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THE CRIMES COMMITTED AGAINST AARON LEE GEORGE
Aaron arrived at the Diagnostics Unit in Huntsville, Texas for classification purposes as all other inmates in Texas do. Dr. Hauser, the psychiatrist at Diagnostics, first decided Aaron was not ill enough for medication or treatment despite the fact that Aaron's free world psychiatrist had written letters and sent medical records showing his illnesses. Despite the fact that the state of Texas had already tested Aaron showing him to be mentally disabled! Dr. Hauser took Aaron off of all his medication he had been on. This is a very dangerous practice with these types of medications. Aaron began having seizures and nose bleeds and Dr. Hauser suggested Aaron ignore these things and eventually they would stop! I contacted my state Senator, Drew Nixon, requesting help getting my son his necessary medications and treatment. The ACLU also got involved. Once Dr. Hauser received these letters, etc. he had a complete change of mind and decided Aaron was indeed mentally disabled and in need of treatment. When Dr. Miller treated Aaron in the free world it took years of trial and error before finding the drug combination that worked for Aaron. This consisted of Clozaril, Lithium, and Zoloft. This break through was the miracle we had prayed for since my son was diagnosed with mental illness. The miracle destroyed in a matter of months by the incompetent medical staff and administration of TDCJ. Dr. Hauser began to prescribe (under pressure I'm sure) different medications frequently. Every two weeks he would put my son on something else. Another act of incompetence. Dr. Hauser eventually prescribed Haladol, an outdated drug seldom used in the free world anymore. He was given the pills and sent back to his cell unmonitored. There goes that incompetence again. Aaron's entire body muscles locked up. His neck locked in a backwards position, sort of like whiplash, and he began to choke to death. By the Grace of God a nearby inmate noticed and called the guards. They raced Aaron to emergency where they injected Cogentin 3 or 4 times directly into Aaron's neck. After 45 minutes of anguish he began to breathe normally. This episode was repeated three more times in that same day! Dr. Miller states not only is Haladol seldom used anymore but it is never used without Cogentin injections at the same time. Well, never except in TDCJ. Since that episode Aaron has nerve damage causing numbness in his face, fingers, hands, arms, toes, feet, and legs. He has a groin injury causing him severe pain and he now limps. He is unable to urinate correctly. He has to go frequently and he has to force the urine out and even then it only drips often causing bleeding. His neck still locks up on him from time to time causing him pain. This episode happened over a year ago and Aaron has not received medical treatment for any of these problems. Dr. Miller has written a three page letter to whom it may concern stating that these physical injuries Aaron sustained are indeed due to the Haladol episode. He also states my son was doing very well before entering the TDCJ system and now is concerned about the damage done.
CLASSIFICATION AND UNIT ASSIGNMENT FOR AARON LEE GEORGE
The classification committee (three
people) gather information on the crime of the inmate, doctors findings,
violent history, and whether or not the crime was aggravated (weapon involved).
They decided to send Aaron to the Connally Unit in Kenedy, Texas where
there was no psychiatrist on staff and he was put in general population.
Connally consists mostly of gang members. They have a very big problem
with gang activity and that information came from Warden Poppell at the
unit! Aaron walked through that unit with a flag on him saying here I am,
victimize me because I am scared and mentally disabled. The gang members
began to take his food, take his commissary goods, badger him attempting
to have him perform sexual acts for payoff for protection which he refused,
and eventually he was raped.
He went to the administration who used the
old "let's use this weak and retarded inmate to get names of gang
members" routine. Although he was promised protection when he gave names
he never got it. He was moved to a cell with another inmate named
George Walker. Mr. Walker belonged to the Cripps gang and was known to
have aids. The first night Mr. Walker beat Aaron down and then savagely
raped him. Aaron became comatose for three days. Walker walked around
for days bragging to the guards and inmates he had gotten the little snitch.
I contacted Senator Nixon about the rape and the fact that the Warden told
me my son had a hit on him from gangs because he was now a snitch! The
Senator asked that Aaron be moved for his protection. Aaron moved.
THE SENATOR HAS AARON MOVED TO MENTAL HEALTH UNIT
Senator Nixon had been trying for so long to have Aaron put in a proper facility. He finally managed to have my son moved to the Skyview Mental Health Hospital Unit in Rusk, Texas. We thought our problems were over. Classification told the Senator and me they were putting Aaron under protective custody because of the hits on him. Skyview has no protective custody. They put Aaron in general population where he was constantly threatened, raped, beaten, neglected, tortured, abused, and victimized by the inmates, guards, doctors, and administration.
Let me explain:
AARON'S (MIS) TREATMENT BY MEDICAL & PSYCHIATRIC SKYVIEW STAFF
Aaron's fear of the gang retaliation, fear of administration because of the situation they caused, fear of doctors because they kept trying to medicate him into a death state, fear of inmates raping him, beating him, making him pay them money so they wouldn't rape him or beat him, fear of guards who ridiculed him, set him up in dangerous situations with other inmates, mentally tortured him, paraded him around naked for filling out a grievance form, and more. On April 14, 1997, over a year after he had entered TDCJ, Aaron refused to come out of his cell. He was very polite. He had been raped again and beaten and couldn't take it. This is a mentally disabled young man socially 16 years old under the care of professional doctors.
Incompetence.
The treatment team, Dr. Crippen (psychologist), Dr. Goodman (district psychiatrist), Dr. Haskew (who really knows), Mr. Peters (social worker who never knew anything and seemed very proud of that) and of course some guards who were there to help my son's medical condition improve, decided to make Aaron come out of his cell. First, Dr. Crippen got frustrated with Aaron and put his hands around Aaron's throat leaving bruises I witnessed at visitation 2 days later. I brought this up to the Warden at the time of the visit who sat very calmly and insisted she would look into it and she had nothing to hide. She stated she felt intimidated by me because of my constant attention to Aaron. Intimidated? Nothing to hide? Second event was two guards entered my son's cell and threw him around against the wall, against the floor, and finally outside his cell and locked it. I again saw my son at visitation and he numerous bumps and bruises on his forehead. Was I going crazy? Was this not out of the ordinary? I approached the Warden who assured me of an investigation (never moving off of her chair) and repeated that she felt intimidated by me and she had nothing to hide. I began to wonder. I asked two guards at the unit if the Warden ever went into the unit itself and they both laughed and said, "no way". Okay. Needless to say when TDCJ investigates itself it comes up with a clean slate every time. That sure makes me feel better! The next medical and administrative move was to stop feeding Aaron for four days. Dr. Crippen explained to me they were treating Aaron like an animal. Once he got hungry he would come out. He didn't. Back to the Warden I went and she was totally unaware (again remaining seated and very calm) and would investigate. Oh, great! When I was leaving her office she told me frankly, because of my son's mental status, she never believed a word he said. When I asked about the bruises she assured me she had nothing to hide and turned away. After that incident, the Warden had Aaron brought two meals a day and video taped him eating. Major Carpenter told me two meals a day was all that was required by law. Comforting. The next medical and administrative decision on Aaron's psychiatric treatment was to take away all of his property and leave him with his cot and his Bible. They read all of his legal mail. They wouldn't let him have pen and paper to write letters. They kept his mail from him. His illness began to deteriorate and he became psychotic. Dr. Crippen often insinuated to Aaron he was being hypnotized to speak his thoughts out loud. Aaron began to put toilet paper in his mouth and put used stamps over his lips to prevent him from thinking out loud. Dr. Crippen assured him if he thought out loud and the gang members found out who he was, well you know the rest. I became frantic. Visitation with my son was like visiting an alien. He couldn't speak in sentences. Couldn't think of words. Swore they were hypnotizing him, etc. I called my son's legal attorney and demanded he go to the unit and make them give Aaron release forms to be moved from that NUT house. It worked. I had spoken to the Senator and Gary Johnson about my son's circumstances. Wayne Scott, executive director was too busy to look into saving a young man's life. I'm pretty sure it's not priority on his list. Mr. Johnson had Aaron sent to a very low key minimum unit but again in General Population. I was livid. He had promised to put Aaron under protective custody if the Skyview doctors release Aaron. Now he had changed it. After three torturous days in the new unit Aaron became more and more psychotic. I called classification, Gary Johnson, Senator Nixon, the media, ACLU, and everyone else I could find. My son is now in protective custody. Problem is he is getting no treatment. TDCJ incompetent doctors and staff just can't understand his fear to trust them. They are all such nice people. Nice incompetent, uncaring, non committed, no compassion, self serving medical and administrative staff.
AARON'S TORTURE FROM THE CORRUPT COURT SYSTEM
TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM OF TEXAS
Aaron's trial was unfair. The
Judge broke more laws than I knew existed. The DA was a good old boy who
lunched with the Judge everyday. It's time we stop pretending these things
don't happen. There are far too many situations like Aaron's and far too
many people dying in our prisons. We need an outside investigation. Our
Legislator's have allowed TDCJ to become it's own entity. It creates it's
own laws, investigates itself, creates and carries out it's own punishments,
and crimes against human and civil rights of prisoners are happening everyday.
We cannot give up this fight for justice, not only for my son but
for the son's of all of you. God Bless You.
AARON LEE'S DEFENSE FUND
P.O. BOX 1684
CROSBY, TEXAS 77532-1684
Aaron received his appeal after 2 1/2
of incarceration. He is now incompetent and unable to care for himself.
His wife left because there was so much damage done to Aaron he is no longer
the same person she married. His wife left him, her child,
and the family wanting to put space between her and what had become her
life. The District Attorney of Montgomery County, Mike McDougal,
has decided to retry Aaron. The statement was made that the decision
to retry him was due to political pressure and atmosphere in the county.
The family was unable to get one single bonding company in Montgomery County
to help them with the bond to get Aaron out of county jail. Finally a bonding
company out of San Antonio offered to help the family. The Sheriff
of Montgomery County refused to take bond money from any bonding company
other than from those in Montgomery County. The family begged and
told the Sheriff they had contacted every bonding company in the county
and been turned down.. The Sheriff said the family was lying.
Sheriff Williams finally agreed to take the bond from the out of county
bonding company after he called some of the bonding companies he dealt
with (the Sheriff is on the board of the Montgomery County Bonding Board)
he realized the family had indeed tried everyone in the county. Aaron
walked out of county jail in May, 1999.
Aaron Lee George, age 21, was wrongfully convicted of murder and injury of his second child on March 26, 1996. The infant stopped breathing, Aaron first shook the baby reacting as if the child was choking, and then performed CPR to the best of his ability. The baby died of an aneurysm. Aaron admitted to shaking the infant. The DA claimed Aaron shook the infant in a rage of anger. Aaron's 15 month old child was present at the time which made that story inconceivable because no harm came to him. The Judge instructed the DA to omit Aaron's mental illness fearing the common misconceptions of the public combining mental illness and violence. However, midway through the trial, the judge changed his mind allowing the DA to bring up the mental illness and making it appear Aaron was hiding facts from the jury.
Once in the prison system, Aaron experiences what the United Nations announces to be torture. He was beaten and gang raped repeatedly. He had a hit on him from gang members for turning in their names for rape. Aaron refused to come out of his cell for fear of being murdered by gang members. Administration and psychiatrists stop feeding Aaron calling it "positive behavior modification". The doctor said, "We are treating Aaron like an animal...it's a crude way to put it but we feel like when he gets hungry enough he'll come out of his cell". Aaron starves for weeks.
Aaron receives incorrect medication and nearly dies. Aaron receives old medication and experiences tardive diskenesia resulting in permanent physical damage. Aaron receives incorrect medication resulting in NMS (permanent brain damage). One of Aaron's psychologists tells him he knows what Aaron is thinking. Administration begins daily interrogation practices in his cell with bright lights and video equipment investigating his refusal to come out of his cell. In frustration, the psychologist attacks Aaron and chokes him. Aaron becomes psychotic when they discontinue his medication again. He begins to stuff toilet paper in his mouth so his psych. doesn't know what he's thinking. Aaron believes when he thinks, he is speaking out without knowing it. He begins to put his t-shirt over his head to keep the lights out because they are brain washing him.
The doctors increase the "Positive Behavior Modification Therapy". They take away all his property except his underwear and withhold mail from his family. The refuse him pen and paper in which to write to his family. The interrogations continue.
Aaron Lee George receives an opinion
from the 9th. District Court of Appeals. The opinion is reverse and
remand for a new trial. There were 14 points of error on the appeal.
The judges never got past number 1. The court of appeals sets Aaron's bond
at $250,000. His original bond was $7500. The George family
approached bail bonds companies in Montgomery County and could find no
one to help for less than $25,000. Beyond their reach. A bail
bonding company in San Antonio heard of their plight and bonded Aaron
out for $10,000. People from around the world donated to Aaron's
trust fund. On May 21, 1998, at 11:15 AM, Aaron Lee George walked
out of the county jail doors and into the arms of his waiting family.
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