept. of Health & Social Services, Office of Children's Services" on Justia Law