Stacey v. Manning

INGRAM, Presiding Judge.

Charles Randall Manning,, the stepfather, filed a petition for the adoption of Shannon *1062Terry Stacey in the probate court of Monroe County. Following a hearing, the probate court determined that Melvin Tharrell Stacey, the natural father, abandoned the minor child and granted the petition for adoption. The natural father appeals.

The dispositive issue here is whether the evidence supports the probate court’s finding that the natural father abandoned his child, therefore negating the need for his consent to the child’s adoption.

Section 26-10-3, Ala.Code 1975, provides, in…