On Oct. 22, Hobbs Police Department officers arrested Nicolette Dobbins, 30, of Hobbs, on a custodial interference charge that stemmed from charges in Sept. of her allegedly hitting a child in the head with a board — causing a laceration to the child’s forehead and then she threw a knife at the child causing a cut on his back.
Dobbins was arrested on Oct. 22 and charged with abandonment or abuse of a child, a third-degree felony; custodial interference, a fourth-degree felony; battery against a household member, and assault against a household member, both misdemeanors.
On Sept. 30, HPD officers responded to the 600 block of E. Albertson Circle in reference to an unknown problem.
According to dispatch, a male child called 911 and said “hello” and then said his mom punched and spit in his face. The male was later identified as the 13-year-old child of Nicolette Dobbins.
When officers arrived at the home, the child was contacted and he told officers his mom had hit him with a wooden board and punched him in the face multiple times due to him plying a video game.
According to the report, officers saw a visible injury to the child’s forehead and a scratch on his back. An ambulance was called to see to the child’s injuries while officers questioned the mother.
CYFD was then contacted about the incident and a caseworker responded to the scene.
According to Dobbins, she admitted to being in a physical altercation with and hitting the child, but only with her fists. She also said the child had struck her in the mouth during the altercation as well. She also stated she did not know why the child called police.
HPD officers told Dobbins CYFD had been contacted and Dobbins stated she already had a case with CYFD and gave officers the case worker’s name.
Dobbins was then read her Miranda Warnings and told officers she did not wish to speak with them, and that she was upset about everything.
She went on to add the child had Autism and had been going through some changes, has been disrespectful, and “just needed to settle down.” She added the child has “changed since they have lived on that side of town.”
The grandmother of the child arrived on the scene and told officers she knew of a pending case involving her daughter (Dobbins) with CYFD but was unsure who the caseworker is. She also said Dobbins is “bipolar and refuses to comply with the Guidance Center’s recommendations, and will not take her medication as prescribed.”
According to the report, the grandmother said, she is at a loss at this point on how to help her daughter and the boys could stay with her temporarily.
A CYFD worker confirmed the name of the previous caseworker and told officers she was familiar with the family. She said a prior case had been closed.
The CYFD caseworker spoke with Dobbins and explained the children would have to go with their grandmother for their safety while the incident is being investigated.
Dobbins said it was OK that one child went, but she was keeping the other child at home with her. The caseworker then explained both children must go with their grandmother, but Dobbins said she was not going to let one child leave.
“(The caseworker) reminded Nicolette of the lump on (the child’s) forehead,” the report states. “Nicolette said yeah, but I have one on my lip too. I did observe Nicolette’s lip to be swollen. During their conversation Nicolette admitted to hitting (the child) after they began to argue over the video game (the child) was playing. Nicolette said (the child) grabbed her by the front of her shirt and hit her on the mouth.
“She said (the child) had attitude with her and came at her being a ‘smart (expletive).’ (The CYFD caseworker) told Nicolette she could have called the police. Nicolette said she was not going to call the police and we were not taking (the other child). Nicolette said she did not know why (the 13-year-old) called the police.”
According to the report, Dobbins continued to be defiant in letting one son go with their grandmother and, according to the report, she “did not care what we said and then told us to leave her residence.”
Officers explained the children were going with the grandmother and Dobbins was placed under arrest.
The grandmother spoke with officers and told them she was the sole provider for all three of them.
On Oct. 3 officers met with the grandmother and 13-year-old at the 100 block of W. Snyder where he was interviewed by a Children’s Advocacy Center employee.
According to the report, the employee asked the child why he was there to talk with her and the child stated it was “because his mom hit him with a board.”
“(The child) said he was playing on his Xbox game and his mother and little brother were watching him,” the report states. “He said at one point his mother, the defendant Nicolette Dobbins, became angry with him and told him to stop playing the game. (The child told the worker) they began to verbally argue like they always do about the game, and Nicolette just started to punch him. He said he pushed her away from and got up from his bed. (The child) said Nicolette came at him again and hit him on both sides of his face with her fists. (The child) told (the employee) he was trying to defend himself from the punches by pushing her away from him again. (The child) said she grabbed a wooden board and struck him on the forehead with the board.
“(The caseworker) asked (the child) where the board came from. He said it was one of the boards they use to secure the front door from the inside. (The child) said he got his cell phone and was moving towards the front door to get away and call the police. (The child) said Nicolette had a knife in her hand at that point and threw it at him. (The child) said the knife hit him in the back as he ran out of the front door, which was how he received the cut on his back.”
The child added as he was outside attempting to get away from Dobbins, she went outside as well and picked up a board from the ground and threw it at him striking him on the leg. Officers saw a piece of plywood lying on the ground in front of the steps leading to the front door of the home along with two pieces of plywood on the counter near the front door.
The child had a small lump on his head and a laceration in the middle of it with dried blood on and around the cut.
On Oct. 22, HPD officers responded to the 100 block of E. Texas Street in reference to custodial interference.
When officers arrived on scene, the reporting party, the grandmother of the children, reported to officers Dobbins took her grandson from school while Dobbins’ parental rights were suspended and was not allowed to have the children.
The grandmother told officers Dobbins would most likely be going to her residence on E. Albertson Circle and officers waited at that location until she arrived.
As officers were speaking with Dobbins she stated she knew her parental rights were suspended, then “angrily charged” at the grandmother of her children aggressively with closed fists.
Dobbins “aggressively lunged forward as if she was going to strike” the grandmother the report said. As officers grabbed Dobbins, she struck the grandmother in the chest with her closed right fist.
Dobbins is scheduled for a preliminary examination on Nov. 4 before Hobbs Magistrate Clipper Miller.
