IN RE SLOANE/ZACHERY MINORS
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STATE OF MICHIGAN
COURT OF APPEALS
In the Matter of DOUGLAS ALLEN IVORY
SLOANE, DARIUS MONTEL SLOANE,
DAJANIQUE MICHELLE SLOANE, and
DWAYNE ZACKERY, JR., Minors.
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES,
UNPUBLISHED
April 24, 2008
Petitioner-Appellee,
v
No. 281070
Wayne Circuit Court
Family Division
LC No. 07-463685-NA
KATRINA SHERICE SLOANE,
Respondent-Appellant,
and
CURTIS LEWIS and MARCO JOHNSON,
Respondents.
In the Matter of DOUGLAS ALLEN IVORY
SLOANE, DARIUS MONTEL SLOANE,
DAJANIQUE MICHELLE SLOANE, and
DWAYNE ZACKERY, JR., Minors.
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES,
Petitioner-Appellee,
v
No. 281071
Wayne Circuit Court
Family Division
LC No. 07-463685-NA
MARCO JOHNSON,
Respondent-Appellant,
and
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KATRINA SHERICE SLOANE and CURTIS
LEWIS,
Respondents.
Before: Bandstra, P.J., and Fitzgerald and Markey, JJ.
PER CURIAM.
In these consolidated appeals, respondent Katrina Sherice Sloane appeals by right the
order of the trial court terminating her parental rights to her four minor children pursuant to MCL
712A.19b(3)(b)(i), (b)(ii), (g), (j), and (k)(iii), and respondent Marco Johnson appeals by right
the termination of his parental rights to his daughter Dajanique pursuant to the same subsections
and MCL 712A.19b(3)(k)(ii). We affirm. These appeals are being decided without oral
argument pursuant to MCR 7.214(E).
The trial court did not clearly err in finding that statutory grounds for termination were
established by clear and convincing evidence. MCR 3.977(J); In re Miller, 433 Mich 331, 337;
445 NW2d 161 (1989); In re Fried, 266 Mich App 535, 540-541; 702 NW2d 192 (2005). The
record indicates that both respondents physically abused and injured the three boys by burning
them with cigarettes and that respondent Sloane also whipped them with a belt. Respondent
Johnson sexually abused the three boys and threatened to kill the oldest boy if he told of the
abuse. When the child did report the sexual abuse to respondent Sloane, she whipped him with a
belt. Neither respondent protected the children from the cruelty, abuse, and injury of the other
respondent. We reject respondents’ arguments that the reports of abuse by the children were not
credible. On the contrary, the oldest child described the abuse consistently and in detail on
separate occasions to a forensic interviewer, a child protective services worker, an examining
nurse, and an examining pediatrician, and the scars on the children were consistent with their
reports of cigarette burns and whippings.
Furthermore, respondent Johnson was engaged in illegal drug trafficking from the home
in which all of the children lived. The police found the children in the home during a drug raid
in which the police discovered large quantities of heroin, cocaine, and marijuana packaged for
resale on the living room coffee table and on the kitchen table, as well as a gun within reach of
the children. At the time of the police raid, respondent Sloane had left the children in the care of
respondent Johnson although she was well aware of his illegal drug operation and of his abuse of
the children. In addition, when the children were removed from the home they were dirty,
hungry, and in serious need of dental care.
Based on the same clear and convincing evidence we hold that the record also supports
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the trial court’s finding that termination was not contrary to the best interests of the children.
MCL 712A.19b(5); In re Trejo, 462 Mich 341, 354, 356-357; 612 NW2d 407 (2000).
We affirm.
/s/ Richard A. Bandstra
/s/ E. Thomas Fitzgerald
/s/ Jane E. Markey
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