Pubdate: Tue, 24 Apr 2007
Source: Springfield News-Leader (MO)
Copyright: 2007 The Springfield News-Leader
Contact:  http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1129

FATHER LOSES APPEAL IN CUSTODY CASE

A man lost an appeal yesterday to regain parental  custody of his
3-year-old girl in a Greene County  custody case.

According to court documents, the father was convicted  of
distributing a controlled substance near a school  and received five
years of probation. His daughter was  born three months after the
charges in August 2003.

The child was removed from her parents' home in  November 2003 because
she suffered from sleep apnea and  was not getting necessary medical
care.

The father violated his probation in January 2005 after  testing
positive for marijuana and received 12 years in  prison, according to
the documents.

He failed to pay a court-imposed child support of $1 a  month despite
being employed from November 2003 to  April 2005.

The father's attorney argued it was wrong to terminate  his parental
rights because there was insufficient  evidence of abuse or neglect.
Appellate judges  disagreed.

Court documents do not name the father or child.
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MAP posted-by: Derek