Sunday, February 17, 2008

Whitmire still angry over D'Pope's dismissal but the deed is done

The Dallas News this morning has a long feature on Texas Youth Commission woes that indicates Sen. John Whitmire is still on the warpath against the new conservator, Richard Nedelkoff. Whitmire intends to use a hearing scheduled on Friday to call Mr. N on the carpet for his decision to fire Dimitria Pope, the senator's long-time close friend. Reported Doug Swanson:

"I don't know who's on first base, and I'm not sure Nedelkoff knows what inning we're in," Mr. Whitmire said. "I don't have confidence that he knows what's going on."

Mr. Whitmire co-chairs the special joint legislative committee on TYC, which convenes Friday in Austin. He and other legislators say they will direct Mr. Nedelkoff – who in December became the agency's third conservator in nine months – to bring some desperately needed calm and purpose to the agency.

"It's awful," Mr. Whitmire said. "We need stability."

Apparently, Whitmire said, Pope misled the Legislature last year when she told them TYC was making good progress, telling him behind the scenes things were worse than ever:

Ms. Pope, who spent eight months as acting executive director, did not reply to several requests for comment. In December, she declared that TYC's progress toward reform was excellent. Behind the scenes, however, a different conversation was occurring.

"Ms. Pope's gone, but the problems still exist," Mr. Whitmire said last week. "She told me last month that things are a lot worse at TYC than anyone knows."

But inexplicably, the Senator is not angry at Ms. Pope for concealing these problems in her testimony before his committee on numerous occasions, but at the new conservator for recognizing she was covering up a big mess and getting rid of her. How much sense does that make?

Meanwhile, new concerns revealed at recent visits by the Ombudsman and Harris County's TYC liaison to the McFadden Ranch halfway house in Denton typify a slew of unresolved difficulties facing the new conservator:

Privately, senior TYC officials talk now of "hitting the reset button" on the agency for another rebuilding effort in many crucial areas. Among them: replacing failed therapy programs, finding qualified correctional officers to hire and maintaining order at isolated and outmoded youth prisons.

Recent reports by two independent inspectors found some of the old problems persisting. The reports, by TYC's independent ombudsman and Harris County's TYC liaison, were released to The Dallas Morning News by the ombudsman after a request under the Texas Public Information Act.

Both sets of findings were issued after unannounced visits to TYC's McFadden Ranch halfway house at Roanoke in Denton County. They detail repeated instances of failure to provide timely medical treatment to sick or injured youths.

One boy reported waiting weeks to see a doctor for a torn tendon in his wrist. Others complained of long delays in treatment for serious cuts, broken bones and breathing problems.

Several said they had not complained about medical treatment before because they were afraid of retaliation by staff.

The grievance procedures – by which youths file complaints – received strong criticism in the reports. Juveniles at McFadden "have consistently reported that they do not file grievances because it only makes their situation worse," the Harris County liaison wrote. "Youth report they are often singled out and ... the staff the grievance was filed against becomes angry and ridicules the youth by calling them 'snitch.' "

You can't say Pope or the Committee didn't know about McFadden Ranch's woes. Sen. Whitmire's joint committee was told about medical-related abuses there last August, and Ms. Pope told them she would immediately follow up. But here we are. (The comment string on the post about that committee's McFadden Ranch discussion is the longest ever in Grits' history - currently at 676 comments - including many other first-hand problematic allegations.)

Sen. Whitmire may well put the conservator through the ringer on Friday, but it won't matter. The deed is done. Hopefully other committee members will prefer to look toward the future.

One final note, apparently you really could tell who were the Grits readers at TYC after Dimitria Pope's firing. Swanson lede declares:
After Dimitria Pope's forced resignation from the Texas Youth Commission last week, some TYC employees began singing, "Ding-dong, the witch is dead," from The Wizard of Oz.
What Doug didn't mention was that those singing had all heard the tune as a result of its posting in Grits' comments soon after her departure was announced. So guess what, guys, you made the paper!

232 comments:

1 – 200 of 232   Newer›   Newest»
Anonymous said...

TYC staff should turn out enmass to support Mr. Nedelkoff, enough of the back biting and back stabbing this man made the right decisions at the right time but will need help getting to where we want to be.

Rising Sun

Anonymous said...

How does Whitmire excuse Pope lying to his committee? How does he justify doing nothing when she tells him "privately" (Hmmmmmmm!?!) that things are worse off in TYC than ever? How does he not figure out that she is the one true reason that things have gooten worse instead of better? This could possibly be the worst case of recto-cranial inversion ever recorded in the annals of Texas politics. Pope's departure lifted a tremendous weight off of the whole of TYC and for the first time in many months, an actual ray of hope for a better future for TYC exists. Anyone who attended Mr. Nedelkoff's first video conference on Friday (and he plans to have them at least monthly) have seen and heard first hand, the difference between him and all who came before him. Communication and supprt with and for the field? Asking for input from the field? Actual knowledge of juvenile corrections? These (and so many other critical elements) of a successful organization were dismally absent under Pope's "Reign of Stupidity". Yes, Pope is gone and Whitmire is pissed, but in the final analysis, who cares? It's time to get on with the business of fixing TYC. It's a crying shame that Whitmire can not take a cue from Dementia and leave.

Anonymous said...

What planet is Whitmire on?? There must truly be a parallel universe that runs opposite....and it must be called politics!!

Anonymous said...

In the DMN the following quotes were written:
"I know for a fact that in the nine months she was there, she made great improvement,"
Mr. Whitmire said.

"There's no question I'm her friend. But I hold my friends to as high standards as people who aren't my friends," he said.

"Ms. Pope's gone, but the problems still exist," Mr. Whitmire said last week. "She told me last month that things are a lot worse at TYC than anyone knows."

You contradict yourself Sen. Whitmire. It seems as if you are just trying to find something to "catch" Mr. Nedelkoff in. You knew TYC was much worse in December when Ms. Pope told you about it and you stood still and did nothing. What kind of a leader are YOU???? The kind that only leads when it is convenient for him??? Your actions go back to the beginning of the TYC scandal when you said that you knew nothing of it, but Mr. Harris is on record of informing you about it long before the press broke the story. I don't see YOU pulling any rabbits out of a hat to fix TYC, so how can you expect Mr. Nedelkoff to fix it in just a few weeks when your precious Ms. Pope couldn't fix it in 9 months!! It looks to me as if you are the person who needs to be replaced. My opinion of your leadership has taken a new found low.

Val Collier

Anonymous said...

Great point, Val! It is a bizarre contradiction. If you just read this quote ...

"Ms. Pope's gone, but the problems still exist," Mr. Whitmire said last week.

... it looks like he's saying that Ms. Pope was the cause of the problems.

Huh.

Anonymous said...

7:54 a.m., I am in total agreement with your comments. You took the words right out of my mouth.

Pope lied to TYC employees, the lege and the guv. Yet Whitmire is still defending her. I'm sorry but that's about the stupidest thing I've heard so far. It makes me wonder why the loyalty to someone like her? Friendship is one thing but if one cannot tell a friend they are in way over their heads and have they have become the problem and not the solution; then my definition of friendship and his are in opposition.

I tend to agree with the rest of the commenters who are calling for his departure. His friendship with Pope has caused him to be subjective instead of objective and his view of reforming TYC has become totally skewed. What he has against Mr. N, is puzzling, other than the fact that the man is knowledgeable in juvenile corrections and posed a threat to Pope from the start, as she had no idea of what she was doing, I don't understand his defense of Pope.

Obviously, he held Pope to lesser standards, ethics and integrity because that's what she demonstrated to TYC employees from the onset of her nine months of tenure. In turn she gained what she sowed, employees lost all respect for her, dispised her and her TDCJ cronies. I can't even think of one positive thing she accomplished. What is wrong with Whitmire?

We finally have someone that respects and values employees and youth alike. He brings a wealth of experience and is going to surround himself with experts. He is willing to admit he may some mistakes but also seeks the input of the field in making the necessary changes to improve treatment programs to set in place one that will work. I just can't imagine what is wrong with this picture!

It sure sounds to me like Pope has been painting a different picture of Mr. N and he has fallen for her anal-rectal theories! It takes guts for someone to admit they were in over their heads and that's what Pope needs to realize and admit so she can move on with her life and Whitmire with his.

TYC employees support Mr. N, the collective sign of relief accross the agency was loud and clear when she was let go! Let us move forward not backwards! Pope sunk us into the depths of no-return and we're glad she is gone.

I work in the field and I wish I could be in Austin for the hearing in show of support for Mr. N, but because we are so short staffed I must remain at the facility. My only hope is that all Central Office employees show up in full support of him in representation of the field employees and speak up in defense of our new conservator.

Anonymous said...

If the problem is medical treatment, why is not UTMB hauled on the carpet since it is their responsiblity to provide it? Probably because every time that I have seen them appear they lie and place the blame on a lack of money or that they are not making money on the contract, which is stupid since government agencies are not suppose to make money on contracts from other state agencies.

Howard A. Hickman

Anonymous said...

The question now is what it is going to really take to reform TYC. It seems that Whitmire and Pope were conspiring to hide the truth and prevent the agency from changing in a constructive direction. I'm also concerned that Nedelkoff hasn't proposed ways of reforming the agency as yet, despite being on the job for six weeks and consultation with many expert. He seems to have responded to the crisis minimally, by firing Billy Humphrey and Dimitria Pope, who were repeatedly given negative reviews in the press. This got him newspaper headlines, but beyond that the larger job of improving the agency remains in limibo. I think it is not only Whitmire but a whole cadre of persons with vested interests of some kind ( e.g. persons with biased perspectives, poor backgrounds in juvenile justice, uneducated) in the old badly flawed system who wanted to say they've "changed" but don't want to do anything. Look at how long it took to make changes in the old state hospital system by replacing it with short-term hospitals, community clinics, and halfway and fostercare facilities. Those at the old programs fought it for as long as possible, and it took a good twenty years to change. In the process many of those at the old state hospitals lost their jobs--and that is what may be at stake here at TYC. And, of course, you just can't get it out of many TYC people's heads that a "good old fashion spanking" is what all that is needed for drug abusers, learning disabled, mentally ill, mentally retarded, sex offenders and others. TYC needs leadership with real vision that is not afraid to assert itself to make changes.

Anonymous said...

Elmer, Elmer, Elmer... you just don't seem to get it. You didn't get your way and now you're throwing a fit. But no one seems to care this time.

Everyone should just ignore this idiot.

I thought that article was funny, especially the opening "ding-dong" comment. lol!

Anonymous said...

g8:39 - be patient. Nedelkoff is meeting with TYC staff (not new ones) and will have a reform plan out soon. I for one am glad he is taking the time to do that before releasing a plan. Part of the problem in Owens' and Pope's "plans" was they weren't thought out with input from people who know anything about TYC. This one will be, and we might actually be able to make the changes he proposes.

Anonymous said...

Who is D. Pope married to???

Anonymous said...

Whitmore needs to find him some new friends, because friends like Pope are going to take him off that high horse and throw him to the wolves.
Our conservator NOW is trying to do what is RIGHT for our agency and the kids it seems. But wait, what is the RIGHT thing to do has NEVER been done in TYC so maybe this is the problem that WhitMore has with him.
I have found and experienced in TYC that if your doing your job and if your doing your job well others seem to dislike you.Just the other day I reported something and later I was labeled as just making trouble and should not have reported the problem. I did the RIGHT thing but should have done the WRONG thing and let that go by the wayside if I wanted to continue to be liked by peers.

The ones that are praised and promoted are the ones that are liked by many and praised. Those following policy and doing the "hard thing" of what is Right are hated. So this must be the problem with Whitmore. N. is doing the right thing which is the wrong thing in TYC.

Anonymous said...

Clearly Sen Whitmire just doesn't get it, which is inexplicable since as co-chair of the oversight committee he actually admits that he has known how bad things were.

Instead of Mr. Nedelkoff, it is Whitmire who should be made to answer a few tough questions. Maybe this can happen if a lot of TYC staff and parents turn out this Friday.

I'm censoring myself heavily here, b/c for some reason Whitmire's every utterance pushes some kind of button for me. But I will say that it has become blatantly obvious that Mr. Whitmire has replaced Gov. Perry as the chief political impediment to reforming TYC.

Bill Bush

Anonymous said...

Oh, excuse me, I stand corrected. Whitmire did give one reason for Pope's dismissal:

Nedelkoff's a "shy violet" and she is more aggressive.

Jesus Christ, is this the quality of thinking in the lege? No wonder things are so messed up.

Bill B.

Anonymous said...

You go in Friday and tear 'em up Mr. N. I would rather be known as a "shy violet" than a "pansy" like Elmer!!

Anonymous said...

I would like to say I'm amazed by Whitmire's stupidity, but I'm not. I'd like to say I'm shocked that TYC employees were celebrating Pope's departure, but we've been waiting for it for so long that we are still catching our breath from the "furor and outcry" she predicted (the cheers and applause resounding in the halls of CO were amazing as she announced she was not in the running for ED).

Maybe we can't put a definite label on what he has accomplished, but we can identify that he is making plans and alerting staff as to his plans. He is deliberate in his thoughts and I am confident that his actions will be for the benefit of TYC youth and staff alike. On the other hand, staff (and youth) can rattle off the dismantling that Pope presented - ask any of those over 19-year old sentenced offenders; ask those youth who only have to brush their teeth and practice good hygiene; ask the staff who were summarily dismissed after years of service because she didn't understand TYC; ask those youth who were placed on BMPs without due process.

Sadly, what she tore apart in 9 months will take years to re-build and re-structure. But, as others have pointed out, at least now we have hope. We make not like all of his decisions, but we also have the opportunity to share our thoughts with him. So much more than we had previously.

Anonymous said...

Whitmire & Pope gave TYC no hope.
Pope is gone, Whitmire lingers.
Time for TYC to give him the fingers.

Words don't seem to work with Whitmire, maybe sign language will!!

Anonymous said...

I read the DMN article and was interested to see Kimbrough's comments: "It's absolutely not like starting from scratch...the trip from youth being sexually assaulted and cases not being investigated to here, well, that's been a giant leap forward." I've been watching, but have not read or heard media reports about widespread sexual abuse of TYC youth being uncovered by the mighty Texas Rangers or others riding in on white horses. The public was led to believe that, but if there was widespread sexual abuse of youth or systemic failure to report and investigate alleged abuse, we'd know it by now. TYC had problems one year ago, and it still has THE SAME problems, the efforts of Kimbrough et al notwithstanding. Lots of good people have been hurt and Texas' juvenile offenders are no better off. History will tell.

Anonymous said...

Nedelkoff said he'd have a plan in sixty days and I have confidence he will. What I worry about is some of you employees who feel emboldened by running Pope off (she needed to go, no doubt). Will you turn on Mr. N. when he presents a plan of action that does not agree with your notions of what should be done?

It took years for TYC to implode and will take years to be where it needs to be. It's sort of like turning the Queen Mary.

Plato

Anonymous said...

If Whitmire knew Pope was failing because Owens was gone so much, why did he not nip that in bud immediately? Let's face it, Pope was not a shy violet, true. However, she had no tact with people, no respect for anyone but her TDCJ cronies, no juvenile corrections experience and the most unsatiable ego I've ever seen. All earmarks for failure without help from anyone.

When Kimbrough was allowed to fire the felons, he essentially told our youth that they would never have a chance in society. I would have understood firing the felons who had committed crimes against youth, but the rest were leading productive lives and had paid their debt to society. They were role models for our youth and some were really being helped by them. I hope some of them can and do return to work with our youth. They had more integrity and respect from both coworkers and youth than Pope ever had. Sad but true.

Mr. Whitmire you are intent on making our agency the laughing stock of the nation. Your unrelenting support of Pope is not helping you! It was the best move ever for our agency and you want to take our conservator to task for it!! He did the right thing and we all support him. Our agency will be respected under him. It's strange you are not offering the support to him you gave Pope!

Anonymous said...

I don't foresee anyone turning on Mr. N. He has been very forthcoming and didn't start out by devaluing employees. He has stated many times he will accept responsibility for mistakes and we may not like some his decisions but I'm sure they will not be on scale and level of Pope's mistakes. The difference between him and Pope is that he is solicited the field's input on what needs to be changed to make the treatment program work and that's all most of asked for. He also asked what we needed to get our jobs done. He isn't remodeling offices while the field is in lack of carpet on the dorms, mold is growing on the walls and technology is getting outdated. So Plato, no, I don't foresee anyone turning on him. He has integrity, respect, ethics and great communication skills. An administrator such he, can only be respected and supported wholeheartedly. If anyone turns on him it will be because he becomes totally the opposite of what he's represented himself to be.

Anonymous said...

How can these stupid lawmakers in Austin get away with so much bullsh**?? In this article it states by Jim Hurley "We've got cops, cameras, and prosecutors" referring to a strenthened inspector general and a special prosecution unit. This guy Hurley is a joke if he thinks that he has a strengthened IG team. They just lost a HUGE court case on Feb. 12 and boy is it going to come back and bite them in the rear. Even the special prosecution team could NOT do anything except file for a motion for DISMISSAL!! Do you know how many lives just that one case affected??? We will see you in Civil Court very shortly and you might want to make sure there's enough money in TYC's budget. It's really a shame how TYC has screwed over so many dedicated and professional employees, but this time they won't get away.

Anonymous said...

2:27, are you able to share anything more about the court case? Was it covered by newspapers?

Anonymous said...

I'm hesitant to say this since I don't know him but Mr. Hurley needs to go too. Too closely tied to the last regime doing their spinning and stuff. Agency needs a clean start.

Plato

Anonymous said...

You folk are sick. Are you so much supportive of Nedelkoff or anti Pope? From what I've read he has been very inclusive and the only actions he has taken is removing Pope and some of her dummies. He is promising a document that you have not seen but yet you support him. Guys and Gals you are shallow.

It appears as soon as the wind blows in a different direction you will be anti Nedelkoff. Be honest. He has demonstrated the desire to include staff and eliminate conflicts like his other job so yes he off to a good start. But suppose you dont like the plan? Again he is putting it together and has not asked for your input. So if you not like it...Do you become anti-Nedlekoff?

Or are you saying...that all Pope had to do was be nicer to you all?

Think about it people and be honest. Self assessment is hard.


Just an outsiders point of view.

Anonymous said...

Go read his e-mails posted on the TYC website outsider. He sends them weekly to all staff. Tells us the direction hes heading and allows room for our input.
Just one of these is more than D'Pope and Co. ever did.

Anonymous said...

To the "outsider" Nedlekoff has asked for input regarding his plan. In fact he sent an email to all staff asking for their input. Hopefully all staff took this to heart and provided him input. In addition he has begun meeting with staff to get their input directly. And yes being nice to staff and people in general is always a good idea. Treat people the way you want to be treated. It appears the new conservator understands at least one of the "golden rules". It might have helped Ms. Pope if she understood that one. You have to treat staff the way you want them to treat the kids.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Nedelkoff has several advantages over Ms. Pope, but one obvious one is that emotions have come down. Last Spring the entire state thought TYC was staffed entirely with child abusers and the people who covered for them. Things are bad now, but at least the picture is clearer and I think Nedelkoff can take a more informed approach to the problems.

Also, TYC employees had little confidence from day one about being led by people from TDCJ. Right or wrong, TDCJ has always had a poor reputation among TYC staff.

Anonymous said...

whitmire would just be better off if he traded ends!! it would then make more sense when we saw the (#@$$^^&*) coming from the upper end rather than the lower end.

where is the idea of censuring from fellow common sense legislators? he could add 2+5 and make it equal anything. how have persons tolerated his total lack of comprehension to the point that he is where he is today?

sort of makes me want to believe in all kinds of things. like martians.

like bill bush, this guy makes pushes so many buttons, it is difficult to sit in front of a computer.

nedelkoff, and even the negative reviews indicate this guy has values and fairness.

power and control freaks with narcissistic grandeur sparked by entrenched character disorders are not what tyc needs or texas needs.

be strong nedelkoff.

Anonymous said...

The diversion of Pope, Richard, and the Lege just covers up the real problem TYC is up against. Most JCO's in this agency just do not care, are to lazy, or are not intelligent enough to understand how youth manipulate them. You can walk on to just about any campus with just about any type of contraband you want. I think TYC is a no win agency. There are some staff that is very dedicated and really care about their job or the youth, but those are few and far between. There is and never has been a sense of teamwork. Most are out to save their own ass at the expense of other staff or youth.

Case work is a joke. I’ll bet there are 80% of casework staff who cannot write a grammatically correct e-mail, even regional directors of corrections fall into this category. Power is still used and abused, even though Bronco is gone

Changing conservator’s, ED’s, or ADED's won't change what is happening out in the field. Youth in all facilities still complain about the grievance system not working, retaliation is still in place as well as the good old boy system. If the lege or ombudsman office ever sent someone to a facility undercover (as either youth or staff), the results would be overwhelming negative and become national news. Dog and pony shows are common whenever a visit is made, even the youth are afraid to tell what is really going on.

Beaumont had all top administration cleaned out for a fresh start, and in a matter of 6 months are right back where they started. WTSS has the most incompetent superintendent, and Gainesville and Mart I are not far behind. Conditions at Corsicana and Vernon are so bad they almost mirror what was found at Bronte. There are more than 2 or 3 facilities that need to close, and not because of financial constraints.

CO has gone regional with incompetent and unqualified staff, and most of these regional staff don't have a clue what their responsibilities are or what their job entails, even if they were competent.

So, back to the original issue of Pope and company. A new ED might look good to the public and the media and divert attention, but will the important things in TYC change, I doubt it! And this is coming from someone who was a dedicated employee with a positive attitude even during the tough times.

Good luck to all those who still fight in the trenches. I hope the best for this agency and the youth entrusted to it.

Anonymous said...

Ok I understand more now. Again did not want to offend anyone. I am an outsider but have read a lot of news since moving here. Its easy to get attract bees with honey. Too bad some managers (Queen Bees) don't know how to engage the worker bees.

Best of luck to you all and continue to support the change.

Anonymous said...

Too bad Pope was never sworn in to tell the truth. She'd be in worse shape than poor 'ol Roger.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Whitmire's been taking Rosenthal's meds.

Anonymous said...

It's simply too difficult for Whitmire to let go of the TYC reins. It matters little to him that things are screwed up in this agency, he doesn't want to lose the power. I don't think Texas' little Napoléon will be able to drag his nuts across Nedelkoff's face like he did others.

TJDO

Anonymous said...

MP103:

What do you mean by:

On the other hand, staff (and youth) can rattle off the dismantling that Pope presented - ask any of those over 19-year old sentenced offenders;

Anonymous said...

Pope lies to the legislature, Whitmire knows it, and he's angry because she was asked to resign? Why wasn't he screaming when she told him how bad things were? Surely there are those on the committee that realize that Pope's appointment as the acting ED was not chance. Whitmire has admitted to a long, close relationship with her. Of course, he denies he had anything to do with that appointment. Yet, he questions every move Mr. N makes!!!

I have seen Whitmire in action during hearings, and I pray Mr. Nedelkoff is ready for him.

Anonymous said...

Many compliments to "The Dallas Morning News" on their wonderful work in exposing the sex abuse, deficient educational and rehabilitation programs, and now the conspicity between Senator Whitmire and Dimitria Pope in providing false information on conditions at TYC to the legislature and public. Even though Richard Nedelkoff comes highly recommended, I still have doubts that he is completely ligit. For one thing, he seems to take a second hand approach to problems, such as the one you described in the DMN article today about medical neglect and fears of retaliation of students filing grievances at the McFadden Ranch. Apparently, Nedelkoff was informed of these problems previously, and what he did was assign them to someone else for "study". This sounds suspicious to me. His experts are still "studying" the problems brought about by Billy Humphrey at Mart with so many being brought in for solitary confinement and so many others brought in without being offered recommended substance abuse and sex offender programming. I would think that after the cover-up of the sex scandal earlier this year, and the recent cover-up by Dimitria Pope of conditions at TYC, that Mr. Nedelkoff would not delay in investigating and correcting conditions. I would see Jay Kerbrough under such circumstances paying suprise visits to the facilities himself and getting to the bottom of it right away. I wonder why Nedelkoff doesn't go out to the McFadden Ranch right away and make sure things are done right? To do otherwise, invites suspicions of further delaying tactics. I have heard rumors, in fact, from TYC Central Office personnel that Nedelkoff will appoint one of the long-term TYC management team with experience in administration of institution rather than someone with expert credentials in juvenile justice as Executive Director. After the "hoorays" for the new Executive Director are over, the agency will then settle down to being pretty much the same as always--basically a correctional program with an extremely high recidivism rate and poor rehabilitation services. I think the whole situation has reached a point where firm action is necessary to bring TYC in line. There may be a golden opportunity now with Barrack O'Bama and Hillary Clinton campaigning for the Democratic Primary in this state on March 2 to make a difference. There are plenty examples of national political figures getting involved in serious problems in various states. Look at all of those who have visited the Hurricane Katrina site. John Edwards, in fact, began his campaign there. The Texas primary hinges on the minority vote. About half of registered Democracts are Hispanic and maybe another quarater are African-American. TYC is a program largely for children of these two groups. It would be a great opportunity to show interest in the special needs of minorities. I would think Mrs. Clinton in particular would be interested, because her continuing in the presidential nomination race largely is contingent on how she does in Texas. with this suggestion? If Nedelkoff or Governor Perry were to refuse to allow her to visit Mart, McFadden or, let's say, Evins, where there also has been so many problems, well, it would look very bad, and I would doubt they would go so far. They go bring along their own juvenile justice expert with them. And, of course, Nedelkoff and the rest of the Republican establishment at TYC couldn't allow Mrs. Clinton to find anything wrong. Everything would be made right before she got a chance to find it herself, and embarass some of the "good old boys of the grand old party".

Anonymous said...

You sound like an ex employee with an axe to grind!!

Anonymous said...

9:31, would you please paragraph your different thoughts in the future? You can rant all you want, but for heavens sake, please paragraph you little rants and get a little more organized.

Anonymous said...

To 9:31

Thank you for expressing my thoughts. If a comment is that long, it should have some organization to it...either shorten it or organize it.

Anonymous said...

As a former employee of McFadden Ranch. I want to thank ( Scott Henson and Doug Swanson) who have brought forward our struggle to bring McFadden's very corrupt administration to justice. I reported SEVERAL instances of abuse and medical neglect to TYC and the hotline and found myself retaliated against by Lisa Cooke, Sandra Lee and Karen Lashbrook. It might have taken alot of time, but I believe Mr. Nedelkoff is moving in the right direction. I hope with all my heart that he brings swift and firm justice for those youth that were allowed to be abused and neglected at the hands of the incompetent Superintendent and her cronies while Pope stood by and allowed it to continue.
From somebody who has been there...who had to watch those children suffer in pain while Lisa Cooke pondered how she could explain the injuries. The time has come for the state of Texas to hold HER accountable for HER actions or lack there of.
I actually feel like TYC might survive this mess now....its a start.

Anonymous said...

8:18

I was simply pointing out that Mr. Nedelkoff has not made any concrete changes. However, many of us can identify changes made under Pope. TYC continues to house 19-year old sentenced offenders who should have had a decision for parole following the enactment of SB103. There are plenty of miscues under the regime of Ms. Pope.

Anonymous said...

This is a time for change people, positive change. We need to give Mr. N a chance to see if he can help us rebuilt what was once a great agency. We can do that by being supportive of him, ask questions, and once we do, the youth are bound to see us regrouping and begin to feel safer. McFadden Ranch, I hope that they do go in and investigate and finally come to find out the facts. Time to get rid of the good old girl system in the halfway houses that Mrs. Lashbrook has with Lisa Cooke, Noelia Lucio, and the new superintendent at Ayers house. We need to look towards a positive beginning, new leadership for the Conservator, Executive Director, and over Halfway Houses. We now need to look at ourselves, for if they do continue and get rid of people like they have, we have only ourselves to blame if it fails. Let's bring back some of the people who are gone, not all, and begin to build some pride in ourselves again.

Anonymous said...

If you keep all facilties open but downsize the number of offenders at each. Would that not make for a easier to manage system?
But that would make sense and you cannot do that in politics.

Anonymous said...

Cooke has considered this a "head's up" that an investigation is coming. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if those kids aren't being forced to scrub that place down and threatened for their silence to investigators.Its happened before.

Anonymous said...

This is to Mr. Nedelkoff and the investigators that plan to come to Mcfadden Ranch:

PLEASE DO SOMETHING THIS TIME!!

Don't be fooled.

We barely operate day to day. We need change of leadership more than ever!!

Anonymous said...

What???

Medical neglect issues again??

Wasn't that issue resolved after the previous incidents last summer?
People need to be fired. Then fire the people who didn't fire the people who needed to be fired.

Anonymous said...

If Nedelkoff wants the truth about McFadden. Look into the employees grievances also. They are all about the medical abuse and retaliation. Go talk to Jordan, Green and Wilson. They will tell you the truth. Green was terminated for bringing this information to investigators. Start with them. You will see. Wilson testified in Austin in August trying to get something done about this neglect and abuse.
SOMETHING NEEDS TO HAPPEN!!!!! PLEASE DON'T FAIL THOSE KIDS AGAIN!!!! REMOVE COOKE FOR GOOD!!! Make her take her crew with her. White, Lee, Davis, Brown, Johnson, Koerner, Montes, Didier. They will continue to lie. Don't Believe them!! If need be, ask for Polygraph tests!! They will all fail. Get it right this time!!! Before she kills a kid with her medical neglect.

Anonymous said...

I believe the real issue should be oversight and who is providing this. It makes no difference if it is McFadden, Ron Jackson, West Texas, Al Price, etc, etc, if the local Administrators have failed where is the oversight (Regional Directors).
This scenario if true goes back to the start of this fiasco and West Texas when the lack of oversight brought this agency to it's knees. If this agency continues to ahve leadership that is absent when issues arise and fails to address them, then maybe just maybe the wrong staff are in the wrong positions.

Anonymous said...

Yes, the wrong staff are in the wrong positions!! Brown ( Mcfadden's "medical" person) was placed into that position because she did dirty work for Cooke. Not because she was qualified. She knows nothing about treating kids in a medical capacity. Yet, a year later...she is still in her position. Lee, who has been investigated SEVERAL times in the past year, is still in her position as a JCO 6!! White who ridicules and humiliates the injured youth...still there! Still in power! The people that are gone? The people who spoke up about the abuse and neglect. If you keep your mouth shut at Mcfadden....you keep your job. We have all been threatened with our employment by Lisa Cooke. Those who had the courage to speak up anyway were targeted by Cooke.
I hope they get this right this time. Cooke feels invincible right now. She shouldn't! I hope Nedelkoff uses McFadden as an example of whats wrong with TYC and cleans it up.

Then he should beg and plead for Carlos Wilson to return to TYC. He was one of the best JCO staff I have ever had the pleasure of working with...he is what TYC officers should strive to be.

Anonymous said...

I have some questions. Wasn't Cooke suspended/Fired last year? Who messed up that investigation? Why was she allowed to return to cause even more damage? Somebody needs to be held responsible for placing her back into that position.I guess we know she lied to investigators on that incident too. She is not credible. I believe that has been proven now. So my final question....Why is she STILL there?

Anonymous said...

Is she Whitmire's other Girlfriend?

Anonymous said...

This is NOT news. Cooke has been a tyrant at Mcfadden Ranch. Her reign needs to be ended before more damage is created and Mr. Nedelkoff needs to address the many issues she has created for the state.She has unlawfully terminated people, allowed youth to be "experimented" on with home remedies, and she continues to allow a former staff member removed by the Texas Rangers for improper sexual conduct, to visit the Ranch and the youth there. This woman holds no regard for the law and this has all been documented over and over again. Mr. Nedelkoff needs to damage control....and quickly.

Anonymous said...

Well, it looks like yet another youth was injured at Mcfadden this past weekend....a youth was given "Icy hot" to "cure" his congestion...it instead burned the youths skin. Another great move by Lisa Cooke. Whats it going to take to get her removed??? Does she really have to kill a kid??

My god...at least remove those people WHILE you investigate!!!!! That is how its SUPPOSED to be done!!!

Anonymous said...

Why is it that every report completed by the ombudsman states that the "youth stated", "the youth said", "the youth felt", etc... Where is the evidence? These "youth" are convicted criminals (at least once)! You know, the TYC is once worked for said "if it isn't documented it didn't happen." Why are we simply taking the word of a criminal and ruining the lives of staff (that are not convicted criminals) that are attempting to protect them? If you have worked with these youth, they will tell you they will lie in an attempt to be released. These "youth" believe that they can get TYC eliminated and not serve their time. Which is exactly what began when the release age dropped from 21 to 19. We are giving them exactly what they want. Why are they not being held responsible? How do you think the victims of violent crimes committed by TYC "youth" are feeling right now? How safe do they feel? Would you really want these "youth" to live next door to you? Where is the evidence? What has this agency become? Why is Sen. Whitmire attempting to destroy this agency? God willing he will not be re-elected!

Anonymous said...

Its not just the youth. If you are refering to the McFadden report's. STAFF members have filed grievances as well. I have personally witnessed youth being denied both medical treatment and not being allowed to contact parents, lawyers or outside agencies to report this neglect. I have filed reports and grievances. Do I still work at McFadden? NO! They made sure everybody that told "their business" was removed. Unless you praise Lisa Cooke and protect her from investigators, you are tormented, retaliated against and ridiculed. Those youth that complained to Will Harrell, they were right. The were not lying. They spoke the truth in this case. Lisa Cooke is not telling the truth.

Gritsforbreakfast said...

Will Harrell visits the units and talks to staff as well as youth, but Dimitria Pope told him she didn't care about staff concerns, to only address youth-related issues. So all his reports under her tenure are very focused, per her instruction (she wouldn't look at them otherwise) on how youth are effected. For that, you have to ask them. It's his job.

Also, ignoring credible complaints by youth is how TYC got into this mess in the first place.

At ACLU and before, Will has vetted PLENTY of "jail mail" and inmate complaints, and I guarantee he doesn't believe everything he hears, just like I don't believe every comment on this blog! But where there's corroboration or where allegations imply exceptional misconduct, if true, he SHOULD be reporting it. He'd be failing to fulfill his statutory mandate if he didn't.

Anonymous said...

By the way, to answer your question. I would feel much safer with some of those "criminal" kids living next to me than 95% of McFadden's current staff. I have been threatened with physical harm by a male staff member there. Was anything done by Cooke? YES...she gave him better days off!!!!!

Anonymous said...

It has been a year and we still are hearing the complaints from McFadden. Why is this superintendent not suspended pending investigation, why is nothing done, and before looking at Regional Directors, look at who has been over the halfway houses for over the past year, Karen Lashbrook. Tell me, what is she doing? Nothing. She is supposedly just a consultant now, but still is acting like their boss, doing evaluations, etc. But Cooke is her favorite, just like the lady from Ayers house, Machado was, and we now see where she is now. Are we going to sit back until something worse happens. I hope not.

Anonymous said...

I agree Scott!!

Those kids that Will spoke ( at least at McFadden) were telling him the truth. I would take a polygraph, swear on a stack of bibles that they WERE TELLING THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!! I SAW IT!!! I have never even had a traffic ticket!! Am I a liar because I won't help Lisa Cooke keep her "cushy" job???? I am so grateful that something is happening there. I hope they look back about a year ago and realize that this cover-up, this abuse has been going on for quite some time and in fact is bigger than the mess at West Texas. You will see.

Anonymous said...

I agree...Why is Lisa Cooke still allowed to be at McFadden?? No doubt she is gathering those youth in a room and threatening them within an inch of their lives if they talk, what will happen to them!! Why is Nedelkoff allowing her to remain there??

I seem to remember about this time last year...she was spending HOURS trying to get youth to write statements about how they were lying about being sexually abused.

Remember that Lisa??? Its all going to come out now sweetie...its about time to come clean. Karen can't protect you anymore!

Anonymous said...

Scott,

Under SB 103, the Ombudsman is an independent office that should not be taking orders from the executive director. That defeats the purpose of "independent."

Howard A. Hickman

Anonymous said...

Will Harrell shoulda told Pope to suck it. I believe he did, if not in so many words. He is a stand up guy, 100%.

As for Whitmire, I'm pretty sure I've figured out what's wrong with him...

He's got Lewinsky Syndrome. Hard to diagnose, even harder to cure.
Let's all add him to our prayer circles and pray for his recovery.

*snort*

What an ass. I wonder if he REALLY thinks he's fooling anybody. If he does, well...that explains the mutual attraction, then. I picture them in some dark corner of an expensive restaurant, gazing into each others eyes, sipping expensive drinks (at bars that won't refuse to serve him, that is), and sharing with each other grand tales of their total AWESOMENESS and how even though everybody acts like they hate them and they're idiots, the truth is the rest of the world is just jealous of the supreme and powerful beings the WhitPope really is.

Beware their wrath, minions!!!


Heh. Ok, that was mean, too. Know what? I don't give a crap...it's funny cuz in some shape or form, you know it's totally true.

Anonymous said...

Where there is this much smoke, there has to be one hell of a fire...I am sick of hearing about continued abuse at McFadden Ranch.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out what needs to happen there.

Whats the hold-up people? Ya'll waiting for a kid to die there first?
Because that will open up a whole new can of worms....seeing as you all knew all about this for some time and didn't act on it.

Anonymous said...

"Right or wrong, TDCJ has always had a poor reputation among TYC staff."

After living in their presence for a year, there's no wondering anymore. I can only hope that TDCJ kept the better people. Because if what we seen is the best that TDCJ has offer, God help them.

See yourself, go or call HR for anything and you will find out the level of incompetence. Mary Wood arrived and the majority of the people left to get away from a whiny butt. Now the HR operation is floated with overpaid TDCJ people. She managed to hire one of her friends for a CO position, but was kind enough to let her office in Crockett. How convenient.

So if call you from Evins remind HR that you are from the facility located in S. Texas, because they do not know the difference between R. Jackson, Mart, or any other facility. So do expect them to know the difference between a JCO and a case manager.

As for Wood, I can only say that I have seen Cocker Spaniels with more personality than she has. Yet, in another one of Pope bright decisions, she took Young out to move her girl in. That's like moving from penthouse to a basement.

No wonder all the competent people have left HR. Just last week two more employees left and others are looking to go.

Anonymous said...

11:55 a.m., It sounds like they are acting on it by reporting it here but what they really need to do is report it to the hotline.

But there is one thing I really don't understand about the McFadden drama: why are you people blaming the superintendent for the lack of medical attention when that problem clearly belongs to UTMB? I can understand the retailiation complaints, but the medical complaints need to be made towards UTMB I would think? I'm lost on that one.

Anonymous said...

Well, just as was suspected....all Nedelkoff did was give Cooke the heads-up that an investigation is under way. Behind closed doors all day plotting on how she get out of this one.....

Anonymous said...

To get to the UTMB...it would have to be reported, right? Yeah..it pretty much stopped at Cookes feet, she couldn't explain that the reason some kids were being hurt was because she was exploiting them by making them work at an employees house. So, it does rest with her. She has covered up alot of issues in the past....and still continues to do so. I also don't believe the UTMB was aware of her "home remedies" being used on McFadden youth.

Anonymous said...

UTMB is a problem for the entire agency, not just McFadden. It seems a better idea that TYC/UTMB contract out for a "as needed" Nurse Practioner or Physican's Assistant for McFadden as opposed to relying upon house parents to treat a kids medical condition.

Anonymous said...

12:42, well if that's the case, then I agree, and that's not OK.

But with all the noise coming out of there, I would bet the OIG has already looked into that allegation. I thought they did but I don't work there so I wouldn't know.

What is the superintendent being investigated for now?

Anonymous said...

Bottom line people, The law, rules, policy...hell, human decency do not apply to McFadden Ranch. Don't believe me? Take a trip there one day...without letting anybody know you are coming, and then come back here and tell us what YOU found. Just walking in the door, the lack of any professionalism is the first tip-off. Then, if you have a chance...listen to the youth, they are speaking the truth!

Anonymous said...

Chill People. Put your concerns into a formal process as well as this blog. They WILL BE INVESTIGATED. Also, I know its hard but could you refrain from indivudual employees on here who are the bad actors. What basis would there be to simply dismiss them? Get them damm formal grievence in pronto. Dont worry about retaliation or if you think you have sent it in already. ITS A NEW DAY.

Oh yea and Grits and Howard you are right the Ombudsman is independent but exist for the kids. Tell it all cause that where some of the confusion lies. Mistreated employees still have to file through normal process and Ombudsman cant touch thier claims. So inorder to get them resolved they need to get them to the right place. I think Pope knew this also and neglected to properly inform stafff of what they should be doing.

Together this can be a great agency. Folks lets raise the bar.

Anonymous said...

Anyone know what happened at the hearing?

Anonymous said...

Which one?

Anonymous said...

Easy for you to say "chill". Believe me, this process is far beyond this blog. We have had McFadden Ranch employees who were terminated after filing grievance after grievance and reporting EVERYTHING to the hotline. We have lawsuits filed against TYC and McFadden Ranch. We have exhausted ALL of the so-called "formal" routes of getting this matter taken care of.

Anonymous said...

How many "investigations" need to occur at McFadden Ranch? It would seem that a halfway house should not be having so many serious issues. If suspending the superintendent the first time didn't work, I would think maybe something harsher would be appropriate by now.

Anonymous said...

You must cut all the cancer out of Mcfadden...not just the supt. Start with Lashbrook, then Cooke, followed by Didier, Lee, White,Brown, Davis, Johnson,Hetrick, Koerner, Montes and Moore and then, just maybe....you might have a facility that can be saved.

They all interact together like a street gang to "protect their own"

Anonymous said...

"If suspending the superintendent the first time didn't work, I would think maybe something harsher would be appropriate by now."

Well, I can say first hand that when she was suspended, Kimbrough et.al were on a sweep, and if they would have nailed her ass if she did something wrong, because at that time, they were going for heads. They even got a few innocent ones. Believe me, they would have gotten her too. Hell look what they did with the Tamayo superintendent just for using state postage? I mean, if your superintendent did what you guys are alleging, don't you think they would have gotten her? Hell yes they would have. No doubt about it.

Anonymous said...

This crap is like a scene from the GodFather, Ms.Cooke seems to be untouchable. How in the hell is she still at Mcfadden. I don't really care what Nedelkoff does, Its still an injustice because of how long this crap has went on, and no one has done nothing about it.

Anonymous said...

I don't buy the fact that she was found "innocent" by Kimbrough. She lied and manipulated and had others lie for her...thats how she got off. Karen Lashbrook helped her. Lara Foronda helped her. She got back in....and guess what? Not even a month later she was back to her old tricks of neglect, exploitation and abuse. SHE ALLOWED STAFF MEMBERS TO TAKE YOUTH TO THEIR HOMES FOR GODS SAKE!!! How in the world did she get away with that??????????????? Please SOMEBODY explain why this woman is not in jail....never mind being fired!

Anonymous said...

Couldn't have said it any better!
Now, lets finally do something about it.

Anonymous said...

Where is Carlos Wilson? DMN needs to contact him to get more information about these abuse issues, and keep the heat turned up- under Mc Fadden Ranch, if not this will fade to black!

Anonymous said...

By the way, to answer your question. I would feel much safer with some of those "criminal" kids living next to me than 95% of McFadden's current staff. I have been threatened with physical harm by a male staff member there. Was anything done by Cooke? YES...she gave him better days off!!!!!

Be careful Green, you almost got yourself a libel lawsuit the last time you started this crap.

Anonymous said...

Oh now the McFadden hater is back! Give it a break. They investigated Lisa Cooke and brought her back to work. Now you should know that during that time if they had found the slightest little thing she would be history. Lashbrook would not have been able to help her. Sounds like to me you were terminated for something you did and now you want revenge. Get on with your life!

Anonymous said...

Ummm...can we please refocus this thread on what a short, bald, bully, d*ckhead Whitmire is, and what type of jar Pope keeps his b@lls in? Cuz I thought that was the point of this posting?

And really, that's Nedelkoff's biggest issue right now.

I'm sending him a letter this week. I don't even work there anymore, but I want him to know he's got support from the outside, too. And I'd be glad to share with him anything I know that can help him.

Anonymous said...

Thank you 7:12. At there are at least 2 of us that have some sense around here.

Anonymous said...

feeling guilty Hetrick??? Bring it!

Oh yeah thats right....you can't because its true!


As far as "McFadden Haters" That is a JOKE!!! I guess Will Harrell, Doug Swanson and most of the AG's office can be lumped into that grouping too, huh?

Face it...The days of abusing the kids and treating them like animals are OVER!

Anonymous said...

Exactly what did Green do to get terminated???? Please let us ALL know!!!! Because the way I remember it, she brought all the sexual abuse and medical neglect to the AG's office and THEN was terminated...News flash.....That is ILLEGAL activity RIGHT THERE!! Proves that Cooke is dirty! But we all knew that for years!

Anonymous said...

I am not Hetrick.

Sorry to disappoint you and ruin all your fun.

Anonymous said...

You got us! We are all McFadden Haters!!! We have a secret club and all the news media and grits are members...damn, we have been found out people.

Do you even know how stupid you sound??

You know what I hate?? People who are ignorant, unprofessional and who abuse and neglect children! Thats who I hate...If you fit into that catagory and work at McFadden Ranch, then yes...I am a "McFadden hater"

Anonymous said...

oh 8:19 - go find the other dozen threads to read what she did to get fired. She's a pathological liar. It's quite sad really, maybe she should have tried a mental illness lawsuit instead.

Anonymous said...

wow, look who is slandering people now! Better be careful...McFadden's lawyer quit!

That is so sad...Hey, if Green is lying, I am sure she would not volunteer for a polygraph test right.....because she did! That is strange that she would do that, don't you think?

Don't you have something better to do besides attack her? Maybe there is a kid that hasn't been MURDERED yet..that you can pretend you helped with your crappy program...

RIP. T.M...yeah, you helped him like you helped ALL the others.

Anonymous said...

If she is mentally ill...what's that make your girl Hobson?? Oh yeah..you all stick together.

All you have are personal attacks to deflect the real truth. You abused, neglected and exploited youth and you accidentally hired people who wouldn't just look the other way...its as simple as that.
If the truth be known...the people that didn't get along at McFadden were the ones that had NO criminal background, You just got done promoting somebody with a violent history.

Anonymous said...

God I pray that Nedelkoff reads this blog and does some serious investigating!

Anonymous said...

Personal attacks? Are you kidding me? It's you and all the OMGWTFBBQ McFadden is evil blah blah that is doing all the personal and character attacks. Not me.

Anonymous said...

If Green is a liar then add me to the group too. Because I saw the same thing. I guess we are all lying and Cooke is telling the truth, huh? That would be easier to believe if Green was actually there when the bleach was poured on the kid and he didn't get any medical care or when kids are having asthma attacks and they don't get any medicine, or kids escape and nobody knows for two hours...but thats right, she wasn't there for any of that. Keep blaming her for McFadden's downfall if it helps you sleep at night. She has my respect. She did what we all should have done..Stood up for what was right.

Anonymous said...

I second the motion, focus on whitmire and do not mire us in all this McFadden stuff. Crockett and McFadden all have old strings they can return to...

Anonymous said...

This is ridiculous. Obviously Will Harrell and Doug Swanson have information about McFadden Ranch or it never would have been printed. I don't believe either would fabricate stories about abuse and neglect. It would seem to me that people that reporting the abuse would be much more credible then those defending it seeing as how this same issue keeps coming up. Just my opinion.

Anonymous said...

Whitmire's position is untenable. He has been made to look a fool, by none other than governor goodhair himself. Whoda thunk? Whitmire's approach is unfortunate, he should be jumping up and down that there is actually someone who is trying to do something that resembles best practices...

I support Nedelkoff. He wasted no time ridding the agency of Bronco. He had to ride the political wave to oust the WW. He has been seeking input from the field regarding the future of TYC. He has brought in people, that also have a background in juvenile justice, to assist him. He has brought in people he trusts, as well as people whose reputation he trusts but doesn't know them personally. He has made all the right moves in terms of his position in Florida. You can only do so many things so fast. I prefer a well thought out and long term plan to the cavalier approach of Kimbrough and the narcissism of the Pope whose largest investment in TYC had to do with carpet and crystal paperweights.

Nedelkoff is going to have lots of work in terms of spurring the legislature for more money. He has his hands more than full and should be developing a long term and well calculated plan.

Anonymous said...

It's been said before - Green, et al are gone.

nuf said

Anonymous said...

If Green was a liar, she must have been damn good. She got the Rangers to remove about 5 people from McFadden with her "lies".

It just doesn't make sense. The girl told the truth and you just didn't like what she was saying. She had it all documented. She never changed her account of incidents. She helped those kids. Its people like her that should have been kept and she would have made TYC a better place. Her and Wilson and Jordan, they were the good ones. I have said it before, McFadden ain't the same. Its a miserable place to be for both kids and staff.

Anonymous said...

9:14
I see your typing and all I read

is blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
blahblah

blah

Anonymous said...

Does anybody see the maturity level at McFadden? If those people would put even one quarter of the energy into their jobs as they do this blog, maybe Mcfadden wouldn't be in the Dallas Morning News.

Anonymous said...

9:41, I completely agree!

Anonymous said...

If McFadden remains open, Somebody should be on the phone asking the governor WHY? Something is VERY wrong there people..and this blog is proof of it. Kids and staff have reported over and over again that some very bad things have been allowed to happen there. Then we have an obvious McFadden employee playing " I know you are, but what am I?" If this is ANY indication of our Juvenile justice system, We are in DEEP TROUBLE!

Anonymous said...

9:21, Now cover your ears and run around screaming " I can't hear you" and you will look like you do at McFadden. My god...I need to find a new job. Somebody help us.

Anonymous said...

Mcfadden story would make a funny movie!

Anonymous said...

Nothing funny about abusing kids and the state doing nothing about it!

If there is no action taken this time, and Cooke is allowed to remain, and cause injury to more children.....I am going outside of Texas and bring in the Fed's. This is ridiculous!!!! If a child dies in her custody, God help Nedelkoff, because nobody else will.

Anonymous said...

What happened to the days when a Supt. was suspended pending the outcome of an investigation? Doesn't seem right if she is left in place. Too much room for her to manipulate the investigation. Oh, isn't that what she was accused of last time? Yeah...they should have questioned more than the 6 am to 2 pm shift and they would have gotten a different story. She fills that shift with her favorites. The ones willing to lie for her, Ain't that right Brown? Davis? White?

Anonymous said...

DNA with pic's
It's a powerfull tool boy's. Just ask Monica.

Anonymous said...

I am willing to back up ALL my claims of abuse at McFadden. I will take ANY polygraph, ANYTIME!

But one requirement...Cooke, Lee, Lashbrook, White and Hetrick have to as well.

You will see who has always told the truth....and who lied!

Any takers? Come on!

Anonymous said...

Have all facilities and Half-way houses been investigated by Mr. Harrell?

What is being done as far as programming for the youth? Has Resocialization completely been eliminated? Or are they still utilizing that crap they claimed to have updated (i.e. Life Story renamed as Autobiography; Offense Cycle renamed Behavior Cycle, etc...)

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

I have to make a comment to the "Blah, Blah, Blah" posting.

How old are you? Are you a TYC youth? That has to be one of THE MOST IMMATURE blog postings i have seen on grits.

These people seem passionate about what they are reporting, and Will Harrell and DMN seem to believe the same thing, something horrible is happening at McFadden.

So everybody, but the people who are being accused are lying?

This makes no sense.

Anonymous said...

McFadden Folks are crazy! You are all going to the funny farm....
:-)

Anonymous said...

Well, let's look at this...the half way houses haven't been under scrutiny...YET because the focus has been on the units and staff and the abuse of the kids....however, hopefully the Ombudsmen will venture out to the Catrell house and the other houses that operate. Common sense should hit the legislature folks that if the units are in a mess - so are the offsprings....the halfway houses. I've been saying for the longest....I am suprised nobody has said anything...well, no I'm not because they let those kids do whatever...and the kids want that. I have absolutely no feelings of the fact that Pope was fired....and for the Senator....well, he is a mess. But he is correct....stability is what the units need, the kids need, the staff need....and yet...his decisions and the decisions of the legislature are what is causing so much of the mess. Move him out - pay attention to those that spoke up and get this done.

Anonymous said...

What happened at Victory Field (Vernon, TX)? I was under the impression from Mr. Harrell's report that it was structurally unsafe? If that is the case, why is it still operating? And, for that matter why is Ron Jackson still opened, they had several staff arrested and fired. How did they manage to escape closure? If both of these facilities remained open, how can you truly justify the closure of Coke County? It seems to me TYC was looking for a scape-goat. Pushing the blame somewhere else, to cover the problems in your house. Thank God Ms. Pope is gone!

Anonymous said...

2/18 9:04,

You brought up something I hadn't thought about before re: Nedelkoff-Whitmire.

Maybe the show of outrage is more calculated than it appears... an opening salvo in TYC's next budget request?

Budgets are boring but very important. TYC's past forays into reform have been tanked largely b/c the lege refused to appropriate funds, or slashed budget requests. This is where the rubber meets the road when it comes to reform.

Bill B.

Anonymous said...

Since McFadden is only a hop and a skip from Gainesville, once your finished at McFadden please let your next stop be Gainesville.

It has officially, went to hell.

Anonymous said...

Well folks, TDCJ is now inflitrating the field. At least one facility has hired an HR and a youth rights person straight from TDCJ. Wasn't central office told not hire anymore TDJC people? Oops, forgot, they meant in central office. Mary Wood is doing a sneaky and planting them in the field!! What a darn shame!

Anonymous said...

Ok, I will bite and get my head bite off. I am sure that all of these problems do exist at the "ranch"
1. Because if anyone even hints in the direction of the 'Ranch" the blog is swarming with "who is doing it".

2. I understand your pain as we are and have been going thru this same pain for the past three years where I work.

3. Why, have you all not, talked to the police dept if kids are unsafe, filed EEOC lawsuits for the staff, File a civil suit if applicable, wrote or called the conservator, and sent all of the documentation I hope you would have to him(copies only).

4. You can stop this if you pool together in a class action suit, you can get someone's attention, newspapers, TV reporters, etc.

5. This blog is not your answer, it helps but not the way you all are going about it. Stop, calling names on the blog, stop giving the people you accuse the match to light your fire. GEE, fight the battle like a war, you would not tell your enemies what your next plan is , and expect to win the war.

6. Just walk out that TYC door and leave all that stress and heartache behind you. Watch the show from the side lines and enjoy the day they all get their due.

Anonymous said...

Quit honestly, the current superintendent at the Ranch will be replaced and a man who I'm sure has the best in mind for all, will replace her. I don't see Karen being in her position much longer either. - HR

Anonymous said...

Might not be consoling to the Ranch, but word on the grapevine is that Lil Eddy Martinez is heading south again for Evins part 2 as the supt. Guess Vid can't coach 10 gal anymore so thay sent a another man back in to do the job.

Anonymous said...

Whitmire is an angry little man with way too much power. He is really dangerous.

Anonymous said...

7:38 you are correct. Big Ed Martinez is coming back. Viduarri is headed to Victory. Viduarri last day is Wednesday and Martinez comes in on Thursday. 10 gallon will be back to "Let's see What Eddie says." Eddie needs to tell 10 gallon to make his own decision and own up to them. 10 gallon needs to quit hiding behind others.

Anonymous said...

hey Green -

What happened to your big lawsuit that was gonna take down Cooke, "the ranch" and TYC?

http://tiny.cc/GreenvTYC

Anonymous said...

does anyone have anything to back up these rumors about Mr. Martinez? i would be very surprised to see him go back to Evins.

Anonymous said...

11:41--02/19/08


I'm sorry that you feel that Ron Jackson should close. I know people from both units and I have seen some of the most dedicated people there. People that go to bat for the kids so that they can get GED tested, get credits, and other stuff. I've seen caseworkers do doubletime so that kids could go home or to a halfway house. I've seen JCO staff work with kids that were having emotional difficulties. I've seen Ms. Stroud make arrangements to have a youth transported to her own child's funeral. Don't you dare sit there and try to lump Ron Jackson in with the rest of the crap. Yes, we did have some people arrested and let go. But, I bet you don't know that some of the people that were fired was part of the
"slash and burn" crap that was letting people that had ever had a felony get fired. We lost some really good staff because of that.


Mac & Cheese

Anonymous said...

Don't worry about Green on here...she is taking care of her business! Cooke on the other hand needs to find a Lawyer to represent her...the AG's office quit!!!!!! Guess that means GREEN WON BY DEFAULT!!!!! So stick that one where the sun don't shine...she is getting paid and HER JOB BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

From the looks of where that link that was posted goes - the case was dismissed; so she didn't win.

Anonymous said...

check the date..dumbass! It hasn't happened yet! But you better believe it WILL NOT BE DISMISSED! Don't worry about it..its not your business!

Besides...thats what happens when TYC settles and ADMITS fault and both parties agree to dismiss!

Anonymous said...

check the date..dumbass! It hasn't happened yet! But you better believe it WILL NOT BE DISMISSED! Don't worry about it..its not your business!

Besides...thats what happens when TYC settles and ADMITS fault and both parties agree to dismiss!


My my, anger issues much?

And you contradicted yourself. First you say it will not be dismissed, then you say it will be because both parties agreed to dismiss it.

Which is it? Because it can't be both.

Anonymous said...

Just keep an eye on it, since you seem to be doing that anyway.

Anonymous said...

Give it a break Hetrick...it ain't your concern.

Anonymous said...

I'll do you one better. I'll be there in person to watch.

Anonymous said...

You do that! That way YOU can hear EVERYTHING...Maybe YOU can represent Cooke too while you are there...her attorney QUIT! lol

Anonymous said...

Is there anyway to keep these current and ex-Ranch folks off the blog. It has been peacful not reading about their ongoing saga. It appears that the majority of these current and ex-employees are some of the most childish I ahve ever seen. They keep bringing upn the same old line and suckers like me feed into their crap. Please go away, and no I have never been nor do I ever want to visit the place, so stay away from your line of hetrick or whoever you want to throw out there.

Anonymous said...

I find it amusing that you only complain about Hetricks name put out there. What about all the others?

Nice try. Sounds like somebody trying to get attention off of McFadden to me.

Anonymous said...

If Nedelkoff reads this, he needs to look into the past criminal backgrounds of McFadden Ranch's employees. You have one loser that works there that actually lived as a TYC youth, and it seem's he has resorted to his "Thinking errors" yet again.

Anonymous said...

By the way Hetrick, Green will have you arrested if you come within 50 feet of her, so I would stay away from her hearing. Its enough that you threatened her at work, anything else is just "stalking" which is also illegal behavior.

Anonymous said...

Is it true that they called Carlos Wilson back to head up McFadden as Cooke's replacement????

Anonymous said...

You amuse me. I am not Hetrick. I don't know who this person is. I am curious about why you are so quick to think anything directed at you, is from him/her though. I work in the CO and have never stepped foot in McFadden.

Anonymous said...

It is TRUE!!!!!!! They wanted him back in August, now they are trying to sway him to return because they know what a great job he did with McFadden! Good Luck Carlos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

If this is indeed true, It has to be one of the best decisions Nedelkoff has made! I am starting to think this guy knows what he is doing, first removing Pope, now bringing Wilson back to Mcfadden! Now if he could get his picture taken escorting Lisa Cooke to a waiting police car in handcuffs....I would vote him in as the next Governor!!!!!!

Signed,
Nedelkoff supporter

Anonymous said...

2/19 at 10:20pm.

Were charges pressed in this incident? Is there a restraining order keeping him 50 feet away? No one has come out with the details of all this, yet I keep hearing it repeated. Can you please elaborate on this incident please.

Thank you

Anonymous said...

Well, Since you asked....I was there and I can provide some details. After a behavior group was held on a youth to humilate him for filing grievances. A female staff member came forward to speak with our JCO 5 to question him because she felt like this was abusing the youth and retaliating against him for filing complaints. In my opinion, it took alot of courage on her part.The JCO who called the group, almost jumped over the staff desk while she was speaking to the JCO 5. He got in her face and became VERY loud and abusive with her. She became very upset.
She called Lashbrook who assured her that everything would be okay....and instead she was terminated 2 days after the incident.

Anonymous said...

Ok, so those are the alleged details of the incident.

But my question was - were charges pressed for this abuse and is there a restraining order in place? It doesn't make sense that abuse like this could happen without any charges. In this type of incident - TYC has nothing to do with it, it would be a local police department taking the report and following up appropriately. TYC can't cover up something that is taken to the police. They may choose to not do anything internally, but they have no control over the local police.

Anonymous said...

Charges should have been filed. The female JCO actually shouldn't have been put in that position had the JCO 5 been in control of the situation. I guess she assumed that since we all were in fact officers of the state, that it would be handled appropriately by the SUPT.

Anonymous said...

I am still having trouble wrapping my brain around this situation. If there was truly abuse, why, even after nothing was done internally didn't she take it to the local police.

I don't want to sound like every other person on here, but something doesn't sound right. You can blame TYC and a superintendent for many things, but they have no control over what someone does outside their walls.

As someone that has no idea who these people are, it seems like there is a missing link in this situation. I could sit here all night and make guesses, however the bottom line seems to be there is more to this story than is being told. If the person who abused this female is still working for TYC and the female abused isn't and didn't file any charges against the other person - my conclusion is maybe some crossed words and an argument happened and she claimed she was abused to the superintendent and when it was proved false she was fired.

That's my take on it anyway.

Anonymous said...

Well, I will pass your tidbits of wisdom on to her. My take on it, and I KNOW the players here. She was terminated behind reporting sexual abuse of a favored employee. When it was found true and the favored employee was fired. They went after her with everything they had. The fact that she lasted as long as she did not only proved that she had integrity and courage, but she had a hell of a lot of spunk.
I am sure that night, she just wanted to be left alone because they tormented her for months. I know, because I wrote statements about her treatment and filed a couple grievances of my own.
Since you don't know these people, or so you say, let me tell you..The JCO who went after her belongs BACK in jail! He had already been there once. She however, had a spotless criminal record and to my knowledge had never been terminated from any job in her life. She's got a lawyer, and she is taking it to the courts. Thats all I know. I am proud of her for not letting those county hicks get the best of her. She will see justice.

Anonymous said...

Good for her! That is against the law! You can't terminate somebody for reporting abuse!

Anonymous said...

She reported sexual abuse of an employee, then was physically abused herself by another employee and then fired? That makes no sense.

Anonymous said...

Green did contact the police. It became a non-issue when they fired her. The denton county police told her if he bothered her again or showed up at her house or job to contact them again, and they would get her an order of protection.I hope the idiot shows up to her court hearing like he threatened to. We know he is obsessed with this blog and with Green, thats ALL he talked about!

Anonymous said...

A YOUTH WAS ABUSED by a staff member! SHE reported it!

Anonymous said...

Why would it be a non issue if she was fired? Abuse is abuse. Getting fired doesn't change it.

Anonymous said...

It eliminated the contact between the two. Since there was not actual physical contact, just the "charging up" as we call it with the students..They were limited to what they could do.

But there is not ONE of us that were there that night, would have let him hit her. They would have had to throw my ass in jail if he would have.

Anonymous said...

One things for sure, with Green and Wilson at the Ranch, Cooke didn't get away with anything.They held her accountable for EVERYTHING.If she didn't take care of medical issues, they wanted to know why. When she kept that employee on grounds without suspending her after the sexual abuse was found out. They went to outside agencies. THEY did things the way they are supposed to be done! The students were safer with them around, contact any former student and ask them! Green and Wilson were advocates for them kids.

Anonymous said...

The missing link seems to be that this raging ex-McFadden employee has somehow missed her last pill. Because her mania is showing.
Damn! Get off the blog with all this drama already!

Anonymous said...

I tend to agree with you 10:36. Something isn't right with her whole story. TYC and Cooke may have their faults, but the fired female seems to throw the word abuse around way too much and when pressed for details doesn't have any.

Missed a pill seems pretty accurate.

Anonymous said...

2:28 et al. I am not a McFadden employee and, on the surface, agree something does not seem right. However, remember staff at WTSS reported abuses there, the Ranger reported to the Feds and DA and 2 years later, nothing had happened other than the two administrators resigning, the Supt. and the PA involved being promoted and a lot of bad morale issues. Too often a report to the police becomes a he said/she said and they look to the facility administration (supposed objective leaders) for answers. As soon as the person leaves employment, they get the tag of disgruntled former employee. Until very recently, a lot of staff were worn down, not necessarily afraid to report problems, just weary of nothing happening.

Anonymous said...

Some issues may have "missing links" gray areas etc. But many don't have any missing links at all!!!

Like they used bleach for medical treatment. They do not deny it. Their only defense is that they were just trying to be helpful.

I still can't believe this happened and no one was fired. Only promoted.

Anonymous said...

Its always easy to attack the messenger isn't it? Truth be known, the fired female staff removed FIVE sexual predators who were abusing McFadden youth before she was UNLAWFULLY TERMINATED FOR BEING A WHISTLEBLOWER! So you can question whatever you want to. Bottom line...she did her job. Its pretty sad that it wasn't done before her employment started, as it had been going on for sometime. The only "disgruntled" employees on here are the ones who are afraid this blog will bring them down and close their facility. The kids safety means NOTHING to those people and they are nothing more then people who are nothing in the "free" and can only demand respect from incarcerated youth, because they don't get it from anybody else.
When you have a CHILD coming to you with a serious staph infection and the only treatment he has recieved is some "bread and milk" to drain the wound, YOU HAVE TO QUESTION SOMEBODY to get him treatment.

The fact that those responsible are not in prison themselves for crimes against these children amazes me.

Anonymous said...

WTSS has absolutely NOTHING on McFadden. Mark my word. When everything comes to light at McFadden and it will... You will see the level of abuse, neglect and exploitation. You will see that sexual predators were not only invited and welcomed in Mcfadden but the youth recieved consequences for not allowing the abuse. The JCO 6 calls it "love" she has even let the kids lick frosting off of her fingers. She has taken a youth with her on trips! Its a sick atmosphere!

Anonymous said...

6:38, how is that possible?? How can people NOT be held responsible for using bleach on a HUMAN! The label on ANY bleach clearly states not to be used on humans or animals!!!

If it was an animal they poured bleach on, you had better believe somebody would have had to answer for it.
I guess somebody's child is another story, huh?

Or how about that JCO 5 "woody" as the youth call him, he has told a youth to put diesel fuel on his genitals to remove a rash, and then made fun of the kid and telling him he had a sexually trasmitted disease! Where in the world is this behavior ethical or moral or LEGAL?? I guess Texas. Because the state is paying him every month to abuse and humiliate these kids.

Anonymous said...

10:36, 10:51 ( otherwise known as G.H or B.W) You can try to discredit Green all you want to. Its obvious what you are trying to accomplish here.One thing about Green is she documented EVERYTHING! So what if she does not want to put it all out on a public blog. She has a lawsuit pending and you are both a part of it! So, who is disgruntled now? If she win's, you will more then likely lose your jobs. hmmm? makes you wonder what the motive for calling her a liar, calling her crazy is...doesn't it?

Yeah....it does.

Anonymous said...

I challenge both Nedelkoff and DMN to dig a little bit deeper into McFadden. If they are corrupt enough to delete youth grievences from the system altogether, makes you wonder what else they are covering up or hiding, doesn't it?

Isn't that also a reason that one of the SUPT's were arrested before? Shredding and removing important documents? Sounds like thats an occurance at McFadden also.

Anonymous said...

I agree that something isn't right at McFadden. What purpose would it serve to delete youth grievances unless they were trying to hide something?

Sounds a bit strange doesn't it?

Anonymous said...

Doesn't sound strange at all! They used to delete the 225's that youth would recieve ( If they liked the kid) I remember spening hours writing one...and it never did get leveled or put into the system!

Anonymous said...

To people in charge:

PLEASE DON'T LET THE WEEK PASS WITHOUT ANSWERING THESE CONCERNS AT MCFADDEN!

Come on somebody.

Anonymous said...

Hey 7:57, why did it take you hours to write a 225?

Also, are you sure that EVERYTHING was completed on the 225 and it was not denied due to some freaking technicality? When all else has failed, TYC has always been a stickler for paperwork.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I am sure. TYC might be a stickler, But at McFadden Ranch, rules don't apply. I wanted to make sure my t's were crossed and my i's were dotted. I knew that because the youth was favored by administration it wouldn't go anywhere if I didn't complete it properly, so I took my time, and go figure....it just "disappeared".

hmmmm? Wonder what happened to it?

Anonymous said...

Sounds like corruption, looks like corruption....whats taking so long to get something done about McFadden??!!! For the love of God..you have the DMN and the ombudsman telling you SOMETHING is VERY WRONG there!

Anonymous said...

Just some advice I always made copies of my 225's, before turning them in. Also, (I was a Case Manager) and encouraged my staff to do the same. But, of course, I'm not the most trusting individual.

Anonymous said...

I can see the next DMN headline....

"TYC YOUTH DIES AT MCFADDEN RANCH"

How is that going to look for your political future Whitmire?

you can't say you haven't been notified of the conditions there.

Anonymous said...

Obviously TYC doesn't realize what a potential powder-keg they have in McFadden Ranch. If any of these allegations prove true, i.e. abusing children with chemicals,state documents being destroyed,firing whistleblowers...they are in for quite a ride, as ALL of these actions are Illegal. It would seem to me that Nedelkoff should start doing some damage control at this facility and quickly!

Anonymous said...

7:20am - just FYI, the pending court case is scheduled for a dismissal hearing next month. Also, it's public record. Since I am in Austin, I had my sister who lives local to the DFW area, drive up to Denton and get copies of the case. So *I* know what it says, and someones blowing some serious smoke up yalls asses regarding who will "lose" their job and all the other crap being slung around on here. There is nothing whatsoever like that in the case, and even if there were, it doesn't matter - the court is dismissing the case!

Anonymous said...

I think its just the SAME two or three disgruntled employess/ex-employees just trying to stir things up and trying to have the case(s) played thru the media. GET A LIFE PEOPLE. I KNOW what goes on there and you all stretch the truth to fit. How rediculous.

Anonymous said...

1:55! You are such a joke! YOU know everything, huh? YOU just keep thinking you know everything...its funny. As far as the case being set for dismissal, do you REALLY think thats going to happen?? I mean come on!!! TYC has NO LAWYER REPRESENTING THEM....The Attorney Generals office quit! So stop acting like an insider...you know nothing!

Anonymous said...

1:55! You are such a joke! YOU know everything, huh? YOU just keep thinking you know everything...its funny. As far as the case being set for dismissal, do you REALLY think thats going to happen?? I mean come on!!! TYC has NO LAWYER REPRESENTING THEM....The Attorney Generals office quit! So stop acting like an insider...you know nothing!

Anonymous said...

learn to spell...RIDICULOUS!

Your ignorance is showing again.

Anonymous said...

I want to know why somebody who lives in "Austin" is so concerned with McFadden Ranch. Please...you are not slick! WE KNOW ITS YOU! IDIOT

Anonymous said...

I am willing to bet a million dollars that that case will NOT be dismissed next month...and *I* am in a position to know!

Anonymous said...

I am going to have my "sister" drive to Cottrell house and get G.H.'s TYC file! ROFLMAO!


Just showing you how stupid you sound....by the way, I would but I am in San Antonio! LOL!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I have an idea. Why don't those who want to inquire about the case contact the attorneys! They will tell you what's going on!

Oh wait...if a settlement occurs and neither party can discuss it, they can't.

hmmmmm? Something to worry about till the middle of March I guess! :-)

Anonymous said...

Maybe we can get some legal advice on here, Howard?

If I am not mistaken..this is all protocol. If no action is taken in so many days, the court makes the plantiff come up with a schedule.

I do believe that is what is happening here. Its like the court is saying "Somebody do something"

Not an absolute dismissal, that is for sure.
Most likely a schedule will be hand delivered to the judge in the case and it will proceed from there.

Anonymous said...

You McFadden people just had visitors from other facilties visit your facility and they found no abuse was occurring. What does that lead the rest of us outsiders to believe?

You must be having personality problems with your superintendent, and that's fine. But quit dragging the kids in it because according to your visitors, the kids are fine. In a sence, you're kind of exploiting them for your own gain. Don't go there.

Anonymous said...

Letting McFadden know ahead of time that they will be investigated is stupid. It just gives them time to put on a good face for the visitors and make sure all the right employees are there at the time to make it look good and sound good. Covering up is easy if you have advance warning.

If you are going to bust a drug dealer, you don't call the drug dealer and tell them that you will be going in on Saturday at 11 pm. You just do it. You think maybe a drug dealer would hide the drugs if they knew a bust was going to happen?

Anonymous said...

These procedures are very insane. Why is the STATE OF TEXAS allowing Lisa Cooke to stay at Mc Fadden. Remove her until the investigation is complete. I can see why TYC has so many problems. I hope Nedelkoff has enough intelligence to remove Cooke. If you want to know the truth, I think the STATE OF TEXAS is covering for Mc Fadden for financial gain. In the mean time youth are being abused. Come on people (the participants on the blog) Ask the questions. How does a superintendent get the ax for using Fed EX and Lisa Cooke is still in her position. That's all politics people. So the STATE OF TEXAS is not right as well. Make changes HELL ITS TIME FOR SOME. Way too many allegations at Mc Fadden for nothing not to be wrong people.

Anonymous said...

6:55 pm sounds like he/she still advocates for the dismissal from Tamayo. If the ex-super from Tamayo is doing well, why bring the issue up again? McFadden will be looked in and the future will show.

Anonymous said...

7:04 Why bring it up? Because its not fair. No justice, if you can be terminated for FED EX, then you should be terminated for running a poorly managed facility. If you can "do it" with one "do it" with the others. We are taught as staff "don't show or play favorites" Lisa Cooke and Mc Fadden are favorites ,and that is painfully obvious!

Anonymous said...

7:21
You're just a disgruntled ex employee.

It makes me nauseous how you are using the kids for your own gain.
Go take a long walk on a short pier. We all are tired of your nonsense.

Anonymous said...

yeah, listen to Hetrick or White or both, or maybe its Lee or Cooke ( because of the spelling errors!LOL)

They NEED McFadden to remain open so that they can collect all the money they can, and remember without McFadden..where will the pedophiles of Denton County hang out??? Be fair people, Leave those poor ignorant employees alone and let them feel all the power they can from hurting children. If White taped up a drinking fountain in a real prison he would get his scrawny ass kicked. If Hetrick talked shit to men like he does women and children, he would have a broken jaw by now...so lets stop picking on the worst facility and look the other way, okay? They can't take the pressure any more.

Hey Hetrick...can you say "Want some fries with that?" LOL!
Thats your future....dude!

Anonymous said...

What "gain" is an ex employee getting because YOU abuse the kids?

Yes, Abuse was found..kids who have asthma don't get 225's because they can't run...only at McFadden.

If you are gonna lie on here to try and CYA....try again. We know what your tricks are!

Anonymous said...

Did you hear that folks?? No more talking about McFadden's abuse and neglect issues...its nonsense and we are ALL tired of it! LOL

Hetrick....dude, try a new routine.
If you don't like what you read...YOU move on! Better yet, be a real JCO and do something about all the abuse!

Anonymous said...

I am confused. You told us to go back to old threads to find out why the female JCO was terminated from McFadden. I didn't find any different information or a "smoking gun" Her responses seem to have been consistent. Those "calling her out" were not. I found some that question her lawsuit, calling that a lie, yet you seem very happy about the chance for it to be dismissed, why?
If it was in her "imagination" as you said in one blog posting. This just doesn't make any sense to those of us standing outside of this. Now, with DMN and Will Harrell basically repeating what she has said for months seem's to let us all know who is telling the truth here.

Anonymous said...

I can promise you I am not this Hetrick person. I work in the co, not McFadden.

All I did was ease my curiosity and get some paperwork to see what all the talk was about. From the looks of it, that's all it is....talk

Anonymous said...

8:50 Amen I agree!

Anonymous said...

9:03 Your a moron, and I bet you are Hetrick, even if your not your view points let me know the kinda person you are, and what you stand for which is "NOTHING" PREPARE TO FIND ANOTHER JOB. I will see you picking up trash in the mornings.

Anonymous said...

good grief people - take your hate and go someplace else. This is not the place for it.

Anonymous said...

Yes, this is the place for love and happiness!

Give me a freakin break! If I was on here saying how great McFadden is and how all the employee's were terrific...We wouldn't be getting all this "go some place else"

FACE IT..Its in the media,nobody believes your "look the other way while I hide stuff" mentality.

I agree with the person that compares this to giving the heads-up to drug dealers. Its the same thing. Catch her people on a weekend or at night. Ask the kids about how White treats them. Look into the criminal history of Lee, Perez and Hetrick. Would you let those people pick up your trash? I sure the hell wouldn't!

Anonymous said...

Give me 8 hours and a polygraph machine. That place will be closed and people will be hauled off to jail. I can promise you that.

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