Legal Question in Family Law in Indiana
I have joint legal custody of my daughter, D. D is 14. D has always lived with her mom. I have parenting time according to Indiana guidelines. D�s mom has always dated shady men. D has a little sister, A. A�s father M, just got out of prison. Before M went to prison D, A and their mother lived with him. Once he was sentenced to a year in prison D�s mom started dating a new guy S. This guy was charged with felony abuse and neglect. He was putting a blanket and his hand over infants� mouths to get them to stop crying. S wasn�t convicted because he was able to give the cops a list of people who they thought were more interesting. D�s mom has now married S. Last week he was charged with felony theft. D�s mom was with S when he committed the theft. Although she was not on the security tapes so she wasn�t charged. According to D�s mom S has �made amends with the owner, he will not be convicted and it wasn�t a matter concerning D�s safety so I needn�t be concerned.� In addition to the men my daughter has been/is exposed to, I have concerns about the parental involvement and presence that seem nonexistent at her mom�s house. D was caught sexting, at her mom�s last year. D has told me multiple times that she doesn�t feel she has any time to herself because she watches her sister before and after school. This summer D told me her mom sent her to the store to pick something up at 11 at night. I personally have seen D on the highway walking home. I always stop and take her home of course. D was caught sexting at her mom�s house last year. She and her mother tried to hide it from me until a mutual acquaintance informed me she saw the photo on her daughter�s phone, because the photo had been passed around school. That is just one instance of her mom failing to keep me informed of D�s well-being and behavior. D�s counselor has told me that D would be better off living with me, however D will never choose to live with me because she is very protective of her mother and she has a much stronger bond with her mom than she does with me. My question is this, with the people D is exposed to, the counselor�s opinion, D�s behavior, her mother�s lack of involvement or concern, her mother�s inability to inform me of major goings-on in D�s life would I have any chance of getting custody modified to any extent? What does �the best interest of the child� really mean in the state of Indiana?