Wilson v. State

116 S.W.3d 923, 2003 Tex. App. LEXIS 8599, 2003 WL 22290898
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided October 7, 2003·No. 05-03-00060-CV·Published·Cited by 75 cases

Opinion

OPINION

Justice KERRY P. FITZGERALD.

Opinion by

Angel Wilson appeals the termination of her parental rights. In a single point of error, Wilson argues the evidence at trial was both legally and factually insufficient *925 to support the termination. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm the trial court’s order.

BACKGROUND

Wilson had been living in Oklahoma before the events leading up to the trial in this case. She came to Texas for an extended visit. While she was in Texas, Children’s Protective Services (“CPS”) received a complaint concerning Wilson’s conduct toward her infant daughter, And-rianna. CPS investigator Marvin Hunt looked into the complaint. Hunt concluded the infant was at high risk in her current situation, and Andrianna was removed from Wilson and placed temporarily in foster care under CPS supervision. CPS caseworker Robin Bethel then developed a service plan with Wilson. The trial court approved the service plan and ordered Wilson (1) to complete a psychological evaluation, (2) to attend parenting classes and anger-management classes, (3) to return to high school or complete her GED, (4) to visit Andrianna, and (5) to pass drug screens.

Ultimately, CPS filed this suit to terminate Wilson’s parental rights. 1 The court appointed an attorney for Wilson. The attorney requested a jury trial, but — at Wilson’s request — the jury request was withdrawn and trial proceeded before the court.

Evidence

The first day of trial, the State called three witnesses: Hunt, Wilson, and Be-thel. Hunt gave details of his investigation of the referral regarding physical abuse and neglect of Andrianna. He first described going to the address listed in the referral and finding a condemned building without water, gas, electricity, or food; it was literally falling apart. At the time he visited, Wilson’s mother (Andrianna’s grandmother) and her boyfriend were living there, but they confirmed that Wilson and Andrianna had lived there until Wilson had a confrontation with the boyfriend a few days earlier. Hunt opined that the home was not a safe environment for anyone, much less a child. Hunt later learned Wilson’s mother had “prior problems with her mental history” that could pose a danger to Andrianna. Hunt also learned the boyfriend living with Wilson’s mother had a violent criminal history.

Later, Wilson’s mother called Hunt and told him Wilson had returned and Andri-anna was in immediate danger. Hunt returned and found Wilson living across the street from the condemned residence with a friend, Lisa Kemp. Hunt testified Wilson told him she had hidden Andrianna so CPS could not take her. Hunt said Wilson admitted disciplining Andrianna — who was six months old at the time — by hitting her on her hands or arms. Hunt interviewed Kemp, who told him she had not seen Wilson hit the child but had seen Wilson, on several occasions and in front of a number of people, “lose her temper and shake the baby and throw the baby across the room.” Kemp took Hunt to Andrian-na, and when he first saw her she was dirty and had untreated insect bites covering every part of her body. Hunt witnessed Andrianna being fed chocolate milk rather than formula; Wilson told him she had been breast feeding her, but because she had no money and was not eating herself, she was unable to produce milk for the baby. Wilson told Hunt that her mother was the one who shook and threw the baby.

*926 Hunt later learned that CPS in Oklahoma had conducted an investigation of Wilson and concluded that the place she was living there was unsuitable for a child and that Wilson was not bonding with Andrianna. Hunt testified he believed the child was placed in danger by Wilson, that Wilson neglected and physically abused the child, and that it would be in the best interest of the child to terminate Wilson’s parental rights and place Andrianna for adoption. On cross-examination, Hunt agreed there appeared to be conflict between Wilson and her mother.

Wilson testified at some length and disputed much of Hunt’s testimony. She testified that she was not living with her mother in Texas but was only visiting in the area. 2 She testified that twice when her mother got mad at her, her mother shook Andrianna. She said she did not try to hide Andrianna from CPS and that Kemp had grabbed Andrianna and taken her away over Wilson’s protests. She testified that she had never shaken or thrown Andrianna. She claimed that the child had only a few bug bites when Hunt first saw her, and those were being treated. She challenged Hunt’s truthfulness, stating she had never told Hunt that she hit Andrian-na or that she had hidden her from the CPS or that she could not successfully breast feed her at that time. She said the Oklahoma investigation only occurred because Andrianna “kept getting sick,” and Wilson took her repeatedly to the hospital.

However, Wilson acknowledged she never had a permanent residence while she was in Texas; she moved around from place to place. Nor had she found a permanent residence since she returned to Oklahoma. She quit a job as a dishwasher because it did not pay enough, but she did not find another job. She admitted she had not completed a psychological evaluation, was not enrolled in school or working toward her GED, and had stopped attending parenting and anger-management classes, although she knew if she did not do these things there was a good possibility she would not get Andrianna back. She also acknowledged she had not seen her daughter in five months, ostensibly because she could not afford to come from Oklahoma City. She had arranged with CPS to write to Andrianna instead of visiting, but she said she had not been writing anyone because she had been busy. She testified she received a check from Social Security each month, but she could not detail how she spent the money other than on clothes. 3 She admitted using marijuana and cocaine while Andrianna was with CPS, although she testified she only had used drugs a few times when she was living on the streets. 4 She testified she was doing volunteer work at her church, looking for a job, and hoped to be able to afford a place to live when she found work.

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Wilson v. State, 116 S.W.3d 923, 2003 Tex. App. LEXIS 8599, 2003 WL 22290898 (Tex. Ct. App. 2003).

116 S.W.3d 923 (Wilson v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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