Judge finds father abandoned children, grants adoption by stepfather

A Stewart County chancery judge on the record found that Troy Settles had abandoned his minor children and granted their adoption by longtime caregiver Ethan Gumber.

During the hearing, an attorney for the children asked whether Settles had provided financial support; witnesses said payments were inconsistent, with the last recorded payment on Feb. 9 of this year and the last visitation recorded in July 2018. The judge stated, "I find by clear and convincing evidence that under the statutory definitions Mr. Settles has abandoned the minor children," and authorized the adoption to proceed.

Ethan Gumber testified he has been in the children's lives for nine years and that "they're just like my own biological children really. They both call me dad." Family members Greg Zonar and Kyle Anderson also testified they believed the adoption was in the children's best interest. The judge reviewed the rights and duties of adoption with Gumber and found adoption appropriate by the clear-and-convincing evidence standard. The court signed the adoption order, and family members and court staff took photographs in the courtroom following the ruling.

Transcript entries show the court carefully explained that after adoption the children legally become Gumber's children and described the responsibilities he would assume. The record does not show any contemporaneous appeal or a pending challenge to this adoption in the session transcript.