I mentioned that TYC conservator Jay Kimbrough announced legislators had approved his plan to fire all workers at TYC with past felonies, but now Sen. John Whitmire, who co-chairs the joint House-Senate reform committee on TYC, now says he doesn't support firing every felon.
So who, then, exactly, gave Kimbrough the OK to fire the 66 workers at TYC with old felonies? A TYC caseworker and Grits reader with a 35-year old felony conviction sent Whitmire the following letter, reprinted with permission:
Dear John Whitmire,Here's a link to the Statesman story from which he's quoting. To his credit, Whitmire responded promptly:
Please review the below quote related to Jay Kimbrough firing TYC employees with felony records who were hired under past TYC policy then terminated without cause.
“Kimbrough had temporarily suspended the terminations last week as he waited for guidance from lawmakers. Some had questioned whether the terminations should be limited to only the most severe charges or whether Kimbrough should exempt workers who had been convicted years ago.
Ultimately, the lawmakers let Kimbrough fire all of them.” Quote from the Austin American Statesman 04-19-2007
I would like to know if you are one of the law makers who let Mr. Jay Kimbrough fire all of the employees at TYC with felony records. It seems some of you had concerns about the mass firing without consideration of time since the conviction, level of offense, age at the time of conviction, and evidence of rehabilitation. Also I would like to know your position on Human Resources Code 61.035 relating to TYC employees being fired for cause only, which would make Mr. Kimbrough’s actions unlawful.
Please supply your stance on this matter by return email. I appreciate you time and consideration.
... it is my opinion that TYC should review each employee with a felony record on a case by case basis. I certainly understand that some very valuable employees could have previous felony records. Thanks for contacting my office regarding this issue.Huh? So, if Whitmire supports "case by case" reviews, which legislators told Kimbrough to fire everyone so situated?
I've argued before this is a foolish policy - the folks implicated in the West Texas scandal weren't felons, and there's no reason to believe firing long-time employees like this fellow would do anything but harm the agency. If it's true that Kimbrough's decision to fire everyone with a felony conviction wasn't approved by key legislators, as he told the Statesman, that cast the matter in a different light - another situation where a well-placed open records request would tell a lot more of the story.
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94 comments:
It is encouraging to see that legislators take this issue seriously. Good help is hard to find and a past felony record is a lame excause to fire someone that is doing a good job.
One of the things we try to teach the students at TYC is problem-solving. Part of that skill is defining the problem. The abuse was just a symptom. The problem that occurred at West Texas State School was that an arrogant sociopath was left in charge. Clever sociopaths rarely get caught, and blanket firing of felons will not protect us from the next sociopath. Brookins went after anyone who dared to cross him. What has changed? I'm just glad I can make this comment anonymously.
I think you should call Senator Whitmire's office at (512) 463-0115 Austin Office or (713) 864-8701 Houston Office and let him know you feel his stance is encouraging! I think we need to support Senator Whitmire if we agree with him. In fact contact your Senator and Representative and let them know you support Senator Whitmire and feel they should do the same. Let’s stage a call-in! http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/ will take you to the page where you can get the info on your law maker. Pick up that phone and exercise your power as a citizen. You don’t even need a photo ID to call them!
Anthony Mikulastik
I may have to change my name from Whitsfoe to Whitgo! He may actually have the political pull to help those staff, and now he voiced his opposition to sobriety check points which I feel are way too evasive.
But then again, the manner in which he really turned on those TYC employees at the open session to which they were invited still lingers in the back of my head.
But if he's straight up, and actually pulling for a case by case review, that may have made up for all of his past abusive tone and antics to those they invited to express their ideas of the agency and what was working.
Ok... I'm on the edge. Two very good points for the “pit bull.” But let’s see if he keeps his behavior in check.... the jury is still out on the Dean.
But, eh-hem, good call Whitmire. Now be a good, calm boy and follow through...
Do any of you think he may be reading some of this, or is being advised of it?
Anthony, it worked. I just called Whitmires office at the number you gave and actually talked to a voice. A woman. Start calling people....
lets all remember he (Whitmire) all said he had no knowledge of the WTSS abuse report. I think the well placed open records request mentioned would better serve us. By the way, Class A & B misdeameanors less that 5 years old are also being let go now. What will Whitmire say about that?
@7:47 and all: Has anyone actually been let go for A or B misdemeanors that's confirmed, or is this speculation from a past memo? I've heard rumors, but don't know who's actually been released so far one way or the other.
Also, BTW, for those who comment with some regularity, you can register with Blogger with a pseudonym, and it really helps with conversations between "anonymouses." I only mention it because some of these TYC strings get kinda long, and it's been helpful for several regulars to identify themselves for conversation purposes while remaining anonymous. Just a suggestion. Thanks!
the felons were given 30 day extensions and the new extension letters and latest round of issuances qoute that misdemeanors less than 5 years old (class A&B) are no longer suited for employment (expedited terminations).
you can see who is scheduled for a hearing on the web. The SOAH is handling these hearings not TYC hearing examiners. The schedule is posted. another humiliation in my opinion.
Somebody please email me or post here the email, memo, or "issuance" referenced by 8:14, please. It's shenson[AT]austin.rr.com. Thx.
Yeah but, if they allow felonies to return, that may be dead as well unless it's for a violent conviction of an assault causing bodily injury such as Domestic Violence convictions, and these pled down felony cases of idecenency with a child, sexual or assaultive related cases that could endanger the lives or well-being of those in our care... (unlike those of you who who drove on a suspended DL)...
I think your safe. Don't let the hype fool you... it's political now. But we shall see...
Where have the Class B & A's coming from? Have they been fired? What charges if you know?
My guess for those cases, if it's not child care related, I bet they saw something they didn't want to fight, and will grandfather those of you who fall in this category. Just don't loose your cool...
its amazing when you talk to folks who receive these letters they always say the are misdemeanors and they next comment that they are older than 5 years. Which tells me they are felonies. nonetheless, its happening and the letters clearly state both applicabilities. the suspensions are happening again. even felonies for credit card abuse ect. are ridiculous from any perspective, why should they be considered any different than a legally filed bankruptcy. its all stealing. Grit go open record a request a copy of the shell being issued, it will speak for itself.
As far as I know, nobody has been let go based upon a class A or B misdemeanor. But, on April 13, 2007 a new TYC policy was issued that states any employee with a class A or B misdemeanor in the past 5 years will be terminated, and any employee that attempts to work for TYC will not be allowed, also any domestic violence, or drug charge (misdemeanors cases) will be terminated. As I have stated it has not happened yet but if you were not intending to pursue this why make it part of your personnel policy??
some of the folks who were suspended for felonies (central office folk) were intially suspended for felonies, at least one had paperwork showing the conviction was actually a misdemeanor (possession)less than 5 years ago but has yet to return to work. The plan is obviously to let them go as well, regardless.
One last thing that has been not been posted recently. I thought the reason for TYC and TDCJ inability to hire and retain quality folks was based upon poor pay (plus other reasons). But, last time I checked the money is not on the table like the elected officials have touted as our main reason for keeping and retaining good folks. Where is this in the news, where is the fact TYC has been asked to cut their budget by 10% every year and have not provided funding to keep these problems from occurring. Is this yesterdays news, lets ask where did this discussion go, was it not grabbing the headlines as well as releasing 500 youth?
Chuy is right, pay is a huge issue and at the root of all the problems. In fact, you get what you pay for. Wait till they open these small facilities in urban areas, where unemployment is low and try to recruit people in Austin, Houston, or Dallas for less than 1900$ a month. They will be lucky to hire an ex-con. TYC is in part to blame for this fallacy. Central office often felt people do this job for motivators other than money. Lets stop the paychecks and see how that pans out. A living wage is essential to quality service delivery.
Perhaps central office staff tried to come up with "motivators other than money"...because there WAS no damn money?
From what I hear...the primary reason given by JCOs when they left had more to do with the fact that they could never get time off (b/c they were understaffed) than anything else. People knew the pay going in. What they didn't expect was the lack of training, the danger, and the inability to take a day off to go to their kid's school play.
I thought they already voted on some bill that was going to give across the board pay raises for all TDCJ CO and TYC JCO officers? Lord knows they deserve it!!
I agree with chuy- How much is the new raise for TYC employees?
Eric Young, HR Central Office, got a copy of Senator Whitmire's email. There was no feed back from him, he didn't even say thanks.
I wonder if he passed it along to Jay Kimbrough. I would have CC Jay Kimbrough but I didn't find his name on the CO email list.
The email Senator Whitmire received was also sent to every member of the Texas House and Senate. No one has admitted talking to Mr. Kimbrough!
OK, speaking from the outside here as usual, but can someone please explain to me why everyone is so surprised at the suggestion that someone with a criminal record should be fired? Isnt that what happens generally in Texas ~ you get punnished continually for something, regardless of whether you have paid your dues on it or not, or how long ago that might be? It's certainly what sentencing is based on: hubby spent a little time in Wyoming state prison 20 years before his current conviction, with nothing in between, but his sentence now has 5 years on it simply because he had been incarcerated previously, even though he had done his time for that.
Someone said it doesnt look like the left hand knows what the right is doing. Well, until someone (everyone) sits down and looks at the situation as a whole (prisons, TYC, sentencing, probation, law enforcement, drug programmes etc) and not as individual pieces, I cant see how anything is really going to change, except get worse.
The SOAH is being, or about to be overwhelmed with these hearings... last I looked, they were planning hearings into late February 2008. They will be overwhelmed with these new TYC cases. Flood them misd's A and B's if it's not child care or abusive related, don't sweat it.
How do you find the link to the "SOAH" to see the lawsuits or hearings? Can you post it please?
Thanks!
This is on the hearings website. Before anyone gets mad its posted here- its on a public website so this is available to anyone.
TX.YOUTH COMM. Cont TYC BLDG. 9:00 CONDIDENTIAL* RE: CRAIG COLLIER 2 HRS
TX.YOUTH COMM. Cont TYC BLDG. 11:00 CONDIDENTIAL* RE: RONNIE ETGEN 2 HRS
TX.YOUTH COMM. Cont TYC BLDG. 1:30 CONDIDENTIAL* RE: MELANIE F. CAMPBELL 2 HRS
TX.YOUTH COMM. Cont TYC BLDG. 3:30 CONDIDENTIAL* RE: CHARLES CRAWLEY 2 HRS
TX.YOUTH COMM. Cont TYC BLDG. 9:00 CONDIDENTIAL* RE: MILTON ALLEN 2 HRS
TX.YOUTH COMM. cont TYC BLDG. 11:00 CONDIDENTIAL* RE: JORGE LARA 2 HRS
TX.YOUTH COMM. cont TYC BLDG. 1:30 CONDIDENTIAL* RE: CHRIS GONZALES 2 HRS
TX.YOUTH COMM. cont TYC BLDG. 9:00 CONDIDENTIAL* RE: VICKIE JACQUET 2 HRS
TX.YOUTH COMM. Cont TYC BLDG. 9:00 CONDIDENTIAL* RE: JOHN McINTOSH 2 HRS
TX.YOUTH COMM. cont TYC BLDG. 11:00 CONDIDENTIAL* RE: JEFFREY BRACKETT 2 HRS
TX.YOUTH COMM. cont TYC BLDG. 1:30*CONFIDENTIAL BY STATUT
CONDIDENTIAL* RE: LARRY LAMPLIN 2 HRS
TX.YOUTH COMM. Cont TYC BLDG. 9:00 CONDIDENTIAL* RE: JOELENE GERANIOS 2 HRS
TX.YOUTH COMM. cont TYC BLDG. 11:00 CONDIDENTIAL* RE: ABEL CORTINAS 2 HRS
TX.YOUTH COMM. cont TYC BLDG. 1:30 CONDIDENTIAL* RE: DENISE SIERRA 2 HRS
TX.YOUTH COMM. cont TYC BLDG. 3:30 CONDIDENTIAL* RE: TROY AMBROISE 2 HRS
Can you give a link to where you found this info? I can't locate it.
I just typed in "SOAH" on a web search and it pulled up their home page. The list is under the general hearings.
More articles on TYC from AAS and Dallas morning news:
Woman sues TYC, claiming son's finger severed
WACO, Texas — A Lubbock woman has sued the Texas Youth Commission, claiming her son's finger was severed last year when a food-service window slammed on it while he was housed in a juvenile facility.
Debra Flores, whose 12-year-old son was held at the TYC facility in Mart, is seeking unspecified damages.
The lawsuit claims that as the boy tried to send his food tray back through a window in his cell door in November, the employee "suddenly and without warning slammed the door of the small window down."
Alan Walters, superintendent at the TYC facility in Mart, and Jim Hurley, a TYC spokesman in Austin, both declined comment.
The suit filed Monday alleges that it took more than 30 minutes for TYC employees to come to the boy's aid even though he was bleeding.
TYC officials retrieved his finger from the window ledge and rushed him to the hospital. But the finger could not be reattached, and they boy is permanently disfigured, the suit alleges.
Lubbock attorney Charles Dunn, who filed the lawsuit, said the boy's right index finger was cut off by the heavy steel window. He said the boy since has been transferred to a TYC facility in West Texas
TYC employee arrested for sex with inmate
Man charged with improper sexual activity with a person in custody
By Laylan Copelin
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, April 26, 2007
A Fort Worth halfway house employee with the Texas Youth Commission was arrested Wednesday and charged with having sexual activity with a female inmate in his custody, according to the commission.
Police in Benbrook, a Fort Worth suburb, arrested Andrel Waddle, a juvenile corrections officer who had worked at the Willoughby Halfway House since September 2006.
According to investigators, Waddle took nine youths to a Benbrook park April 18 for recreation and stayed in the van with three of them. According to investigators, witnesses say Waddle, 30, and a 18-year-old female inmate engaged in a sexual act.
The incident was reported the next day. The inmate was transferred to another facility, and Waddle was suspended pending an investigation by the Benbrook police, along with agents from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice inspector general's office and the Texas Rangers.
On Wednesday, Waddle was charged with improper sexual activity with a person in custody.
The arrest is the latest in a series of allegations and arrests involving agency personnel since February, when it was first reported that two staffers at a West Texas lockup were accused of sexually molesting boys in their custody.
Gov. Rick Perry and the Legislature have forced out most of the agency's senior management and put the commission under the oversight of a temporary team of officials and investigators from other agencies while legislation is crafted to revamp the agency.
A hot line has received more than 2,000 complaints, ranging from minor to serious allegations of crimes.
The team of investigators has closed about half of those complaints and several arrests have been made.
lcopelin@statesman.com
Panel: TYC structure doesn't need to change
07:18 AM CDT on Wednesday, April 25, 2007
By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News
eramshaw@dallasnews.com
A House bill to overhaul the Texas Youth Commission hit an unexpected bump late Monday when members of the Corrections Committee narrowly voted not to include a new leadership structure for the embattled agency.
In a 4-3 vote, the panel decided to keep the hierarchy – an executive director and a board of directors – rather than a governor-appointed commissioner with a nine-member advisory board, included in the Senate version of the bill passed last week.
The commissioner system was part of a compromise unveiled last month that had the support of Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and key House and Senate leaders.
Corrections chairman Jerry Madden, the Richardson Republican who wrote the House TYC bill, supports the commissioner system but was overruled Monday night. He said his colleagues want different people in the same jobs.
Rep. Delwin Jones, R-Lubbock, who serves on the committee, said Tuesday that it was "the personnel, not the structure" that caused the sexual and physical abuse scandal plaguing the juvenile justice agency. He said he and some of his colleagues don't see how a single governor-appointed commissioner can be the agency's saving grace, particularly when a whole board of directors appointed by the governor couldn't prevent the problems.
The House TYC bill could come up for a vote as early as next week. But the governance structure – now the key difference in the House and Senate legislation – will probably be a sticking point as the two chambers work out a solution.
Staff writer Karen Brooks contributed to this report.
Okay, I found it on SOAH's site - the names were on a docket for Monday, April 16. Are these people all now fired? What do y'all think these hearings were?
I think its good in the sence that someone from the outside is doing it. We used to do it in-house.
Bull Crap, Whitmire sat on his throne and made the statement "Fire them all and let the lawyers sort it out. Now he is backtracking????
In 1997 Kimbrough heased a state agency that gave a private security guard license to a convicted felon and the guy killed a man in a bar where he worked. That is why he is out to get felons. He will ruin many good people to only redeem himself.
In 2003 he is the one who ratted out all the House members who went AWOL to Okiehoma. As far as his surviers guilt thats also a bunch of crap. Boy what a guy to be leading TYC. Anyways its Pope who is the Queen right now.
12:40- No kidding! TYC internal employee hearings were a joke! They always seemed to come out the way the administration wanted them to, either to get rid of good people or bring back ones that would cost them too much money in a law suit. I'm happy to see the outside office handling it! At least maybe people will have a fair shot now.
Nobody reviewed anything. Everyone was fired that fit the guidelines of the first group. They are gone.
The list of names ads up to 79 year of hard work put in by devoted employees and yes there is about 60 mor years that I know of that are not on the list yet. All because of one man. What a sad event.
I noticed the cheers for JCO and CO pay raises and I couldn't agree more. However, I would ask that all TYC employees who are not on a step pay-scale also be eligible.
Case Managers are being required to work as JCO staff one day every weekend...yes that was EVERY weekend. They are not paid extra for the extra responsibilities and are still required to have all of the CM responsibilities covered or risk being written up. They are pulling extra duties and being required to do the jobs of JCO's who are understaffed and overworked without the extra money JCO's already receive.
Many Case Managers come into the agency with Master's degrees and never receive a pay raise after their 1st day on the job (unless administration finds it in their hearts for a 3% raise--$70 or 4 days off--and that's a maximum of once a year).
I won't try to take anything away from the JCO's--give 'em more $!!! Just please don't forget about the other staff who have much more education and receive much less pay for doing the same work!
those initial hearings are all on "hold" all the initial staff put on felony leave have been granted another 30-day with pay reprieve. for those who think that misdemeanors won't be the undoing for these staff, I submit that even if that line of thinking is correct, these folks will have moved on by the time their hearings get held in 2008. As previously stated this is about change not about right or wrong. Some folks will walk away with back pay ect. in their pockets but they won't be back with TYC. None of the 04/16/07 hearings have been held
things happen in all correctional institutions. Events like those listed from the DMN are going to occur, it should be how they are dealt with that makes or fails to make the grade. As for the one about Andrel Waddle (whom I hear is a ex-big time college athlete) lets wait and see how that pans out. I find it interesting that story wasn't splashed all over the front page (coast to coast) and his bond is only 10K. Part of the hot line illusion has been the female students making false accusation after false accusation, mainly with a sexual twist, recanted after mega theatrics. Lets face it, this guy would have to be a moron with a sign around his neck saying send me to jail to pull something like noted, in the situation he did, during our present circumstances. Grandstand sex with witnesses? I'm waiting to see how this one transpires.
I have recently discovered your site and have enjoyed your writing. I see that you've commented on the recent Texas Youth Commission scandal. I have friends working within the administrative arm of the TYC so I’ve been very aware of the issue of employee firings due to felony records. I've seen you reference the following quote, but I wonder if you have commented on, or would comment on my questions below.
“…Kimbrough had temporarily suspended the terminations last week as he waited for guidance from lawmakers. Some had questioned whether the terminations should be limited to only the most severe charges or whether Kimbrough should exempt workers who had been convicted years ago. Ultimately, the lawmakers let Kimbrough fire all of them.” Austin American Statesman quote
I would like to see a listing of the lawmakers who “let Kimbrough fire all” of the employees at TYC with felony records and what their position is on his proposal to fire persons with misdemeanor convictions and adjudications as well.
I'd also like to know if they agreed to the mass firing. What about the employees that were children (same age as current TYC youth) at the time of the offense? Does it matter that some of the offenses occurred up to 40 years ago?
If the lawmakers agree with the TYC terminations for felonies and misdemeanors, then do they agree that the same rules should apply to those responsible for making the laws of this state?
If the same rules applied to members of the legislature, Representative Harold Dutton would be immediately suspended without pay for his recent DWI arrest and face removal from the legislature if he was convicted or received deferred adjudication. What is their position on this issue?
Look at the docket again Grits - the hearings are probably back on there and it's not a complete list of the employees that have been suspended, just the ones that have thus far asked for a review.
Go to the TYC website and look around some more in the "open govenment" section/personal policy (chapter 5) and you can find what the policy is now - effective date 4/30/07.
Don’t know if any of you have seen the Austin American Statesmen TYC video slide show yet- Life at the TYC- pictures of the 16 hour day at the TYC Marlin Assessment unit. It is fantastic.
I also attached some other things that showed up on the net sites for some of the papers.
Another Superintendent Fired:
Head of TYC facility fired amid claims of inmate abuse
By LYNN BREZOSKY
Associated Press Writer
HARLINGEN, Texas — The superintendent of Evins Regional Juvenile Center in Edinburg is being fired amid multiple investigations into alleged inmate abuse at the facility, the Texas Youth Commission said Friday.
Bart Caldwell was notified Thursday night that pre-termination proceedings against have begun, TYC spokesman Jim Hurley said.
Caldwell can appeal the decision, but he is no longer at the high-security facility, Hurley said. He is being replaced by Eduardo Martinez, the superintendent at Giddings State School, another high-security facility.
Caldwell said Friday he had no comment.
State officials on March 16 said they had opened 27 investigations into inmate complaints at Evins. The announcement came a day after a scathing federal report decried "chaotic and dangerous" conditions there. The U.S. Department of Justice investigation found the prison violated youths' constitutional rights with high levels of violence, overcrowding, and an insufficient number of guards.
The investigators' report said inmate-on-inmate assaults were five times the national average for a comparable facility, and youths frequently fought each other without staff noticing or interfering. The report warned the state to resolve the issue or face a potential lawsuit from the federal government.
Of the state investigations, four involved sexual assault claims and five sexual misconduct. Two others involved allegations of inappropriate relationships between staff members and inmates. Three were for physical assault.
"Obviously the Evins Unit has been the focus of a number of investigations," Hurley said. "We just felt like we needed a change there — a change in leadership, the overall culture of the facility."
Caldwell's firing comes as part of a sweeping statewide probe of Texas' youth prison system.
"We have right around 3,000 complaints through our system," Hurley said. "TYC problems are a lot more than just Evins."
Investigators were sent to all TYC facilities in early March after revelations that high-ranking officials at the West Texas State School in Pyote had repeated sexual contact with inmates. Staffers' reports about the abuse had been either ignored or covered up.
Problems at Evins became known after a riot in October 2004, when inmates threw computers and other equipment at staff and flooded a dorm. Staff retaliated with violent physical abuse. An internal investigation resulted in four staff members being fired.
Caldwell came on board after the riot, but conditions at the prison remain poor, said state Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen.
"It's pretty obvious from the reports and the findings by the Department of Justice that he was not doing his job properly," Hinojosa said. "He was unable to correct the problem."
Hinojosa, a member of the Criminal Justice Committee, is author of a bill to overhaul TYC. Provisions of the bill include allowing outside youth workers inside facilities, creating a parents' bill of rights and appointing an ombudsman to hear complaints.
The Senate has passed the bill and the House is set to take it up, Hinojosa said.
"It's really a corrupt system," he said. "We are cleaning the system up by getting rid of people who are incompetent."
Just an FYI:
TEXAS YOUTH COMMISSION
HOUSE Bolton passes youth advocacy bill
Freshman Rep. Valinda Bolton, D-Austin, on Friday passed her first bill out of the House.
House Bill 3309 would direct the Texas Youth Commission to allow advocacy groups for victims of sexual assault to provide information and support to children confined in commission facilities.
Asked how she felt about passing her first bill, Bolton said: "It's right up there with motherhood and apple pie. It's pretty cool."
The bill now goes to the Senate.
I can't wait to see what this article is going to say in Sunday's paper:
Weekend Preview: April 28-29
03:03 PM CDT on Friday, April 27, 2007
TYC photo
Lydia Barnard, left, might have been able to head off the scandal that has rocked the Texas Youth Commission.
COMING SUNDAY ON 1A
Official might have averted TYC scandal
In her role as juvenile corrections chief, Lydia Barnard may have been the Texas Youth Commission's best hope of heading off the scandal that has rocked the state juvenile justice agency. But on at least five occasions over five years, she stopped short of firing or demoting the man at the heart of the sex abuse cover-up at the West Texas State School.
Lydia Barnard is the “Queen of Cover-up” but in her defense I firmly believe she received her marching orders from Dwight Harris. Lydia Barnard was not a free agent, she was closely handled. The corruption ran all the way to the top. When things came out Dwight Harris bailed out before he had to answer any questions. Lydia Barnard had no personal motive to cover-up the West Texas affair. After many years at the TYC I started to see a pattern of corruption in the upper administration. State school superintendents were all cut from the same cloth and always covered for each other. Employee grievances against upper management were always found to be not true even if witnesses had to be intimidated into telling the right story.
Dwight Harris brought back Jerome Parsee even after he was fired for assaulting a youth. He was fired with no possibility of rehire but Dwight Harris waived the no rehire. Jerome Parsee was made an assistant superintendent when he was rehired. I have seen superintendents get away with unbelievable mismanagement and abuse of employees. If you were part of the “ONE TEAM” you could do no wrong! You did not need an education to get jobs that required one. The work place rules did not apply to you.
My opinion is that Lydia Barnard allowed herself to be slowly corrupted until she was so deep in the system she felt she could not afford to leave. Once she sold her soul to the devil, she was totally lost to what was right and wrong. No doubt Lydia Barnard made her own choices and will be held responsible for those choices. The point I am try to make here is that she was not the problem; it was much higher up the chain of command.
It seems to me that the people with things to hide have been very successful in shifting the focus off of the real problems. The innocent people being fired or having their jobs done away with are evidence that the masters of evil know how to displace blame onto others. The latest take the focus off of the real problem is the Art Contest to develop a new TYC logo. Don’t we have much more important issues to deal with than a logo change? People are having their jobs taken away for no good reason. Families are being thrown into financial ruin. Children are being dumped on the streets when they are not really ready putting themselves and others at risk. People need to wake the hell up and have priorities!
To 1:28 pm-
Lydia Barnard may have been a "pawn" of the administration. You state she was just doing what she was told. When people ignore the moral, ethics and common sense of doing the right thing- that is THEIR OWN decision. Each person is responsible for what they do or do not do. It was her choice. Making her appear helpless, mindless or numb does not exonerate her. TYC is not the military. She did not have to obey the "orders". You stated that over time she became so deep in the system that she could not leave. No one was or has forced her to be an employee of TYC. She had a choice to stay and follow the directives of those above her in administration or leave and not be a part of it. She even had a choice to report the abuse/failure to protect of those within the agency to outside law enforcement in order to protect the students as the law states people with such knowledge are required to do. She did not. Instead, she chose to stay and be a participant in it. That decision has had many dire consequences. You stated she had no personal motivations to cover up the West Texas issues? Unless you are Lydia Barnard, you cannot speak to that. If what you state IS correct (she had no motivations) that makes her failure to act on the information worse. If it did not or could not affect her- why didn't she act?
As an employee, a citizen and as a person; nothing justifies her lack of action to protect the welfare of the students (especially knowing the allegations) over the protection of the staff. She has spent many years in the agency (and is still employed currently). She has had years to look for other employment, find ways to make changes or do whatever she felt necessary to not be a part of the wrong decisions. She did not. She chose to stay and participate.
You have every right to defend her, but I also have as much right to say there is no defense for the choices she made.
Pinpoint
Get your facts straight people.
It was Steve Robinson who brought Parsee back, not Dwight Harris.
Robinson was the superintendent at Brownwood when Parsee flipped and smacked that kid. Parsee resigned in lieu of termination, but Robinson would later make him eligable for rehire.
Parsee went to work for Travis County Juvenile Probation, and not soon thereafter, Robinson became the Chief Juvenile Probation Officer of Travis County. Parsee worked his way up the ladder and became (I think) second in command under Robinson.
Robinson was named TYC executive director in 1994, and in 1997, Parsee became the assistant superintendent of the Victory Field Correctional Academy.
So it was Robinson, not Dwight Harris, that brought Parsee back. Trust me, I was there.....and I couldn't believe it.
If my facts are correct, Parsee was terminated, he did not resign when he assaulted the student in Brownwood.
You are incorrect. I'm telling you, I saw this, and was shaking my head when it went down...
Anon 2:42 - You seem to have missed
"Once she sold her soul to the devil, she was totally lost to what was right and wrong. No doubt Lydia Barnard made her own choices and will be held responsible for those choices. The point I am try to make here is that she was not the problem; it was much higher up the chain of command."
I clearly state she made the wrong choices and is resposable for them. My point is that people above her were running the show and now are placing all the blame on others!
Lydia Barnard is an exampe of how people can be compromised by evil people. Once compromised you are one of the evil people!
The info on Parsee came from an open records request related to a law suite that is on going. Harris was Dep. Ex. Director when he let Parsee slide. There is no record Robinson agreed with or instructed Harris to allow Parsee to be rehired. The record olny reflects who signed off on the rehire which was Harris.
I think those who have things they want to hide have done a great job of getting the public to take their focus off of the real problem makers in the entire TYC mess. This story will die soon and the news media will move on to the next big story and the bad guys will have won again. People who had nothing to do with the problem will pay for the sins of the evil and life will go on for the powerful bad guys at the top. The only thing they will lose is a few of their soldiers.
And you're wrong again...
Dwight Harris was assistant deputy executive director of juvenile corrections, and SANDY BURNHAM was the deputy executive director when Parsee was brought back. Sandy had Dwight on a short leash, and punked him daily. It was hilarious. Dwight would always be walking funny when he came out of her office.
If you think for one minute that Robinson didn't have anything to do with Parsee's return, then you are a walking thinking error. Robinson and Burnham controlled everything, and Dwight was just a punk then as he is now.
So before Bollinger’s lawsuit goes down, which I assume you are referring to, I would hope that that the facts regarding the history of the decision to allow Parsee to return would be researched more carefully.
To 6:37- I was not anonymous, I signed my post.
To address your statement:
Anon 2:42 - You seem to have missed
"Once she sold her soul to the devil, she was totally lost to what was right and wrong. No doubt Lydia Barnard made her own choices and will be held responsible for those choices. The point I am try to make here is that she was not the problem; it was much higher up the chain of command."
No, I didn't miss it. You condemn her in one sentence and then exonerate her in the next by saying others are the real blame. I disagree with you saying "...she was not the problem...". Yes, she was very much the problem- just one aspect of it. Steve Robinson, Dwight Harris or anyone else in the higherarchy above her are certainly problems in themselves, but they are not the blame for what she did or did not do. They did not MAKE HER do anything. It was her choice. You cannot exclude her by trying to say the real blame lies in those above her. When you make statements like that, you are trying to pick her up out of the crowd of bad thinking, point fingers and then put her back into it. You cannot do that when her actions include her in that mass. She is very much a part of that real problem.
Pinpoint
Here's the article that came out in the Dallas Morning news about Lydia Barnard. There's one in the AAS too, but this one includes the same information.
Supervisor rebuffed warnings of abuse by man at heart of scandal
12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, April 29, 2007
By GREGG JONES / The Dallas Morning News
gjones@dallasnews.com
Once more – this time in the isolated West Texas town of Pyote – Lydia Barnard had a chance to remove Ray Brookins from the Texas Youth Commission. And once again she stopped short.
She went to the West Texas State School in September 2004 to investigate allegations that the assistant superintendent was spending time alone at night with young inmates and abusing his power. Instead, she told the caseworker who lodged the complaints that he was the problem and that his allegations were unfounded.
It was not the first time Mrs. Barnard had backed Mr. Brookins – the man at the epicenter of a sex abuse scandal that has rocked juvenile justice in Texas – and it would not be the last. At least five times over a five-year period, she stopped short of firing or demoting him when confronted with serious allegations about his behavior or job performance, TYC records show.
The 46-year-old native of Baird, Texas, had devoted her entire career to helping rehabilitate young offenders, so why she continued to support and promote Mr. Brookins amid abuse allegations remains largely a mystery. She and other current and former top TYC officials either declined or ignored requests for interviews.
"I can tell you that most definitely I've been made a scapegoat – by TYC, by legislators, by newspapers," Mrs. Barnard said in a brief telephone conversation with The Dallas Morning News.
Her attorney, Claude Ducloux, declined to make Mrs. Barnard available for further comment, with ongoing criminal and internal investigations.
"While she unquestionably disputes any wrongdoing, I have advised her not to make any comments in the media, which could later be misconstrued by any party to the process," he said in a faxed letter.
Mrs. Barnard now works as a midlevel supervisor at TYC. She was demoted in January in a dispute with senior officials, which she described in an e-mail to Gov. Rick Perry as a disagreement over "the direction the agency is now taking."
Mr. Brookins has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexually abusing young inmates.
In many ways, Mrs. Barnard's career at the juvenile justice agency has mirrored the larger story of TYC over the past two decades: the promise and innovation, the patronage and political infighting and, ultimately, the failure to prevent and expose wrongdoing.
Mrs. Barnard joined TYC in 1986, when the agency was under federal court order to reform. She arrived with a master's degree in social work from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, which promotes "a belief in the dignity and worth of human beings ... and dedication to the truth."
At TYC, Mrs. Barnard became part of a reform wave that focused on rehabilitation over punishment and earned the agency nationwide praise and emulation. Her first position at the agency was managing a delinquency prevention program based in Austin.
From 1989 to 1993, TYC saw a tripling of the percentage of violent offenders because of the crack cocaine epidemic. The worst were sent to the commission's Giddings unit, where Mrs. Barnard worked to rehabilitate young killers through intensive talk therapy.
She earned high praise in her performance reviews: "excellent," "commendable," "conscientious" and "highly motivated." One evaluator wrote: "She truly cares about these youth and makes every effort to ensure their individual needs are met."
Mrs. Barnard was promoted to superintendent at the San Saba State School in October 1995. Four years later, Mr. Brookins was hired as the facility's director of security. A former Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison guard, he was enthusiastic and worked long hours, according to his performance reviews.
But less than six months after joining TYC, Mr. Brookins was in trouble. In January 2000, he received disciplinary counseling for "unprofessional conduct" during a training session. A month later, he was given disciplinary counseling for failing to attend a mandatory committee meeting he was supposed to chair.
In July 2000, he received a written reprimand for making personal long-distance phone calls at work and for "excessive amount of personal calls on the job." Another written reprimand came the following month when a radio scanner went missing from the security office. Still another was issued in November 2000 when Mr. Brookins failed to conduct monthly safety, fire and sanitation inspections.
A week later, Mrs. Barnard praised Mr. Brookins and rewarded him with four hours of administrative leave "for outstanding performance" in preparation for an accreditation audit by the American Correctional Association.
Within a month, Mr. Brookins was in trouble again, receiving disciplinary counseling for showing up for work late on three occasions and failing to sign in or out on the employee log. His performance issues continued into January 2001, when he was given disciplinary counseling for failing to meet a project deadline.
Mr. Brookins had been disciplined seven times in less than 20 months by March 2001, when he was caught accessing pornographic Web sites at work and storing photos of naked men and women on his office computer. This was mentioned in Mr. Brookins' next performance review, which Mrs. Barnard signed.
Under TYC policy, Mrs. Barnard could have fired Mr. Brookins. Instead, he got 90 days' probation.
TYC headquarters soon praised Mrs. Barnard for her staff management. Her supervisor in Austin, Marie Murdoch, said, "She has had to deal with some very sensitive staff issues this past [year] and has done an excellent job in handling them."
A later report by the commission would note that Mr. Brookins caused other concerns at San Saba. He "regularly took youth into his office, alone in the evening, and with the blinds closed."
Mr. Brookins didn't face disciplinary action for that. Instead, the report said, he was advised to "only counsel one on one in his office when absolutely necessary and to have his blinds open when doing so." It's unclear from the report whether Mrs. Barnard was still at San Saba at the time.
But there were hints of questionable behavior by Mr. Brookins in two performance reviews signed by Mrs. Barnard. In 2001, for example, the review suggested Mr. Brookins was not reporting his meetings with inmates, and he was told to "ensure that his contacts with youth are documented in the youth's folder as required by policy."
Mrs. Barnard was promoted to TYC headquarters in Austin in October 2001 as a director of juvenile corrections, responsible for several prisons. In that capacity, she demonstrated she was capable of stern action against subordinates.
One of those was Tom Bollinger, the assistant superintendent at the Marlin Orientation and Assessment Unit.
Mr. Bollinger had helped break up a fight at the Marlin security unit on Feb. 3, 2002, by grabbing an inmate who had been assaulted and holding him down while other guards secured the juvenile attacker, records show.
At the time, Mr. Bollinger was locked in a bitter dispute with Marlin Superintendent Jerome Parsee, and on May 24, 2002, Mr. Parsee recommended Mr. Bollinger's termination for use of excessive force in the incident. Among the evidence cited by Mr. Parsee was video surveillance tape, statements from the two inmates involved in the fight and a medical report by nurse Barbara Wilkey.
Marlin investigator Heather Reeves, however, said the video did "not show any type of visible assault. It appears to be a legitimate restraint of two students fighting," she wrote in an e-mail to another Marlin investigator.
The four guards who responded to the fight also told investigators that Mr. Bollinger hadn't used excessive force.
"This whole investigation is a fraud and set up," guard Damon Beshears wrote in a statement that is part of a wrongful-termination lawsuit Mr. Bollinger has filed against TYC.
The nurse also said she was pressured to support the abuse allegations against Mr. Bollinger. In an interview with Mrs. Barnard and in a later deposition for Mr. Bollinger's lawsuit, Ms. Wilkey said a central office investigator pressured her to say that the inmate whom Mr. Bollinger was accused of abusing had suffered injuries beyond those associated with typical restraints. "I was uncomfortable doing it, but your investigator told me to do that, to write that statement, and I didn't understand why," Ms. Wilkey told Mrs. Barnard, according to a transcript of their June 2002 conversation in the court files.
Nonetheless, Mrs. Barnard supported the decision to fire him on Oct. 25, 2002.
Mr. Bollinger's attorney accused Mrs. Barnard of "ignoring any evidence favorable to Bollinger" and withholding numerous inmate statements that supported his account. Mrs. Barnard is not a defendant in the case, which is pending in state district court in Austin.
In September 2003, Mr. Brookins transferred to TYC's West Texas prison as director of security, even though earlier in the year he had earned another written reprimand at San Saba, his 11th disciplinary case in less than four years. The transfer was approved without a check of Mr. Brookins' personnel records, former agency executive director Dwight Harris said in February. At the time, Mrs. Barnard had oversight of both prisons, though the records obtained by The News do not say whether she personally approved the transfer.
In May 2004 – as new rumors circulated about Mr. Brookins' after-hours sessions with inmates – Mrs. Barnard supported his promotion to assistant superintendent in Pyote. The West Texas facility was one of several supervised by Mrs. Barnard.
Four months later, a grievance listing 11 complaints about Mr. Brookins' behavior landed on Mrs. Barnard's desk. Among the issues raised by Billy Hollis, the West Texas caseworker, was the allegation that Mr. Brookins was spending time alone with inmates.
In mid-September of that year, Mrs. Barnard traveled to Pyote to investigate the allegations against Mr. Brookins. At a hastily called meeting, Mr. Hollis said Mrs. Barnard informed him that "they were all unfounded."
In a Sept. 29 memorandum dismissing Mr. Hollis' allegations, Mrs. Barnard said she had confirmed that Mr. Brookins met privately with inmates in the administration building late at night, "but I do not confirm that he engaged in any unprofessional or inappropriate behavior as a result, which I assume was the point of your allegation." Nighttime meetings with inmates do not necessarily violate TYC rules.
Instead, Mrs. Barnard said in her memo, she was "very concerned" by Mr. Hollis' conduct. "I believe you are failing to hold youth properly accountable and by doing so are perpetuating their misconduct," she told the caseworker.
Nine days later, when the West Texas superintendent went on medical leave, Mrs. Barnard named Mr. Brookins acting superintendent. The promotion came "in spite of the presence of indicators of risk of misconduct, a history of misconduct, widespread suspicion of misconduct and reports of unusual behavior" by Mr. Brookins, TYC's administrative review of the West Texas sexual abuse case would later find.
Reports of suspicious behavior by Mr. Brookins continued to flow into the Austin headquarters for the remainder of 2004.
In February 2005, during what was described as a routine review of the West Texas facility, Mrs. Barnard once again was confronted with serious questions about Mr. Brookins. Someone had reported finding Mr. Brookins' naked picture on an Internet sex club site, and described how they had been directed to bring a blanket to his office after hours while he was alone with youth.
En route back to Austin, Melody Vidaurri, a TYC security coordinator who had accompanied Mrs. Barnard, told her colleague "that students had made sexual allegations against Mr. Brookins," according to the internal TYC report on West Texas. Mrs. Barnard replied that "these allegations had already been investigated and there was nothing to it," Ms. Vidaurri told investigators.
Discomfited, Ms. Vidaurri then e-mailed Mrs. Barnard and her supervisor and asked to speak with them about the Brookins allegations. She got no reply. She then filed a formal allegation of mistreatment with TYC's inspector general's office and outlined her concerns in an e-mail to Ray Worsham, the chief inspector general at the time. Again, there was no reply.
In the end, a Texas Ranger investigator, after just one day on the case, gathered enough evidence to convince TYC officials that Mr. Brookins was a problem. On Feb. 25, 2005, Mr. Brookins resigned in lieu of termination.
The Ranger, Sgt. Brian Burzynski, also found evidence to support at least five of Mr. Hollis' allegations, which Mrs. Barnard had dismissed. It was "shocking to see the overwhelming evidence of Brookins' inappropriate behavior," he said, "yet no action appears to have been taken."
Mr. Hollis has since been promoted to assistant superintendent at the San Saba juvenile prison.
Six minutes after reporting Mr. Brookins' resignation to senior TYC officials, Mrs. Barnard sent a second e-mail notifying them that the Pyote superintendent had just informed her that he had recently learned that Mr. Brookins had been placed on probation for accessing Internet pornography while employed at San Saba. Mrs. Barnard didn't acknowledge in her e-mail that the incident occurred while she was superintendent at San Saba, or that she had signed a performance review of Mr. Brookins noting the incident.
In a final twist, Mrs. Barnard placed the Pyote superintendent, Lemuel Harrison, on probation in October 2005 for failing to promptly report allegations that Mr. Brookins was sexually abusing youth.
"Your failure to report such an egregious allegation, as dictated by policy, is a very grave violation and a serious error in judgment," Mrs. Barnard wrote in the probation letter. "Your actions not only risked jeopardy to your own career but also jeopardized the reputation of the agency."
Mrs. Barnard's downfall within TYC wasn't immediate, but her relations with superiors began to fray in the wake of Mr. Brookins' resignation.
She clashed with Mr. Harris and TYC deputy executive director Linda Reyes, according to a disciplinary letter written by Ms. Reyes. On Friday, April 28, 2006, Mrs. Barnard turned in her badge with a note indicating she was quitting after a meeting over security concerns at one of the facilities she oversaw. The following Monday, she asked for her badge back.
On May 10, Mrs. Barnard was placed on disciplinary probation for her abrupt resignation, "the latest example of problems you have demonstrated in the last year and a half accepting criticism or answering questions about functions under your authority," Ms. Reyes said in a letter.
The final act came last fall, when Mrs. Barnard's supervisors accused her of transporting alcohol in a state vehicle. She was suspended with pay in November, and shortly afterward she was informed that she was being demoted to the Austin district office and reassigned as a parole supervisor.
With her career in tatters, Mrs. Barnard reached out to the governor, whom she identified as an old family acquaintance. In an e-mail on Jan. 3 this year, Mrs. Barnard spoke fondly of her two decades at TYC, "a job I have been very successful with and have enjoyed immensely."
"Unfortunately over the last two years that has changed," she wrote. "I now find myself in a very precarious and contentious relationship with senior leadership because we have disagreed on the direction the agency is now taking."
Mrs. Barnard asked for a meeting with the governor or a senior aide "to discuss the matter." The meeting never occurred, a Perry spokesman said.
On Feb. 18, the internal scrutiny of Mrs. Barnard suddenly became intensely public when The News laid out details of the West Texas sexual abuse scandal in a front-page article. Mr. Perry's director of governmental appointments, Kenneth W. Anderson Jr., e-mailed other Perry aides, demanding answers and "someone's head on a plate!"
Later that afternoon, Alfonso Royal, the governor's adviser on juvenile justice, offered a critical assessment of Mrs. Barnard's September 2004 investigation. The review of Mr. Hollis' allegations "was not solid," he e-mailed the governor's aides. "This was clearly a missed opportunity to uncover what was occurring."
Gee, do you think next time you could just send us the link?
Sorry, I didn't know how to put a link.
Man!That Bollinger lawsuit is still going on? I thought the kid that filed the grievance that started the investigation told his caseworker he just didn't want to get any more time on his sentence for hitting the other kid so he made it up. I guess since they ran the caseworker off too no one got to hear that part. Guess that will be another chunk of money TYC is going to have to pay out along with all the felony firings. No wonder they are closing facilities and downsizing. There's not going to be any money left.
It doesn't matter what anyone says. It all comes down to the videotape.
Pinpoint,
You said "Steve Robinson, Dwight Harris or anyone else in the higherarchy above her are certainly problems in themselves, but they are not the blame for what she did or did not do. They did not MAKE HER do anything."
I'm not defending Barnard, as her actions were clearly negligible in the Brookins case. But, for you to say that Harris never made her, or anyone else for that matter, do things they disagreed with is totally false. Anyone that knew Dwight Harris knew he was a cold-blooded classless act. When he wanted something to happen, or not happen, he called the shot. There is no denying that fact. And in the end, it caught up with him. He wouldn't have lasted through the session. They (the ledge) were going to get him. And they did....
It is interesting when I read this about the DMN article citing Tom Bollinger.
Tom Bollinger and Curtis Simmons both worked at Hamilton State School. They were like oil and water. Curtis laying low and doing things covertly, Tom doing things overtly with a smugness of a self righteous ideologue. If you crossed him he would go "Karl Rove."
Heather Reeves (also a very black and white thinker with little grey) was a caseworker who transferred from Hamilton to Marlin after Bollinger was transferred. Ms. Reeves should have recussed herself of any investigation involving Bollinger due to their prior close working relationship. She is hardly objective.
Damon Beshears was a security worker who became one of several staff that Tom Bollinger in the security unit at Marlin subverted as he did at Hamilton to "solve" behavior problems. It should also be noted that his lawyer was reportedly related Leo Montez a former JCO VI at Marlin and supervised Beshears.
Tom viewed it as his job to "punish" students and to "protect" staff. As out of control as Hamilton was...it was easy how he came to hold this view. He often had questionable involvement regarding several cases of abuse at Marlin and at Hamilton.
I don't care for Lydia Barnard but she was right to fire Bollinger, he was loose cannon and dangerous.
In addition, Alan Steen, frequently, from Tom's own mouth, had him go after persons Steen did not like, challenged Steen, or Steen thought were incompetent. Of course Tom may have been just playing the victim...doing as he was ordered to do.
Nobody listed in that article is innocent or uncorrupted and all are guilty of being involved within the internal power struggles of the agency. All have put their petty concerns over the welfare of the youth and staff.
Bollinger thought he was the second coming of Michael Jordan when he was dribbling that kids head on the floor....
To 12:58:
In response:
"But, for you to say that Harris never made her, or anyone else for that matter, do things they disagreed with is totally false. Anyone that knew Dwight Harris knew he was a cold-blooded classless act. When he wanted something to happen, or not happen, he called the shot".
You and I are just going to have to disagree whether one person can make another person do anything. Other than holding a gun to someone's head (and even then it sometimes would not matter depending on the circumstances) you cannot force someone to do anything. Even if you feel they are a cold blooded classless act.
Pinpoint
Well, I can't disagree with that now that you put it like that... and you're right, I choose where I work and no one else. But I do have a mortage, kids, etc. that I have to consider. I wished I could just throw up my middle finger at him.... but you know, he got his in the end.
Man I sure hope Alan Steen isn't being considered for the executive director job. You thought Dwight Harris was cold, Steen is a freeze myzer.
To 2:00
Regarding your statments:
"Tom Bollinger and Curtis Simmons both worked at Hamilton State School. They were like oil and water. Curtis laying low and doing things covertly, Tom doing things overtly with a smugness of a self righteous ideologue. If you crossed him he would go "Karl Rove.""
Are you saying Mr. Simmons' covert actions were better? Who did Mr. Bollinger go "Karl Rove" on? And, what label do you assign the actions/inactions of Lydia Barnard in the West Texas issue?
"Heather Reeves (also a very black and white thinker with little grey) was a caseworker who transferred from Hamilton to Marlin after Bollinger was transferred. Ms. Reeves should have recussed herself of any investigation involving Bollinger due to their prior close working relationship. She is hardly objective".
From the information found, it does show Heather Reeves as a former Hamilton employee. But, information also has it that there were a great number of employees that transferred from Hamilton to Marlin. Are you saying they all had "close working relationships" with Mr. Bollinger merely because they came from the same facility? At the Marlin facility, it shows her as an Investigator. Are you inferring Mr. Bollinger hired her to that position? According to the open records information, Heather Reeves was not the assigned investigator. There was nothing to recuse herself from. It appears she was asked to review the investigation and gave her opinion of what was found. From the information I have on Heather Reeves, she appeared to go with the facts, not the person.
"Damon Beshears was a security worker who became one of several staff that Tom Bollinger in the security unit at Marlin subverted as he did at Hamilton to "solve" behavior problems. It should also be noted that his lawyer was reportedly related Leo Montez a former JCO VI at Marlin and supervised Beshears".
Is this information supposed to somehow discredit Mr. Beshears? Who's lawyer was related to the JCO VI? Mr. Beshears? If he was, so? According to his statement, Mr. Beshears felt the entire case was a set up. You provided a feeling against Mr. Beshears, what about the other staff involved in the investigation?
"Tom viewed it as his job to "punish" students and to "protect" staff. As out of control as Hamilton was...it was easy how he came to hold this view. He often had questionable involvement regarding several cases of abuse at Marlin and at Hamilton".
If Mr. Bollinger was attempting to expose Mr. Parsee's actions (according to records information) how is that "protecting staff"? You appear to have more information. Care to elaborate? Is his involvement "questionable" because he was covering up or exposing?
"I don't care for Lydia Barnard but she was right to fire Bollinger, he was loose cannon and dangerous".
From the information found in the open records information, it appears Mr. Bollinger was challenging Jerome Parsee on policies and actions. Mr. Parsee was recently arrested for lying to investigators and resigned from the agency. Lydia Barnard is a party to the West Texas sexual assault cover ups/inactions. Are you saying there is no possibility that Mr. Bollinger was fired due to refusing to be a part of the "team"?
"In addition, Alan Steen, frequently, from Tom's own mouth, had him go after persons Steen did not like, challenged Steen, or Steen thought were incompetent. Of course Tom may have been just playing the victim...doing as he was ordered to do".
If that was the case, it does not appear that it helped Mr. Bollinger since he was terminated for crossing Mr. Parsee and Barnard. Maybe Mr. Bollinger was a member of the "wrong" team?
"Nobody listed in that article is innocent or uncorrupted and all are guilty of being involved within the internal power struggles of the agency. All have put their petty concerns over the welfare of the youth and staff".
Since we don't have all of the information yet, the pending lawsuit should help resolve what actually occurred.
Pinpoint
"Bollinger thought he was the second coming of Michael Jordan when he was dribbling that kids head on the floor.... "
Was that on the video?
Isn't Allen Steen Steve Robinson's son?
Blahahahahaha!!! We've always wondered!
2:00
Hey, don't slam on Heather Reeves. I was glad to see her coming if something was up. She was one of the investigators that did her job like they are supposed to. From my time around her, I don’t see her taking up for someone if she didn’t think they were innocent. I heard her telling one of her friends who worked at Marlin (a JCO VI) that if she thought he was guilty of something she wasn't going to protect him or anyone else. This guy was her friend! She even helped me and some others file appeals on cases found against us. If she hadn't helped us we wouldn't of won our appeals. We won because we didn’t do anything wrong. She stuck her neck out for us and she didn’t have to. By the way, she didn't just stand up for Bollinger in that case in the paper, there were 4 other staff in it. She tried to help all of them. So, don't try and make it look like she was Bollinger's buddy. She helped me even when she hardly even knew me.
Steen and Robinson do look alot alike!
Isn't Steen running another agency?
Hey, didn't Simmons transfer from the Hamilton unit to Marlin too? Were he and Bollinger friends since they were both Assistant Superintendets? You know, playing the good cop/bad cop?
Wait a minute. Are you saying that Heather would investigate you, make a finding, and then help you write an appeal on her own findings?
As Steen would put it, "dat dawg don't hunt."
4:49
No. She would help us when other investigators did our cases.
Man that still doesn't sound right. I mean, I'm glad she was able to help you, but it doesn't seem right. I wouldn't expect that in the future with these new TYC-OIG guys/girls coming on. Did she have conflicts with the other lady (SM?). Didn't Heather get dismissed for sexually harassing the maintenance man, or was that someone else?
If you need help writing your appeals, you need to go to HR. They can refer you to the EAP, and you can get legal advise from them, and it's free.
anon 4:47 No Way! Simmons and Bollinger hated eachother. They screamed at eachother all the time at Hamilton. They didn't get along at all. They even split the campus in half. One had one side and one had the other because they couldn't stop fighting on how to run stuff.
I don't know if she and the other investigator got along or not. I never saw them together.
We tried going to HR but that didn't work. The guy in charge there was a rude jerk. He didn't want to listen to anything. I don't know how it will work now, but if she hadn't helped us we would of lost our cases.
I never heard of her being fired. Last I heard she went to the Crockett unit. Man, that stuff about the maintenance guy was such bull.You definitely heard only one side of that story. She told the guy to get bent because he was cheating on his wife and he filed a grievance on her. At first I believed him but then I heard about all the others he had done it to before her and has done it to since! Last I heard on him he tried to kill himself after his wife tried to be best friends with the last woman he cheated on with.
Well, they must not have found anything solid enough on Lydia Barnard to fire her yet, so maybe there is more to this story. They have walked out, suspended or fired everyone else involved. They fired others for less! I guess we'll find out if she winds up fired or not.
In response to pinpoint,
Pinpoint lets just say that I know most of the parties involved.
Let's start with Parsee. Parsee would tell you himself he has not always done things the way he should have in the past, assault at BWD. However, I can tell you that when he came to Marlin he was trying to amend for past behaviors and do things the right way (not defending him, heard him say it) In fact, I often wondered about Parsee as a choice as a superintendent since in my professional opinion he suffers from a mood disorder an has some pretty severe mood swings.
Parsee came into a facility that was frankly, troubled. He came in after Roy Washington, who needed one year of service to complete his retirement. Mr. Washington allowed
administrators and the facility to get out of control. He wasn't a bad guy, he just didn't care what happened since he was retiring, so things went a bit nuts after Alan Steen went to Central Office. Mr. Steen opened and ran the facility under very tight control. Though I would credit much of Marlin's success to Jack Patton.
When Parsee came to Marlin the staff frustration level was the worst I had ever seen it at Marlin. Parsee tried to listen and work with the staff at the facility but at that point they were so angry and frustrated that he became the focus of that anger and was viewed as a tool from central office.
Next, you add that Alan Steen who wanted Parsee to come in and clean house of several top level adminstrative persons. Parsee did terminate the buisness manager (who was very corrupt something about missing funds) but did not want to terminate the HR director without cause, angering Alan Steen. Nothing against Alan Steen, but he doesn't like to be told no and has a bit of a vindictive streak in him.
After that Steen bought over Bollinger in 2000/2001, Hamilton closed 2003 (Curtis Simmons was brought from Hamilton after it closed) Tom had indicated to me that he was acting on behalf of Alan Steen. Note: Parsee was very open minded and tried to work with Bollinger... but their relationship did sour largely because Bollinger was attempting to undermine Parsee.
In regard to Tom's policies I am too familiar with his views on juvenile corrections... Tom did not like nor was concerned about the youth entrusted to his care. He seemed to believe that he owned "truth" and you were either with him or against him.
Tom aligned himself with a powerful yet corrupt group (that had influence with staff and knew how to work the system) at Marlin made up of mostly security staff who kept things under control in security. However, there means of control were highly questionable.
Parsee was trying to clean up the security unit and stop the abuse... Tom felt Parsee was to lenient and things were getting out of control. So Tom sided with the security staff.
In regards to Parsee's statement to the Texas Rangers I wouldn't be surprised if he made a blanket off the cuff statement without thinking it through. Parsee gets nervous and speaking isn't his strong suit... Just my observations... I doubt it was his intention to mislead the investigators...
I know and respect Heather Reeves but I don't believe her to be objective about the case. Heather had strong views and could be very passionate about them to the point where it could obfuscate her objectivity.
In regard to Mr. Beshears, he was part of the aforementioned group in security and in my judgment lacks credibility.
Well I'd bet that something comes from this DMN article.
Your damn right that they have fired more for less. I mean, they fired all those central office people for political differences except the ones who knew that files, paragraphs, whatever, were being deleted.
They really screwed Dr. Brantley and that Kerri Davidson lady, who just came on board. Neither she nor Dr. Brantley had anything to do with any of it. They were not in their former positions when this WTSS thing went down. I think those two stand to benefit the most from any litigation.
Bollinger was over that security unit. If he did today what they allege he did back then, he'd be in jail.
To: 5:34
In response:
"Parsee was trying to clean up the security unit and stop the abuse... Tom felt Parsee was to lenient and things were getting out of control. So Tom sided with the security staff".
Bollinger felt Parsee was being too lenient in trying to clean things up? Too lenient on the people you say Mr. Bollinger had an alliance with? That appears opposite of what usually occurs with an alliance. Usually the party aligned (Mr. Bollinger) wants things to be lenient for his friends (security staff). But, you stated Mr. Bollinger wanted things to be tougher on his friends and was fighting with Parsee to do so? That doesn't make sense to me.
I hear you in saying you feel you know the individuals involved, however, with all the information you presented, I don't feel swayed one way or the other regarding the validity of the case against Mr. Bollinger. There is just as much evidence out there on Lydia Barnard and Jerome Parsee. By the way, if Mr. Parsee does have a mood disorder, it does not relinquish his requirement to provide accurate information in the job duty he held. If he did not understand their question, he should have clarified that with them. He knew why they were there and what started all of this. If he had any doubt as to what they wanted to know, he should have taken the time to ask.
To address what 5:22 stated regarding the investigator Heather Reeves and then your admitted respect for her. If her "strong passion" is for justice or helping others, I cannot fault that drive in anyone. Her statement along with the nurse (Wilkey's) claim of being forced to say things she did not want by a Central Office Investigator, the statements that were not allowed in as evidence (as Mr. Bollinger's attorney claims), other staff defending Mr. Bollinger, and if the poster (at 11:42) who stated that the student who filed the original grievance admitted to lying about the whole thing is true, etc.- it tends to make TYC's case against Mr. Bollinger look questionable.
I will be interested to see how that lawsuit pans out. I would also like to know if any of the employees who were or are going to be fired for their felony offense have filed suit.
Meanwhile, and I have to agree with 5:28- if there was enough to fire Lydia Barnard on the West Texas issues, you think they would have done it by now. It does make one wonder. Time will tell.
Pinpoint
You know, that Bollinger case needs to be concluded. There is another one (asst. superintendent at VFCC) that's out there. When will they ever have their day in court? Why does this process take years?
Lydia if you are reeading Grits..........you better resign..........all this mess is your fault for letting Brookins get away with screwing with those boys..........You know your days are numbered that is why you are out on medical leave yeah right! you are a joke.......
Sorry pinpoint, what I meant by lenient was... that Parsee was too lenient on the "youth" not "staff."
Heather was know for doing with what she thought was the correct didn't mean she was right. I consider her a friend but I do not agree with her.
Also, knowing the the investigators in central office, I find it hard to to believe that Eric or Bobbie coerced a statement out of anyone.
The reasons for his firing may be questionable but I still of the opinion that the students in TYC are safer without him in the agency.
Plus, it wasn't the first time the agency tried to fire him... The first firing involved him and another superintendent (first superintendent of Hamilton) who Bollinger badmouthed to Steve Robinson (Curtis Simmons was present). Steve and the superintendent happened to be friends and the superintendent went ballistic and fired him.
Bollinger refused to leave the office so the superintendent tried to forcibly remove him. Tom won that case, the superintendent was "promoted" to central office and later left the agency. Tom Bollinger was brought back to Hamilton when Alan Steen was temporarily over the facility.
Not trying to persuade you...just giving you more information/context.
5:34
You sound like Melvin Haisler.
5:34 says
Nope, not Melvin, I not sure if Melvin would defend Parsee, from what I know their relationship has been strained.
Think that Lydia's ties to Perry have kept her around....
I doubt that... she's pretty damaging to Perry right now. I bet she gets the axe when she comes back from the medical leave.
6:52-
"Sorry pinpoint, what I meant by lenient was... that Parsee was too lenient on the "youth" not "staff." "
Ok. There is still a lot of information on what "too lenient on the youth" means for me to form any judgment on that. Too lenient on what? Regardless, you are certainly entitled to feel how you do.
"Heather was know for doing with what she thought was the correct didn't mean she was right. I consider her a friend but I do not agree with her".
You consider her a friend but you posted an out of context negative comment regarding her to discredit her and thought she was fired but she had only moved to another facility? I guess you were not "close" friends?
"Also, knowing the the investigators in central office, I find it hard to to believe that Eric or Bobbie coerced a statement out of anyone".
Unless the nurse lied in both her questioning by Lydia Barnard and in the legal deposition for Mr. Bollinger's lawsuit (for apparent reasons that I can not see), it appears that for some reason she does not agree with what the Central Office Investigator told her to write down- whom ever it was. Being terminated, Mr. Bollinger appears to have far less leverage to influence the nurse to his side (that I can tell). It makes one wonder why she would go into a meeting or legal deposition and state that she was wrongfully influenced to word things that favored the agency when there is no benefit to her supporting Mr. Bollinger (unless it is the truth)?
"The reasons for his firing may be questionable but I still of the opinion that the students in TYC are safer without him in the agency".
You are most certainly entitled to your opinion.
"Plus, it wasn't the first time the agency tried to fire him... The first firing involved him and another superintendent (first superintendent of Hamilton) who Bollinger badmouthed to Steve Robinson (Curtis Simmons was present). Steve and the superintendent happened to be friends and the superintendent went ballistic and fired him.
Bollinger refused to leave the office so the superintendent tried to forcibly remove him. Tom won that case, the superintendent was "promoted" to central office and later left the agency. Tom Bollinger was brought back to Hamilton when Alan Steen was temporarily over the facility".
You did not include what it was that Mr. Bollinger bad mouthed the person for. Without that information, little judgment can be made if it was justified or not. However, you stated that the Superintendent tried to "forcibly" remove him- do you mean he literally put his hands on him and tried to physically move him off the facility grounds? If that's the case- that is a very questionable move in itself. Why didn't he call law enforcement and have him removed (if that was the scenario)?
Saying Mr. Bollinger had been fired before by the agency (stating that as a history defense that he should not be there) does not sit well with me at this point. From what I have seen on this site, there are too many people in the past and currently being fired for illogical and what appears to be illegal reasons.
I appreciate your information though.
Pinpoint
Bob Woods was the superintendent at Hamilton, and he was an ass let me tell you.
Woods couldn't listen to feedback from anyone. When the Hamilton unit opened, it opened under Bob Woods. And who brought Woods on board? Steve Robinson, his former colleague. Woods used to be a chief of juvenile probation in Tyler. That's how they know each other.
Well, as Hamilton continued to deteriorate and he began getting these peer reviews by other superintendents, he wouldn't listen to any ideas or suggestions. He basically told them to screw themselves. That's when Sandy Burnham intervened.
Burnham informed Robinson that Bob was, well, an idiot. She suggested removing him, and then demanded it.
Bob Woods was never promoted to CO. Instead, he was slated to be the superintendent at the Mart facility. Mart was currently under construction at the time.
Well, ole Bob showed up one day, went in Steve Robinson's office, and resigned. His ego deflated, he was in Central Office for maybe 30 minutes. That's how Bob went down. He was never promoted.
Pinpoint,
Sorry I am not clearly identifying myself but I wrote posts at
2:00 pm
5:34 pm
6:52 pm
and 6:56 PM
In regards to Heather Reeves I only question her objectivity....not her character. I did not make the comment posted at 5:06 or any "out of context negative comment regarding her to discredit her and thought she was fired but she had only moved to another facility"
Heather moved from Hamilton to Marlin prior to the shut down of the facility. Whether or not she considers me a friend is up to her...
In regard to the Nurse's statement, she was employed by UTMB and a Central Office investigator would have little nor no authority to force a coerced statement out of another agency's contract employee. TYC employee's are expected to fully cooperate with an investigation as a matter of policy but an employee of UTMB is under no obligation to do so. So I question her assertion that she was coerced.
Yes, the superintendent did put hands on Bollinger... until he did this he probably could have made a good case for insubordination. Plus, as far as I remember Bollinger still had not completed his probationary period.
8:01 p.m.
I meant "promoted" euphemistically.I saw several high level employees promoted to Central Office. He was transferred to Central Office and later worked for Fort Worth Probation.
Just some more information, and my opinion. Bob could be an "ass" but he was diabetic, did not properly treat his diabetes, often affecting his behavior.
In addition Hamilton was a HUGE ACCIDENT waiting to happen... He had to make it work and was under tremendous pressure to do so... doesn't excuse but can explain his behavior, I took the brunt of it myself once or twice...
2:00 pm
5:34 pm
6:52 pm
6:56 PM
and 8:08 pm
TO 8:08
When people don't sign their posts it does make it difficult to know who you are responding to.
I will have to disagree with your separation of "objectivity vs. character" in a person.
It has been my experience that they go hand in hand.
In response to your information:
"In regard to the Nurse's statement, she was employed by UTMB and a Central Office investigator would have little nor no authority to force a coerced statement out of another agency's contract employee. TYC employee's are expected to fully cooperate with an investigation as a matter of policy but an employee of UTMB is under no obligation to do so. So I question her assertion that she was coerced".
I wonder if Nurse Wilkey was informed she did not have to cooperate? It still raises the question why she brought it to people's attention that she did not stand behind what she had written on her statement and indicated she did not due to the Central Office investigator who interviewed her.
"Yes, the superintendent did put hands on Bollinger... until he did this he probably could have made a good case for insubordination. Plus, as far as I remember Bollinger still had not completed his probationary period".
I don't know what happened in this situation, but from what 8:01 posted, there may be two sides to this story as well regarding that superintendent. The current lawsuit apparently involves a whole different situation. That incident deserves and will receive individual consideration regardless of what else may have happened in any of the individual's pasts (Barnard, Parsee or Bollinger). The lawsuit will hopefully address that for those involved.
Pinpoint
I'm sorry but being a diabetic doesn't excuse abusive language and hostile behavior for anyone in a position as Woods was in.
Anyone have the fine details about what happened at the Town Door in Marlin? Actually in Parsee's car parked out back. Does the Simek lady still work at Marlin who was working the bar that night?
I heard Bollingers security people caught Parsee with one of the staff from TYC in the car out back of the bar doing a job interview. It was after the bar bust by security staff Parsee went after Bollinger and the security staff from what I heard.
Any body able to fill in the story. All I ever heard was from Ms. Simek when I happened to run into her. She said Parsee was after her for ratting him and his lady in to someone who worked in security at Marlin. Lydia investigated this also and said it was totally unfounded just like West Texas.
This is starting to look like a prime soap opera script. Sex, Booze, and TYC!
Don't forget about the time Parsee was found wandering around the streets of Marlin in his underwear out of his mind. Guess he got his psych meds screwed up.
Which unit did Parsee pull the glock 9mm on employees. A Gainesville transporter warned Marlin people about Parsee when Parsee first hit Marlin that he was nuts and violent to boot. I later heard the same story from TYC people up the food chain.
Also is Parsee's little buddy Roger Green still around. Talk about someone who didn't have a leg to stand on! He used to be Parsee's driver when Parsee was too screwed up to drive himself to Austin. What a sex pervert! I heard he was going to get nailed in all of this too.
The administrative people at TYC really would make a great soap show! Too bad they have screwed up so many good people's lives.
Don't pay too much attention to any of this! I am sure there is a good explanation for all of it. I think it just a rumor! Or don't move to a small town where everyone knows your business!tptigl
Wow. You know what guys and gals. If you want to go after people with facts or accusations of wrong doing- fine. But, can we keep the attacks regarding people's mental disorders and physical limitations (Roger Green has an artificial leg) out of this? We may not like what these guys have done, but putting items out there such as a physical disability or a mental disorder is not something they can change tomorrow even if they wanted to. They have it for the rest of their lives. How about we not attack them on things they have had no choice over. Bad decisions or actions we can address, but attacking them or pointing out the other things is not very good sportsmanship. If you can win your point by sticking to the issues or facts without taking it to that lower level, it's a much better win.
Pinpoint
to 9:55
Not an employee of TYC, but it seems a little strange that security would be doing a "bust" at a bar. Also low blow to make fun of an amputee, it has nothing to do with his character, but says a lot about yours. Sounds like sour grapes to me.
I only know what I have read about these specific events with TYC. I did have the opportunity to know Steve Robinson from quite a while ago. He was being groomed for the position of Director of TYC from the start, by Ron Jackson...words straight from Mr. Robinson's mouth. He also knew that he was moving from position to position within the agency to learn the ropes and to have the necessary experience. I know he was unhappy about staying as long as he did at one of the "stops". He made it very clear to me when I questioned his lack of involvement with his daily job, that I needed to accept that he wasn't going to be there on the job as I expected, as he was looking at bigger things and this was just a stop over. Basically, what I saw in Steve was a guy that was clearly more concerned with where he was going than what he actually did where he was at. I know that it wasn't good to to cross him or question him unless you were in a select circle and he was quite willing to step over anyone to get where he thought he deserved. He had the right looks and contacts; e.g. friends with Bob Bullock (ex-father in law) and close to Ron Jackson. I know he was gone before this stuff broke but I wonder if anyone considers that his style of leadership seemed to encourage a culture that didn't reinforce competence or any questioning of the status quo. I am anonymous at this time but for id, I will end with, Really
No, you are very correct about Steve Robinson. However, you left out his connection to George W. Bush (former TX Gov. at the time of Robinson's reign). Robinson was under the impression that he would be headed to Washington with Bush when he took office.
Damon Beshears was a security worker who became one of several staff that Tom Bollinger in the security unit at Marlin subverted as he did at Hamilton to "solve" behavior problems. It should also be noted that his lawyer was reportedly related Leo Montez a former JCO VI at Marlin and supervised Beshears.
Ummm, hello, my name is Damon Beshears so i do have first hand knowledge of the situation and the fact that you would say i had a "lawyer" that was related to a former supervisor is just a plain lie, i've never inquired the services of any attorney. Furthermore as mention before, at the end of the day it doesn't matter who said what, there where two videos in that incident, one of which was a unit video that is stationary in the securtiy hallway in which the incident was recorded and also a hand held video recorder that was used in the incident. On either video there was no evidence of any wrong doing. It was a legit restraint of two youth, one attacking another. When speaking with the facility investigator and my answers wasn't what they needed to bring about a case, there was an investigator sent from Austin who proceeded to tell me what to write and actually had me go back and cross out what i had said and write his words on my statement. When questioned as to why they didn't just look at the videos that showed everything, i was told the videos where not going to be allowed in this case as evidence. Draw your own conclusion. Lets not forget about the guard that was also fired in this case Gonzalo Corona.
As opinions go the difference in Curtis Simmons was the go to yes man for administration and had no sense of what went on in the securtiy unit that the pope. When i think of all the clueless people in the world he ranks #1. He never had any answers but he always had an opinion.
I did like Bollinger the better of the two, for the simple fact that he was not above anyone he would come down and work beside you in the security unit, unlike Curtis Simmons when youth started cursing and yelling and fighting he would find the nearest exit and abandon the situation.
I'm glad TYC is behind me, i spent 10 yrs. in that hell hole, and i've seen the dirty side of politics, and i could never return back to work there i have scince moved on, went back to school and i'm working on my medical practioner's degree. It is humorus though, because every once in awhile i will still get one of those letters asking me to reapply, and how TYC has changed. How does the saying go, "you got me once but you will never get me again"
I would love to set down with a newspaper editor and just unload on all the corruption i've seen inside those gates. I always wanted to be the one the news reporter would of asked questions, for the simple fact that i am not afraid to speak out.
-and thats my take on that whole situation, before you start filling in the gaps with your imagination, just ask and tell you! ~damon~
Actually Damon, I was referring to Bollinger's lawyer who represented him at his termination hearing and did not mean to imply that you employed a lawyer related to Leo Montez. Given the way it was written I can understand why you inferred that.
Glad to hear you moved on and have found a new career. Other than my impression that you aligned yourself with Bollinger I believe you to have been an excellent staff.
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