A Quinlan woman whose violent encounter with Hunt County sheriff’s deputies was recorded by home surveillance video has told various media organizations that she wants the man charged with assault.
The video has been shared widely on social media, resulting in regional and national attention to the story.
Deanna Robinson, 38, has said she was 38 weeks pregnant on March 4, the date of the incident. Child Protective Services officials as well as county sheriff’s department officers went to Robinson’s parents’ home to take custody of Robinson’s 18-month-old son, Landry.
The Hunt County Sheriff’s Department has announced a 3 p.m. Wednesday news conference to discuss Robinson’s case.
The video from March 4 appears to show Robinson, who is mostly obscured by sheriff’s deputies. A deputy appears to hit Robinson, and begins to strike her again before the video ends. Robinson has said she was handcuffed during the incident.
“I’m his mother! Are you (expletive) kidding me?” Robinson screams during the video. “I’m pregnant!”
Robinson and her husband, Joe Llenas, Sr., had been under Child Protective Services scrutiny since December 2014. The two admitted to putting a sock into the mouth of a Hayden, a 6-year-old son of Llenas, as a regular disciplinary measure. A subsequent court order required Llenas and Robinson to attend parental training and counseling.
In February of this year, Hayden reported violence at home to staff at D.C. Cannon Elementary School, according to an affidavit from Child Protective Services caseworker Erika Nelson. Hayden claimed to have been hit in the head by Llenas, the affidavit said. During an argument, Llenas and Robinson struck each other and Llenas threw a chair, it said.
Llenas denied hitting the child, but did admit to the physical fight with Robinson and the chair-throwing, according to Child Protective Services records.
On March 3, a Hunt County court granted emergency removal authority to Child Protective Services to remove Landry from Robinson’s custody.
Child Protective Services staff told the Greenville Herald-Banner that Landry and three children belonging to Llenas are in temporary protective custody.
Robinson’s infant son, with whom she was pregnant on March 4, was born healthy on March 15 and is in the custody of Robinson’s parents, the Herald-Banner reported.
After the March 4 incident, Robinson was arrested and charged with assaulting a public servant, interference with child custody and resisting arrest. She was released on bond on March 9.
Robinson served in the U.S. Air Force on active duty 2001-05 and then served eight years in the Reserve units, the Herald-Banner reported. Robinson received the Airman’s Medal after helping several people out of a burning airplane in Iraq, the report said.
