Opinion ID: 4044873
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: In the living room at his house.

Text: immediately pulled his hand back and told Mary that he was not comfortable with that behavior. Hodges told the detective Q. So do you mean in the living room of [his] house ... ? that he was going to stop contact with Mary “out of selfpreservation” because her conduct scared him. A. Yes, ma'am. Hodges was ultimately charged with one count of indecency Q. And where would you be in the living room? with a child by touching Mary's female sexual organ and A. We would be sitting on the couch and we would be on with one count of indecency with a child by touching Mary's the left side of the couch. breast. Q. Did he sit there a lot? At trial, Mary testified that the first incident with Hodges that made her “uncomfortable” occured when she asked him A. Yes, ma'am. how people “kissed at weddings” when she was nine years old. Hodges demonstrated by putting his tongue in her mouth. Q. And what would you be doing? Mary testified that Hodges “French kissed” her “almost every A. I would be watching TV. other weekend.” He kissed her in public once while at Six Flags; they were in line for a snack, he was holding her in Q. So would he be watching TV as well? his arms, and he kissed her cheek with his tongue. Another time, Hodges lay on top of her in his bedroom, “tongue kiss A. Yes, ma'am. © 2015 Thomson Reuters. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. 2 Hodges v. State, Not Reported in S.W.3d (2015) Detective Martinez also testified at trial, and the recorded Q. So the two of you are on the couch watching TV, and conversation between him and Hodges was admitted into what would he do? evidence. Detective Martinez testified that sex offenders commonly blame their actions on the child victim. A. He would put his arm around me down my breast and down to my private. Hodges testified at trial that he talked to Mary about sexuality Q. When you say your private, are you referring to your when she was nine because she was infatuated with a boy genitals or female sexual organ? across the street and Hodges was worried that she “might try something sexual with him.” Hodges said he read about A. Yes, ma'am. how to talk to children about sex on the Planned Parenthood website. He told Mary that “masturbation is a perfectly Q. Because you're 15 now and you know what that is. normal thing that you do by yourself in private,” but he did not describe or demonstrate the act of masturbation. Hodges A. Yes, ma'am. denied ever showing Mary how to French kiss or kissing her Q. And you said he would put his hand down so that it cheek or tongue with his tongue. touched your breast and then touched your genitals?  Hodges testified regarding the incident in 2007 that A. Yes, ma'am. resulted in the CPS investigation. He and Mary were wrestling on the couch, Mary was on top of him, they grabbed Mary explained that this happened “[m]any” times, beginning each other's hands and legs so “there was nothing left but our when she was nine years old. She said that she would be mouths,” and they started biting each other. Mary “stuck her wearing either a big T-shirt and underwear or jeans and a T- tongue down in [his] mouth,” and Hodges “jerked back and shirt and that Hodges would rub his hand on her female sexual said no.” He later discovered that Mary had also French kissed organ on top of her clothing. She testified that she would try Sally. to avoid being near Hodges by sitting on the other side of the couch but that Hodges would act upset or mad so she would Hodges testified that during Mary's first August weekend go over to where he was sitting. Mary remembered that on visitation in 2009, he and Mary were watching television on three occasions while sitting on the couch, Hodges asked her the couch when Mary “took [his] hand and put it down in her to touch his “male parts” and took her hand and placed it on crotch area.” Hodges testified that he “jerked [his] hand back his “male genital parts” over his clothing. When Mary moved and said no.” He said that he was in shock and later told his her hand, he placed it back and told her it was okay to touch mother about the incident, although he did not tell Sally. After him there. that incident, he would not allow Mary to sit next to him or kiss him. He also told Mary that he could not be around her Mary said that she remembered telling Hodges “no” once if she did “that kind of stuff” again. when he kissed her neck down to her fingertips and him responding by “saying something along the lines of this is Hodges also presented evidence that thyroid problems what daddies and daughters do.” Hodges also told Mary that can cause depression and that depression can lead to if she ever told anyone, he would not want to see her again. hallucinations and delusions that can be sexual in nature. On cross-examination, Mary agreed that she had told her During the State's case on rebuttal, the trial court required the counselor that she “had used this alleged sex abuse for State to elect what incidents of criminal conduct it relied on bragging rights to get sympathy,” as an excuse for bad for each count of the indictment per Hodges's request for an behavior, and to get attention. She also agreed that Hodges election. The State elected “the first fondling offense” that used to get upset with her when she walked around the house occurred on Hodges's couch in 2009, as testified to by Mary. without clothes on. Mary agreed that her father gave her the The jury was never informed of the State's election by the trial “birds and the bees” talk because she was “infatuated” with court or by the parties. And the jury charge did not inform the a boy across the street. Mary also said on cross-examination jury of the State's election. Hodges did not object to the lack that she has a thyroid disease that can cause depression and of a specific unanimity instruction in the jury charge. can affect her emotional feelings. © 2015 Thomson Reuters. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. 3 Hodges v. State, Not Reported in S.W.3d (2015) The jury convicted Hodges of count one of the indictment, which alleged that on or about August 1, 2009, Hodges  An egregious harm determination must be based on a “intentionally, with the intent to arouse or gratify [his] sexual finding of actual rather than theoretical harm. Cosio, 353 desire ..., engage[d] in sexual contact by touching the female S.W.3d at 777. In conducting our harm analysis, we must sexual organ of [Mary], a child younger than 17 years and decide whether the error was so egregious and created such not the spouse of [Hodges].” The jury found him not guilty harm that Hodges was deprived of a fair and impartial trial of the second count, which alleged that on or about August —in short, that “egregious harm” has occurred. See Celis 1, 2009, Hodges “intentionally, with the intent to arouse or v. State, 416 S.W.3d 419, 423 n.3 (Tex.Crim.App.2013); gratify [his] sexual desire ..., engage[d] in sexual contact by Almanza v. State, 686 S.W.2d 157, 171 (Tex.Crim.App.1985) touching the breast of [Mary], a child younger than 17 years (op. on reh'g); see Tex.Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 36.19 and not the spouse of [Hodges].” The trial court sentenced (West 2006). When assessing harm based on the particular Hodges to eight years' confinement for count one. facts of the case, the reviewing court should consider the charge, the state of the evidence, including the contested issues and the weight of the probative evidence, the parties' arguments, and all other relevant information in the record.