Cebu_4_2
8th April 2015, 03:23 PM
Woman says she was assaulted by deputies when pregnant
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/daa5a9e6f3ea4cdfba53e0489a8b87f9cfe8de2d/c=0-24-399-556&r=537&c=0-0-534-712/local/-/media/2015/04/06/WFAA/WFAA/635639244492338701-Deanna-Jo-Robinson.jpg
(Photo: Hunt Co. Sheriff's Office)
A Hunt County Sheriff's deputy is under investigation after a video posted online over the weekend appears to show him hitting a woman in her ninth month of pregnancy.
Video of the violent March 4 confrontation shows the deputy hitting Deanna Robinson at least once as he and another officer push the woman into a kitchen counter at her parents' home in Quinlan.
A link to the YouTube video appears at the end of this report.
Robinson, 38, was arrested on charges of resisting arrest, assault on a public servant, and interference with child custody. She was held in the Hunt County Jail for about six days.
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/98e6485e0e220bab5e8cb5b97e07de7b15f704fd/c=849-273-1918-1077&r=x383&c=540x380/local/-/media/2015/04/06/WFAA/WFAA/635639512924641822-0406-deputy-pregnant03.jpg
A surveillance camera video posted on YouTube appears to show a Hunt County deputy striking Deanna Robinson at her parents' Quinlan home on March 4, 2015. (Photo: YouTube)
Child Protective Services officials, accompanied by sheriff's deputies, had come to the home of Robinson's parents to remove her 18-month-old son Landry.
In an interview at her attorneys' office on Monday, the decorated Air Force veteran said she was handcuffed when the officer repeatedly hit her.
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/4e017c372fc5b1482d97308c64937382692ae18c/c=294-0-1726-1077&r=x383&c=540x380/local/-/media/2015/04/06/WFAA/WFAA/635639510052351410-0406-deputy-pregnant01.jpg
Deanna Jo Robinson offered her version of the events that took place at her parents' home in Quinlan on March 4, 2015. (Photo: WFAA)
"I'm 38 weeks pregnant, and with my stomach again repeatedly pressed into that counter, and with my 18-month old son watching his mother be assaulted, and him screaming in fear," Robinson said. "There's nothing that warrants what they did to me."
Her toddler — along with her three stepchildren ranging in age from six to nine — are currently in temporary CPS custody. Her infant son, Levi, was born in mid-March and is being cared for by her parents.
http://wfaa-download.edgesuite.net/video/25381777/25381777_Still.jpg
The Hunt County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a video was posted online that allegedly shows deputies assaulting a woman inside a home.
Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks posted a statement on the department's Facebook page after the video went viral. The statement said he takes all allegations of misconduct seriously, and that he had opened an administrative investigation to determine "if any violations occurred."
The statement promised the results of investigation would be made public.
Sheriff's officials said they have received dozens of calls about the video. Hundreds of people took to the department's Facebook page to express outrage about the deputy's alleged actions, and protesters have been standing at intersections urging others to view the online video.
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/2a8ce5480d8edac1ebbd5d397fa1c720d364e213/c=341-678-1623-2387&r=183&c=0-0-180-238/local/-/media/2015/04/06/WFAA/WFAA/635639506390539937-0406-quinlan-protest01.jpg
Protesters in Quinlan urge others to view an online video that appears to show a deputy hitting a pregnant woman. (Photo: Tanya Eiserer / WFAA)
"There's no reason in my mind that an officer should pull his hand up above his body and hit a pregnant woman multiple times," said Carol Gustin, one of Robinson's attorneys. "Law officers are there to protect and serve. Where was the protection for her and this baby?"
Robinson acknowledged that she and her husband recently have had a turbulent marriage.
She is a native of Quinlan who was on active duty from 2001 to 2005, followed by eight years as a reservist. She received the Air Force's highest honor, the Airman's Medal (http://www.afpc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=7769), after helping drag several soldiers from a burning plane in Iraq.
Three days before the March 4 incident, Robinson said she and her husband had gotten into a shoving match at their home as she held Landry.
Robinson said she took the boy and went to stay at her parents' home until tempers could settle. Her nine-year-old stepson — who is wheelchair-bound and has cerebral palsy — told a teacher about what had happened. The teacher reported it to CPS.
On March 3, CPS investigators removed her three stepchildren from their home.
The following day, Robinson said she received a call from a CPS investigator telling her that he wanted to interview her regarding the domestic violence incident, and to conduct a welfare check on Landry.
Later that night, there was a loud knock. She said she answered the door and saw several law officers standing there.
"He said, 'We're here to remove your son,'" Robinson recalled. "I said, 'Nobody is touching my kid without a court order or a warrant.'"
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/9520bcac11ad27e391e38092fa80d2031709d44b/c=307-230-1434-1077&r=x383&c=540x380/local/-/media/2015/04/06/WFAA/WFAA/635639510955909202-0406-deputy-pregnant02.jpg
Deanna Robinson's son Levi was born less than one week after she was released from jail. (Photo: WFAA)
When she asked to read the documents, Robinson said the officers refused to let her. She said she tried to shut the door as they forced their way inside.
"I'm positioning myself in front of my child as the officers are screaming, 'There's the kid. Grab him,'" Robinson said.
She said officers pushed her up against the counter and handcuffed her.
Her parents' home surveillance system records in intervals. It captured about 30 seconds of the confrontation. The video shows her mother holding her son as two officers struggle with Robinson.
Robinson said she was struggling with the officers because she was trying to relieve the pressure on her stomach caused by being pushed into the counter. Robinson was released from jail on March 9.
The last two frames of the video show the officer hitting Robinson once and then raising his hand, apparently intending to hit her again. Robinson maintains the deputy hit her four or five times in the lower back, and she felt lingering pain for weeks.
Robinson said a nurse examined her at the jail, but she received no other medical attention.
Pictures of Robinson's stomach taken after her release show bruises covering a portion of her stomach. Levi was born March 15. Her parents are currently taking care of the infant, and CPS is only letting her visit for two hours a day, she said.
"We're just thankful that he's healthy," Robinson said. "It certainly could have turned out differently."
Robinson said she's only seen Landry three times since he was removed. She said he cried and screamed when he was taken away from her.
"It goes without saying, I miss him so much," she said, sobbing. "I want my kids back."
Robinson said she wants the officer who hit her to be removed from his job. "How many times has this happened before?" she asked.
Scott Cornuaud, Robinson's other attorney, blamed CPS for bringing police into the situation in the first place. "They're out of control," he said. "There's no oversight. They went about it the wrong way."
He also questioned by CPS officials did not intervene when they saw a pregnant woman being assaulted, and why they apparently failed to report the incident.
A CPS spokeswoman confirmed that four children are in temporary CPS custody. She said she could not comment further.
WARNING: THE YOUTUBE CLIP BELOW CONTAINS IMAGES AND LANGUAGE THAT MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME VIEWERS.
https://youtu.be/eJuKlQF0meg
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/daa5a9e6f3ea4cdfba53e0489a8b87f9cfe8de2d/c=0-24-399-556&r=537&c=0-0-534-712/local/-/media/2015/04/06/WFAA/WFAA/635639244492338701-Deanna-Jo-Robinson.jpg
(Photo: Hunt Co. Sheriff's Office)
A Hunt County Sheriff's deputy is under investigation after a video posted online over the weekend appears to show him hitting a woman in her ninth month of pregnancy.
Video of the violent March 4 confrontation shows the deputy hitting Deanna Robinson at least once as he and another officer push the woman into a kitchen counter at her parents' home in Quinlan.
A link to the YouTube video appears at the end of this report.
Robinson, 38, was arrested on charges of resisting arrest, assault on a public servant, and interference with child custody. She was held in the Hunt County Jail for about six days.
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/98e6485e0e220bab5e8cb5b97e07de7b15f704fd/c=849-273-1918-1077&r=x383&c=540x380/local/-/media/2015/04/06/WFAA/WFAA/635639512924641822-0406-deputy-pregnant03.jpg
A surveillance camera video posted on YouTube appears to show a Hunt County deputy striking Deanna Robinson at her parents' Quinlan home on March 4, 2015. (Photo: YouTube)
Child Protective Services officials, accompanied by sheriff's deputies, had come to the home of Robinson's parents to remove her 18-month-old son Landry.
In an interview at her attorneys' office on Monday, the decorated Air Force veteran said she was handcuffed when the officer repeatedly hit her.
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/4e017c372fc5b1482d97308c64937382692ae18c/c=294-0-1726-1077&r=x383&c=540x380/local/-/media/2015/04/06/WFAA/WFAA/635639510052351410-0406-deputy-pregnant01.jpg
Deanna Jo Robinson offered her version of the events that took place at her parents' home in Quinlan on March 4, 2015. (Photo: WFAA)
"I'm 38 weeks pregnant, and with my stomach again repeatedly pressed into that counter, and with my 18-month old son watching his mother be assaulted, and him screaming in fear," Robinson said. "There's nothing that warrants what they did to me."
Her toddler — along with her three stepchildren ranging in age from six to nine — are currently in temporary CPS custody. Her infant son, Levi, was born in mid-March and is being cared for by her parents.
http://wfaa-download.edgesuite.net/video/25381777/25381777_Still.jpg
The Hunt County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a video was posted online that allegedly shows deputies assaulting a woman inside a home.
Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks posted a statement on the department's Facebook page after the video went viral. The statement said he takes all allegations of misconduct seriously, and that he had opened an administrative investigation to determine "if any violations occurred."
The statement promised the results of investigation would be made public.
Sheriff's officials said they have received dozens of calls about the video. Hundreds of people took to the department's Facebook page to express outrage about the deputy's alleged actions, and protesters have been standing at intersections urging others to view the online video.
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/2a8ce5480d8edac1ebbd5d397fa1c720d364e213/c=341-678-1623-2387&r=183&c=0-0-180-238/local/-/media/2015/04/06/WFAA/WFAA/635639506390539937-0406-quinlan-protest01.jpg
Protesters in Quinlan urge others to view an online video that appears to show a deputy hitting a pregnant woman. (Photo: Tanya Eiserer / WFAA)
"There's no reason in my mind that an officer should pull his hand up above his body and hit a pregnant woman multiple times," said Carol Gustin, one of Robinson's attorneys. "Law officers are there to protect and serve. Where was the protection for her and this baby?"
Robinson acknowledged that she and her husband recently have had a turbulent marriage.
She is a native of Quinlan who was on active duty from 2001 to 2005, followed by eight years as a reservist. She received the Air Force's highest honor, the Airman's Medal (http://www.afpc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=7769), after helping drag several soldiers from a burning plane in Iraq.
Three days before the March 4 incident, Robinson said she and her husband had gotten into a shoving match at their home as she held Landry.
Robinson said she took the boy and went to stay at her parents' home until tempers could settle. Her nine-year-old stepson — who is wheelchair-bound and has cerebral palsy — told a teacher about what had happened. The teacher reported it to CPS.
On March 3, CPS investigators removed her three stepchildren from their home.
The following day, Robinson said she received a call from a CPS investigator telling her that he wanted to interview her regarding the domestic violence incident, and to conduct a welfare check on Landry.
Later that night, there was a loud knock. She said she answered the door and saw several law officers standing there.
"He said, 'We're here to remove your son,'" Robinson recalled. "I said, 'Nobody is touching my kid without a court order or a warrant.'"
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/9520bcac11ad27e391e38092fa80d2031709d44b/c=307-230-1434-1077&r=x383&c=540x380/local/-/media/2015/04/06/WFAA/WFAA/635639510955909202-0406-deputy-pregnant02.jpg
Deanna Robinson's son Levi was born less than one week after she was released from jail. (Photo: WFAA)
When she asked to read the documents, Robinson said the officers refused to let her. She said she tried to shut the door as they forced their way inside.
"I'm positioning myself in front of my child as the officers are screaming, 'There's the kid. Grab him,'" Robinson said.
She said officers pushed her up against the counter and handcuffed her.
Her parents' home surveillance system records in intervals. It captured about 30 seconds of the confrontation. The video shows her mother holding her son as two officers struggle with Robinson.
Robinson said she was struggling with the officers because she was trying to relieve the pressure on her stomach caused by being pushed into the counter. Robinson was released from jail on March 9.
The last two frames of the video show the officer hitting Robinson once and then raising his hand, apparently intending to hit her again. Robinson maintains the deputy hit her four or five times in the lower back, and she felt lingering pain for weeks.
Robinson said a nurse examined her at the jail, but she received no other medical attention.
Pictures of Robinson's stomach taken after her release show bruises covering a portion of her stomach. Levi was born March 15. Her parents are currently taking care of the infant, and CPS is only letting her visit for two hours a day, she said.
"We're just thankful that he's healthy," Robinson said. "It certainly could have turned out differently."
Robinson said she's only seen Landry three times since he was removed. She said he cried and screamed when he was taken away from her.
"It goes without saying, I miss him so much," she said, sobbing. "I want my kids back."
Robinson said she wants the officer who hit her to be removed from his job. "How many times has this happened before?" she asked.
Scott Cornuaud, Robinson's other attorney, blamed CPS for bringing police into the situation in the first place. "They're out of control," he said. "There's no oversight. They went about it the wrong way."
He also questioned by CPS officials did not intervene when they saw a pregnant woman being assaulted, and why they apparently failed to report the incident.
A CPS spokeswoman confirmed that four children are in temporary CPS custody. She said she could not comment further.
WARNING: THE YOUTUBE CLIP BELOW CONTAINS IMAGES AND LANGUAGE THAT MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME VIEWERS.
https://youtu.be/eJuKlQF0meg