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APPEAL
FROM THE GREENE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT [NO. 28JV-17-120],
HONORABLE BARBARA HALSEY, JUDGE
Tina
Bowers Lee, Arkansas Public Defender Commission, for
appellant Amber Boomhower.
Katalina Wyninger, Alma, for appellant Mark Hosier.
Andrew
Firth, Office of Chief Counsel, for appellee.
Chrestman
Group, PLLC, by: Keith L. Chrestman, attorney ad litem for
minor children.
OPINION
MIKE
MURPHY, Judge
Appellants Amber Boomhower and Mark Hosier appeal from the
November 14, 2018 order of the Greene County Circuit Court
terminating their parental rights to their children. Both
Boomhower and Hosier challenge the circuit courts findings
on statutory grounds for termination and best interest. We
find no error and affirm.
I.
Procedural Facts and History
Boomhower is the mother of WH (born 11/13/2006), LJ (born
8/10/2008), and MH (born 1/23/2015). Hosier is the legal
father of MH and legal custodian of WH. LJs legal father is
not a party to this appeal. Boomhower and Hosier have a
history of involvement with the Arkansas Department of Human
Services (Department) dating back to April 9, 2013. In 2014,
WH and MH spent three months in foster care,
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and the Department provided the family with various services
including cleaning and teaching the parents how to clean. In
September 2016, there was a true finding of environmental
neglect. When the Department filed its petition for emergency
custody, a protective-services case had been open since
November 16, 2016, due to environmental neglect.
On
April 7, 2017, the Department exercised an emergency hold on
the juveniles and filed a petition for emergency custody and
dependency-neglect five days later. In the attached
affidavit, the family-service worker averred that since the
November 2016 protective-services case was opened, the home
remained cluttered, the children continued to miss school,
and the children were not assessed for mental-health
services. The circuit court entered an ex parte order of
emergency custody on April 12. On May 4, the circuit court
held a probable-cause hearing, and it found that probable
cause existed for the children to remain in the Departments
custody.
On
June 5, 2017, the circuit court held an adjudication hearing,
and the parties stipulated to a finding the children were
dependent-neglected due to environmental neglect. The circuit
court established a goal of reunification. Boomhower and
Hosier were ordered to comply with the standard welfare
...