State ex rel. Juvenile Department v. H. B. D.

Appellant challenges a juvenile court order committing his four-year-old daughter to the legal custody of Children’s Services Division (CSD). He contends that the court erred in finding that it has jurisdiction, in awarding custody to CSD and in ordering that a petition be filed to terminate appellant’s parental rights. We modify the order to delete its direction to file a petition to terminate parental rights; as so modified, we affirm.

When the child was three, her father shot and killed her mother. Appellant entered a “no-contest” plea to first degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 17…