HOUSTON – A Harris County mother says she’s caught between two courts — one handling a felony child abuse case against her ex-husband and another ordering her to return their children to him while the criminal case remains unresolved.
Angelik Sims says she’s refusing to comply with the family court’s order because she fears for her children’s safety. That decision could now expose her to legal consequences.
“What type of mom would I be to send her back to the person that she told me violated her?” Sims told KPRC 2.
Her ex-husband, Victor Michael Sims II, is facing a third-degree felony injury to a child charge stemming from allegations that he punched their then-nine-year-old daughter in the eye.
The criminal charge remains pending, and Victor Sims has not been convicted.
Meanwhile, records from Harris County’s 247th Family Court show the former couple has been involved in divorce and child custody proceedings for more than two years.
Alleged assault leads to criminal charge
According to Angelik Sims, she first noticed an injury to her daughter’s eye when she picked up the children during her scheduled parenting time.
At first, she said her daughter did not explain what happened.
“A few days passed and the brother, my son, her brother eventually tells me like, hey mom, you know, dad punched her in the eye,” Sims said.
She said her daughter later identified her father as the person responsible.
Sims took her daughter to Texas Children’s Hospital, where she said the child was examined and police were notified.
According to criminal court documents described to KPRC 2, the girl’s brother reported witnessing their father punch his sister in the eye.
Sims provided KPRC 2 with photographs appearing to show an injury around her daughter’s eye.
Victor Sims was arrested in June 2026 and charged with felony injury to a child.
Sims said her daughter also underwent a forensic interview at the Children’s Assessment Center and spoke with Child Protective Services.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
Protective order expires while criminal case remains pending
Following the allegations, a magistrate issued a 90-day emergency protective order prohibiting Victor Sims from contacting his daughter.
However, that order eventually expired.
Sims said she hoped restrictions would remain in place while the felony case proceeded through the criminal justice system.
According to the bond conditions reviewed by KPRC 2, Victor Sims is prohibited from threatening, harassing or assaulting the alleged victim, but the conditions do not prohibit all contact with his daughter.
Sims questioned whether those restrictions are sufficient to protect her child.
She said she sought additional protections through family court, asking that her ex-husband’s access to the children be restricted while the criminal case remains unresolved.
But the family court denied her request.
Family court orders children returned to father
Court records show Angelik and Victor Sims’ divorce case was filed on May 16, 2024, in Harris County’s 247th District Court.
Their divorce judgment was signed on Aug. 29, 2025, but litigation involving custody and possession of their children continued.
On June 23, 2026, the family court considered Victor Sims’ request for the immediate return of the children.
The docket noted that a magistrate’s emergency protective order from criminal court appeared to prevent him from communicating with the children at that time.
The court denied his request for their immediate return.
However, the outcome changed in September.
On Sept. 1, an associate judge denied Angelik Sims’ request for temporary orders after considering the evidence and credibility of witnesses.
According to the docket, the court found insufficient evidence that the children’s present circumstances would significantly impair their physical health or emotional development.
The judge ordered Sims to return the children to their father on Sept. 4 and directed both parents to resume the possession schedule established in the prior order beginning Sept. 8.
On September 18, 2026, the Harris County judge’s docket entry states that Sims had filed for a protective order in Montgomery County and that the request had been denied earlier that week.
The ruling also addressed a dispute over the children’s school enrollment, finding that the mother had enrolled them in a different school in violation of an existing order.
Sims said she was stunned by the decision.
“I really, I can’t even believe it,” she said.
She maintains that the pending criminal charge and her children’s reported fears should have warranted additional protections.
Mother refuses to comply, court issues writ of attachment
Despite the family court’s ruling, Angelik Sims acknowledged that she has not returned the children to their father.
When asked directly whether she had allowed the children to see him, she responded, “No ma’am I have not.”
Sims said she is not trying to permanently prevent her ex-husband from having a relationship with their children.
“This is not an opportunity to secretly withhold the children from him. I’m genuinely looking to protect my baby,” she said.
According to the court docket, the judge warned on Sept. 1 that a writ of attachment could be considered if Sims failed to return the children.
On Sept. 18, court records show she still had not complied with the return order.
The court subsequently signed an order issuing a writ of attachment on Sept. 25.
A writ of attachment can authorize law enforcement to take custody of children to enforce a court’s possession order.
Sims also faces the possibility of contempt proceedings related to alleged violations of court orders.
She told KPRC 2 she has withheld her residential address because of domestic violence safety concerns and participates in an address confidentiality program through the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Court records confirm that the judge ordered her to disclose her address during a September hearing and that she refused.
Sims believes she is being placed in an impossible position: comply with the family court order or continue withholding the children because of her safety concerns.
“You’re asking me to do something that goes against me as a mother, me as a parent,” she said.
KPRC 2 seeks answers from authorities
KPRC 2 contacted the Harris County District Attorney’s Office with questions about the pending felony case and whether prosecutors have sought additional protective restrictions.
KPRC 2 also contacted Harris County’s 247th District Court regarding the mother’s concerns and the decision to resume the previous possession schedule.
Any responses received will be added to this report.
When KPRC 2 reached out to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, a spokesperson said the agency did not have public records to share at this time.
That response does not establish whether DFPS investigated the allegations or what findings, if any, were made.
The father’s position on the allegations and custody dispute has not yet been independently established for this report.
What’s next?
Court records show another family court modification hearing is scheduled for Nov. 13, 2026.
The felony injury to a child case against Victor Sims also remains pending.
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