Pubdate: Tue, 10 Oct 2000
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
Copyright: 2000, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Contact:  414-224-8280
Website: http://www.jsonline.com/
Forum: http://www.jsonline.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimate.cgi
Author: Lisa Sink, of the Journal Sentinel staff

WOMAN IN 'COCAINE MOM' CASE LOSES RIGHTS TO LAST OF 4 SONS

Waukesha County says she still has problems despite years of
rehab

Waukesha - Despite years of some of the best and most expensive drug
abuse treatment and parenting programs in the state, the woman who
prompted the "cocaine mom" law lost her parental rights Monday to the
last of her four children.

"They threw the best at her, helped her along, gave her chance after
chance," said attorney Richard Congdon, who served as guardian ad
litem for the 2 1/2-year-old son who was the subject of Monday's hearing.

"I've never seen the (Health and Human Services) Department do more
for somebody with such little results."

During a court hearing, which was closed to the media, 29-year-old
Angela agreed to give up rights to the youngest of her four sons.
Angela, whose last name isn't being used to protect the identity of
her children, told a reporter she grew tired of fighting the county,
which had pressed for the termination of parental rights.

County officials say she had failed to address her drug addiction and
parental failings.

Waukesha County Circuit Judge J. Mac Davis ruled that the termination
of her parental rights was in the best interest of her son, whose
foster parents want to adopt him.

Angela's mother has legal guardianship of her two oldest sons. Another
son, now 5, previously was adopted by another set of foster parents in
a case that made national headlines. Angela was pregnant with that
child in 1995when the county took her into custody, saying her fetus
needed to be protected from her cocaine abuse.

After the child was born, the state Supreme Court ruled that counties
couldn't take pregnant women into protective custody in such cases.
Later, the Legislature passed a law allowing officials to protect
fetuses by detaining pregnant women who abuse alcohol or drugs.

A judge terminated Angela's parental rights to that son in 1997, just
as another judge did Monday in connection with her youngest child.

Angela didn't easily give up rights to the 2 1/2-year-old, her public
defender, Jean La Tour, said Monday.

"It was a very painful day for her," La Tour said. "It's
difficult."

But others said Angela has no one to blame but herself.

Over the years, Waukesha County spent tens of thousands of dollars on
treatment alone. While on probation for a drug-related charge, a
pregnant Angela entered an inpatient treatment program considered
among the best in the state in 1998 and stayed there for nine months,
much of it after her son was born.

Court documents say she then moved into a halfway house, only to
return to drugs. She was then jailed for violating terms of her
probation. The county also paid for counseling and living expenses for
the woman, who had no job or income.

Due to patient confidentiality laws, county officials cannot say how
much money was spent on Angela over the years. But Congdon said: "I'm
sure it's substantial - a lot of money, not to be crass.

"They had to get special appropriations for it," he
said.

"I'm just happy it's over and it's going to have a happy ending for
the child," Congdon said, noting the boy appeared to be happy and healthy.

La Tour said Angela has, to some extent, improved her
life.

"I think Angela does mean well and is a good person and has worked
hard," La Tour said. "She's had a very difficult life - one that many
people can't understand.

"I think that any time you're dealing with substance abuse problems,
it can often take a long time for them to recover.

"It appears she's still got some hurdles to overcome. But she wants
what's best for her son. She wants to make sure her son is happy,
healthy and stable. This was the best way to ensure his
well-being."

On Monday, Angela almost didn't make it to court.

On her way out of the courthouse after checking on a criminal case
against her, she bumped into a reporter who asked her about her
termination hearing, set to begin within minutes.

"No! That's not today. Oh, my God," she said, running to check the
judge's calendar. Looking at her flannel shirt and sweat pants, she
considered driving home to change her clothes but didn't have time.

After the hearing, the woman, upset and disheveled, quickly ran out of
the courtroom and left with a friend.

Waukesha County Assistant Corporation Counsel Tony Jamieson agreed
that "a lot of services were attempted, but unfortunately it wasn't
successful."

"I think that Angie should be complimented for being able to see
beyond herself and see the best interest of the child," Jamieson said.
"I know this was a difficult decision for her, but I think she came to
the right decision."

The county's relatively quick action to terminate the woman's parental
rights to her youngest two children reflected changing attitudes
toward foster care and adoption, Jamieson said.

"In the past five years, there has been more pressure from the federal
government, through the Adoption and Safe Families Act, that children
don't sit in foster care for a long time," Jamieson said.

Angela's youngest son has been in foster care since January 1999,
according to court records.

She had been given time to meet conditions for his return but failed
miserably, county officials said. In the past 18 months, she has been
charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and obstructing an
officer during a disturbance outside a tavern.

In an 11-page petition requesting the termination of parental rights,
the county detailed allegations of cocaine relapses, failed treatment
and skipped visitations.

Nonetheless, she made it to more visits than she missed, and at times
demonstrated some loving parenting, officials acknowledge.

Jamieson said Angela had given her son gifts during several recent
"farewell visits."

She talked proudly last month of those "goodbye presents" - a stuffed
teddy bear key chain with her son's birthstone and a bicycle a friend
helped her purchase for the child's future use.

"It's hard," she said then. "But I'm tired of fighting this."
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