Ingle v. Ark. Dep't of Human Servs.

• Decision Date: 13 November 2014
• Docket Number: No. CV–14–612.,CV–14–612.
• Court: Arkansas Supreme Court
• Parties: Tonia INGLE, Appellant v. ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, Appellee.

2014 Ark. 471

449 S.W.3d 283

Tonia INGLE, Appellant

v.ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, Appellee.

No. CV–14–612.

Supreme Court of Arkansas.

Nov. 13, 2014.

Leah Lanford, Arkansas Public Defender Commission, for appellant.

Tabitha Baertels McNulty, Office of Policy and Legal Services; and Chrestman Group, PLLC, by: Keith Chrestman, for appellees.

Opinion

COURTNEY HUDSON GOODSON, Justice.

Appellant Tonia Ingle appeals the order entered by the Washington County Circuit Court awarding permanent custody of her son C.N. to his father, Jason Neal. For reversal, Ingle contends that the circuit court failed to abide by this court's mandate issued in the previous appeal; that the proceedings were not conducted in accordance with the Arkansas Juvenile Code; and that the circuit court's decision is not supported by the evidence. Our jurisdiction is pursuant to Arkansas Supreme Court Rule 1–2(a)(7), as this is a second or subsequent appeal following an appeal that has been decided by this court. We affirm the circuit court's decision.

The record reflects that this case began in May 2012 when appellee, the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS), obtained an emergency order for custody of C.N. upon Ingle's arrest on drug-related charges. At the probable-cause hearing, the circuit court placed C.N. in Neal's temporary custody. The circuit court subsequently declared that C.N. was dependent-neglected, and the court continued the placement of the child in Neal's custody. At the six-month review hearing, the circuit court abruptly awarded Neal permanent custody of C.N. and closed the case. Ingle appealed to the court of appeals, which affirmed the circuit court's decision. Ingle v. Ark. Dep't of Human Servs., 2013 Ark. App. 418, 2013 WL 3089035. This court accepted Ingle's petition for review, and we reversed and remanded, directing the circuit court to return C.N. to Ingle's custody. Ingle v. Ark. Dep't of Human Servs., 2014 Ark. 53, 431 S.W.3d 303. In so holding, we stated the following:

Of course, this court cannot know what has transpired since the circuit court entered its order vesting custody in Neal. If facts have developed during the pendency of the appeal that would cause serious concern about returning C.N. to Ingle's care, any party may file a petition requesting the circuit court to address those matters.

Id. at 9, 431 S.W.3d at 308.

The clerk of this court issued the mandate on February 19, 2014. On February 28, 2014, DHS filed a petition requesting an emergency hearing. In reference to the above-quoted language from this court's opinion in Ingle, DHS asserted that issues of grave concern had arisen during the pendency of the appeal. Specifically, DHS alleged that Ingle had been charged with six felony offenses and that she had given notice that she was asserting the defense of mental disease or defect to those charges. The circuit court set a hearing for March 12, 2014, but the court entered an order continuing the matter until April 16, 2014, due to DHS's inability to locate Neal.

At the hearing, DHS presented the testimony of Nirika Morris, the Washington County supervisor for the Department of Children and Family Services. Morris had recently visited Neal's home, and she testified that it was clean and appropriate for C.N.'s needs. She had observed C.N. at play in his bedroom and said that C.N. appeared to be comfortable and at home in Neal's care. Morris also stated that C.N. interacted well with the other children in the home and that C.N. was particularly close to his stepbrother. Morris testified that Ingle's visitation with C.N. had been infrequent and irregular since the last custody order. She said that Ingle had given birth to a son during the pendency of the case and that Ingle no longer had custody of that child. Morris expressed concerns about C.N.'s health and safely should he be returned to Ingle's custody. She recommended that C.N. remain in Neal's care.

DHS also introduced into evidence the felony informations charging Ingle with possession of a controlled substance (hydrocodone), filed on April 4, 2013; possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), possession of drug paraphernalia (glass pipe), and aggravated robbery (based on the allegation that Ingle brandished a BB gun in order to steal a wallet), filed on June 13, 2013; and possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), and furnishing a prohibited article into a correctional facility (methamphetamine), filed on February 21, 2013. The circuit court also allowed the admission of an “Order for Fitness to Proceed,” suspending the criminal proceedings regarding the charges filed on April 4 and June 13, 2013, because Ingle had given notice that she intended to assert the defense of mental disease or defect. DHS also introduced an order setting those charges for trial on April 28, 2014.

Neal also testified at the hearing. He stated that C.N. had been living with him for almost two years and that the child had adjusted well to the arrangement. Neal said that, in addition to C.N., his household included his wife, their one-year-old daughter, and his wife's son, who was roughly the same age as C.N. He testified that the boys were best friends. Neal further testified that substantial time periods would pass when he did not hear from Ingle and that she had exercised visitation with C.N. only five times in the past eighteen months. Neal stated that his desire was for C.N. to remain in his custody. He said that he had concerns about Ingle with regard to her lifestyle, which included drugs and “partying.”

In her testimony, Ingle stated that there were no serious concerns about C.N. being returned to her custody. She testified that she worked full-time as a supervisor and that she was involved in her church. Ingle denied that she used drugs and said that she had passed a drug test at the March 12, 2013 hearing that had been continued. She acknowledged that she had visited C.N. only five or six times since November 2012. Ingle stated, however, that Neal did not always respond to her text messages, that his phone was sometimes turned off, and that he had no voice mail. She also said that Neal had moved without her knowledge. As another reason for not exercising visitation, Ingle testified that, due to his advanced age, her father could no longer supervise visitation with C.N., as ordered by the circuit court. She also stated that she frequently visited her other son, who had been placed in foster care after her arrest on the aggravated-robbery charge.

In addition, Ingle testified that the charges pending against her were being dismissed. She maintained that one possession-of-methamphetamine charge was false because the substance the officers discovered was acrylic and not methamphetamine. With regard to the other charge of possession of methamphetamine and furnishing a prohibited article, Ingle claimed that the substance was placed in her belongings by another inmate in the jail. She also denied that she robbed anyone.

In its ruling from the bench, the circuit court expressed serious concerns about placing C.N. in Ingle's custody. The court found that Ingle had been arrested twice in the past year. The court also considered the serious charges pending against Ingle and the fact that she was asserting the defense of mental disease or defect. The circuit court also noted that Ingle's other child had been removed from her custody following her arrest. The court found that placing C.N. in Ingle's care was not safe and would put the child in harm's way and that it would be detrimental to the child to remove him from Neal's home where he was doing well. The circuit court incorporated its findings in an order dated April 18, 2014, and an amended order entered on April 28, 2014. This timely appeal followed.

Ingle's first argument for reversal is that the circuit court violated the mandate of this court issued in the prior appeal. She contends that the mandate required the immediate return of C.N. to her custody and that the circuit court exceeded its authority by entertaining DHS's petition and conducting the hearing. DHS responds that the circuit court's actions were appropriate and complied with this court's directives because our instructions on remand invited the filing of a petition to address serious concerns before custody was returned to Ingle.

The mandate is the official notice of action of the appellate court, directed to the court below, advising that court of the action taken by the appellate court, and directing the lower court to have the appellate court's judgment duly recognized, obeyed, and executed. Johnson v. Cincinnati Ins. Co., 375 Ark. 164, 289 S.W.3d 407 (2008). We have long held that the inferior court, upon remand, must execute the mandate. Wal–Mart Stores, Inc. v. Regions Bank Trust Dep't, 356 Ark. 494, 156 S.W.3d 249 (2004). Under the mandate rule, “an inferior court has no power or authority to deviate from the mandate issued by an appellate court.” Dolphin v. Wilson, 335 Ark. 113, 118, 983 S.W.2d 113, 115 (1998). Thus, a lower court is bound by the judgment or decree of a higher court as law of the case and must carry the decision of the higher court into execution pursuant to the mandate issued by that court. Pro–Comp Mgmt., Inc. v. R.K. Enters., LLC, 366 Ark. 463, 237 S.W.3d 20 (2006). The lower court may not vary the decision or judicially examine it for any purpose other than execution. Smith v. AJ & K Operating Co., 365 Ark. 229, 227 S.W.3d 899 (2006).

We have also observed that the “lower court is vested with jurisdiction only to the extent conferred by the appellate court's opinion and mandate.” City of Dover v. Barton, 342 Ark. 521, 525, 29 S.W.3d 698, 700 (2000) (quoting Dolphin, 335 Ark. at 118, 983 S.W.2d at 115 ). Therefore, the question of whether the lower court followed the mandate is not simply one of whether the lower court was correct in its construction of the case, but also involves a question of the...