In re Hunter T.

Syllabus

The respondent father appealed from the trial court's judgment adjudicat- ing his minor child neglected and committing the child to the custody of the petitioner, the Commissioner of Children and Families. The father claimed, inter alia, that the court improperly determined that the commitment of the child to the petitioner was in the child's best interest. Held: The trial court did not abuse its discretion in determining that committing the child to the custody of the petitioner, rather than the respondent father, was in the child's best interest, as the court could have reasonably relied on its factual findings, including the fact that the father previously had been convicted of risk of injury to a child in connection with a sexual offense and was reported to have a moderate risk of reoffending, and those findings were supported by the evidence in the record. Argued February 9—officially released May 12, 2026