State v. M.T.S.

NESBITT, Judge.

M.T.S. was born displaying symptoms of drug withdrawal and there were indications that the infant had sustained brain damage. When the child was only two weeks old, the State of Florida petitioned the circuit court to declare the child a dependent, pursuant to Sections 39.408 — 39.41, Florida Statutes (1979), alleging as a basis for the dependency adjudication that the child was: (a) abandoned; (b) abused; or (c) neglected as those terms are defined by Section 39.01, Florida Statutes (1979).

The initial hearing was continued because the mother was hospitalized due to her mental…