28-Year-Old Arrested For Child Abandonment

SAN ANGELO, TX – A Tom Green County Jury indicted  28-year-old Tashaura Yvonne Wiseman, AKA "Tashaura Malone" on May 12 on the charge of Abandoning and Endangering a Child W/Intent to Return after it was reported that Wiseman left an adolescent, namely a child younger than the age of 15 years unsupervised at a residence for an unknown amount of time. 

Reports indicate that on the afternoon of October 21, 2019, the defendant, Tashaura Wiseman intentionally abandoned a child in a residence under circumstances that exposed the child to an unreasonable risk of harm, namely left the child unsupervised in a residence where the child was able to leave the residence on their own without any adult or infant care provider present. 

Authorities made their arrest on June 22, and charges were filed against Wiseman after investigators determined Wiseman did not voluntarily deliver the child to a designated emergency infant care provider under Section 262.302 of the Texas Family Code, which states;

• A designated emergency infant care provider shall, without a court order, take possession of a child who appears to be 60 days old or younger if the child is voluntarily delivered to the provider by the child's parent and the parent did not express an intent to return for the child.

• A designated emergency infant care provider who takes possession of a child under this section has no legal duty to detain or pursue the parent and may not do so unless the child appears to have been abused or neglected. The designated emergency infant care provider has no legal duty to ascertain the parent's identity and the parent may remain anonymous. However, the parent may be given a form for voluntary disclosure of the child's medical facts and history.

• A designated emergency infant care provider who takes possession of a child under this section shall perform any act necessary to protect the physical health or safety of the child. The designated emergency infant care provider is not liable for damages related to the provider's taking possession of, examining, or treating the child, except for damages related to the provider's negligence.

Later that afternoon, Wiseman was released from the Tom Green County Jail after posting a $7,500 bond.

Penalties associated with a conviction for the abandonment or endangerment of a child are a state jail felony if an alleged offender knowingly abandoned a child with the intent to return, which typically results in a jail sentence ranging from 180 days to two years incarceration, and or a fine up to $10,000.