Jasmine Henson v. Arkansas Department of Human Services and Minor Children

── Jasmine Henson v. Arkansas Department of Human Services and Minor Children ── Court: Court of Appeals of Arkansas Date: March 11, 2026 Category: General Cite as 2026 Ark. App. 175 ARKANSAS COURT OF APPEALS DIVISION III No. CV-25-490 JASMINE HENSON Opinion Delivered March 11, 2026 APPELLANT APPEAL FROM THE WASHINGTON COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT V. [NO. 72JV-23-523] ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HONORABLE DIANE WARREN, HUMAN SERVICES AND MINOR JUDGE CHILDREN APPELLEES AFFIRMED; MOTION TO WITHDRAW GRANTED WENDY SCHOLTENS WOOD, Judge Counsel for Jasmine Henson brings this no-merit appeal from the Washington County Circuit Court’s order entered on May 19, 2025, terminating her parental rights to Minor Child 1 (MC1) (05/28/10); Minor Child 2 (MC2) (05/12/12); and Minor Child 3 (MC3) (03/14/14). Pursuant to Linker-Flores v. Arkansas Department of Human Services, 359 Ark. 131, 194 S.W.3d 739 (2004), and Arkansas Supreme Court Rule 6-9(j), her counsel has filed a no-merit brief asserting that there are no issues of arguable merit to support an appeal. Counsel has also filed a motion asking to be relieved. The clerk of this court sent a copy of the brief and motion to be relieved to Jasmine, informing her that she had the right to file pro se points for reversal under Arkansas Supreme Court Rule 6-9(j)(3). She has filed no points. We grant counsel’s motion to withdraw and affirm the order terminating her parental rights. The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) exercised an emergency seventy- two-hour hold on the children on September 8, 2023, after the Fayetteville Police Department contacted DHS to request assistance at the Children’s Safety Center in Springdale. MC1 disclosed that his father, Michael Henson, had been sexually abusing him since MC1 was ten years old.1 Michael admitted the abuse and was arrested for second-degree sexual abuse and rape. Jasmine admitted that she had lied during a previous investigation into MC1’s allegations and that Michael had continued to live in the same residence with her and the children since that investigation. Jasmine was arrested for permitting child abuse. DHS filed a petition for emergency custody and dependency-neglect of MC1, MC2, and MC3 on September 11, and the court entered an ex parte order the same day. Both parents were incarcerated in the Washington County Detention Center and stipulated to probable cause for issuance of the ex parte order. The circuit court entered an adjudication order on December 28 finding the children dependent-neglected due to sexual abuse, neglect, failure to protect, and parental unfitness. The circuit court stated that both parents were under a no-contact order with the children in their criminal-court cases and independently ordered that there be no contact between 1 Michael Henson is the biological father of MC1, MC2, and MC3. Michael and Jasmine were married when the case began and at the time of the termination hearing. The circuit court terminated both parents’ rights in its order, but Michael is not a party to this appeal. 2 Michael and the children. The court set the goal of the case as reunification with Jasmine. The court said that before it would allow Jasmine to have contact with the children (assuming her criminal no-contact order would be lifted), she must persuade it that she had gained some insight regarding the effect of the abuse on the children. Although Jasmine testified that she intended to divorce Michael, there was some evidence that she had continued to communicate with him in jail and had expressed a desire to focus on their family. Consequently, the court als