Kristen, Abused, Chemically Restrained, and Maimed
"Angela's" Story (PDF)
Carole Strayhorn, Texas State Comptroller's Report
When Kristen was nine years old, Chambers County School District refused to give her the Special Ed services she required; a closed classroom with a shadow teacher. Instead, the school nurse began to call CPS. Kristen's mother thought she was dealing with professionals and became convinced that they could give Kristen the specialized care that she could not afford. At age 9, Kristen had recently ended Second Grade as an Honor Roll student. Eight years later she was returned home, reading at a third grade level.
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While in one of the first five placements, Kristen was repeatedly chemically restrained (i.e.: Drugged into submission). One of Kristen's therapists said, "Ms. 'Sadine' hated that child and I never could understand why."
Advocacy Inc. became involved and moved Kristen from an abusive facility to Jamie's House. That facility was closed by Child Care Licensing and Kristen was moved again. In Eight years, Kristen was moved over 27 times.
According to 14 year-old Kristen, in a recorded interview with Hope4KidZ Director, known to the children as "Aunt Jo", she was knocked down the stairs by a worker who was angry at her for being too slow while coming inside. She was living at Child & Adolescent Development Inc., (CADI), 2505 Southmore, Houston, Texas, when her femur was broken at her hip joint. Two weeks later, she was dropped off at the Emergency Room of Texas Children's Hospital. She had developed Osteomyelitis, a severe bone infection, that prevented the doctors at Texas Children's from being able to perform surgery to repair her broken femur.
The worker, a three time loser from the Florida Dept. of Corrections, was fired but no charges have ever been brought against the worker, the owner of CADI, or anyone else, for permanently crippling this beautiful child.
Ms. Beryl Shorter Grady, Administrator of CADI, owned by husband Ulyesses Grady, of Grady Construction, received over $2,100,000.00, yearly, from the State of Texas in Contract Grants. There appear to be no provisions for the return of the money CADI received to care for children in state foster care. According to Polly Ross Hughes, Houston Chronicle, children at CADI were subjected to beatings, rats, locked in the attic, and cooking the books!
Numerous news articles have been written and presented on television, concerning Kristen. The video of Kristen in a wheel chair was recorded by "Aunt Jo" in order to get Kristen's statement about how her hip was broken. Kristen's mother has been a very concerned and involved parent, advocating for her child's safe return home.
The first News Article was written by Margaret Downing of The HoustonPress on October 16, 2003. Attention Deficit (PDF)
Interview With Kristen's Mother, by Shelley Koffler, WFAA, Dallas Texas
According to 14 year-old Kristen, in a recorded interview with Hope4KidZ Director, known to the children as "Aunt Jo", she was knocked down the stairs by a worker who was angry at her for being too slow while coming inside. She was living at Child & Adolescent Development Inc., (CADI), 2505 Southmore, Houston, Texas, when her femur was broken at her hip joint. Two weeks later, she was dropped off at the Emergency Room of Texas Children's Hospital. She had developed Osteomyelitis, a severe bone infection, that prevented the doctors at Texas Children's from being able to perform surgery to repair her broken femur.