Please Help Bring Katie Home. (FReeper assistance requested)

Personal Experience | 4/12/2006 | Steve Procopio (Tinman)

[Tinman]

Little Katie Hubanks came into the world on March 22, 2006, much to the joy of her Mom and Dad, siblings, grandparents, and other family members. Just over a month later that joy was replaced by anger, fear, disbelief, and any other negative emotion you can name.

I'll allow Katie's "Nana"'s words to express what an entire family has been dealing with for nearly a year:

Kathryn was born in Claremore, OK. on March 22, 2006. She was born 5 week early. Needless to say she was small and came with the risks of certain medical conditions that could develope such as, hypoglycemia, respiratory distress, jaundice and difficulty in maintaining normal body tempurature. Preemies can also have difficulty in feeding because they don't have the reflexes to properly suck.

On April 23, 2006, Katie was taken to the ER in Sapulpa because she was having trouble breathing. Dr. Black, who was on duty, told her mother that the only thing that was going on with Katie was that she had a sinus infection, and that her mother was over reacting. He made this diagnosis without the benefit of any lab tests, x-rays, or any other diagnostic tool. He sent the baby home with saline drops and told her mother to use a cool mist vaporizer. Her mother was told that the baby would sleep more and eat less for the next couple of days.

On April 24, 2006, approximately 24 hours after seeing Dr. Black, Katie was rushed to St. Francis in Tulsa after the ambulance arrived at her parent's home because her parents called them as the baby was having trouble breathing and was turning blue. When the EMTs got there they started to work on her, her breathing was shallow and she was cyanotic. When they took her vitals at 18:33 hrs they were as follows, Pulse 166, normal, Res. 30+normal, left lung normal and clear, right lung normal and clear, temp. 92, skin color=pink skin moisture=normal, pupils=equal and reative. Her blood sugar was 50 Normal is 85-110. At 18:35 hrs. the cardiac monitor indicated sinus tach (fast heartbeat). At 18:50 hrs. they started an IV with saline solution and put her on oxygen. At 18:50 by order of the doctor in the ER EMT administered a 12.5 gm of dextrose by IV push. She got about 1ml of it before the line blew.

Then she was transported from Sapulsa to ST. Francis in Tulsa within 16 minutes, the entire time Katie's blood sugar is dropping.

On April 26, 2006 the Oklahoma Dept. of Human Services took custody of Katie based on the report from St. Francis. Either the Attending doctor in the ER or Dr. Barton called them and said that the parents had failed to provide adequate nutrition. Keeping in mind that Dr. Black said the baby would eat less and that when the EMTs showed up, along with the Sheriff's Dept. only the father was asked when the last time he fed the baby. When he said approximately 8am, all questions stopped. Nothing to the mother, or anyone else about the baby being fed. The fact is, that the baby was fed every 2-3 hrs, but was not taking a full feeding. It sounds like Dr. Black at least got that part correct.

Meanwhile back to St. Francis. Some doctor, we are not sure who, announced to the DHS worker that they found a "bar" of Xanax in the baby's throat. Interesting, since no such medication was anywhere near the baby. And if it was there, why didn't the EMTs find it? If it was there, where is it? If it was there, why wasn't anyone questioned about it or arrested for it? Katie was in the care of the EMTs from 18:33 hrs without her parents having any access to her, so here's the question again, where was the Xanax? The only place it shows up is in the first report from the DHS caseworker in Sapulpa. In the same report from Jennifer Jones, she stated that neither of the parents are ever at St. Francis. Wrong again. The mother and her friend followed the ambulance(father stayed home with the other children) to St. Francis and waited for 11 hrs before being allowed 10 minutes with Katie. I know they were there because I got the collect call from Katie's mom at the hospital. Katie's mom is my daughter,. She called me on a constant basis to keep me informed about Katie. I have the phone records to prove it. When Katie was finally reunited with ther family in July, 2006, it was a happy day. After jumping through all the hoops that DHS put up, Katie came home. At the end of July, Lisa, Katie's mom, asked permission to come to Texas so I could see Katie and the rest of my grandchildren. When she asked, her case worker, Lea Glenn-Borts, said to let her know exactly where she was going to be. On Monday August 6, 2006 Lisa called DHS and let her (Lea) know where she was. At approximately 3:30pm Amanda from Sapulpa DHS called my cell phone and asked if I had been in contact with Lisa. I told her yes as we had just left the local Wal-Mart. She asked to speak to her but I told her we were in separate cars and Lisa would call DHS when we got home. At 4pm Lisa called Lea. Lea informed Lisa that the parents had until that Friday to get the baby back to Oklahoma. At 11:15pm a police officer and a CPS worker from Texas showed up at my door to remove Katie. We saw Katie the next day for 1 hr. before Lea had her on a plane to Sapulpa. The CPS worker here in Texas was great. She conducted studies on my home, ordered hair folicle and urine tests on everyone, and found no neglect on anyone's part.

The pick-up order was received at 4:15pm Lea never had any intention of allowing the parents time to comply with her instructions to have the baby back in Oklahoma by that Friday.

Since then it has been nightmare after nightmare. We call to see what we need to do next, calls don't get returned. We called supervisors, no good. Contacted the Dept. of Human Services in Oklahoma City and asked for Motion to Expedite and Motion for Kinship Placement, Lea will not take them to the judge. It took us 6 weeks to get Lea to fila for ICPC, which transfers everything to Texas. She order a Drug Assessment Test and it took her 6 weeks to get the paperwork to the person who did that. Once that test was done she had the results in 72 hrs. She ordered 2 more urine tests with the results to be to her in 4 days. We made that deadline thanks to the CPS worker here in Texas.

We are all firmly convinced that because of where the parents were living, not making lots of money, and maybe afraid to fight the system, that DHS had a healthy baby available. They never even took notice of my older grandchildren. Why? They have put this family through hell and we still don't have our Katie. We have a lawyer who is working on this and she is very good. It should have never come to this. When Katie got sick, all she needed was the right kind of a doctor, a neonatalogist.

The parents were ordered back to court in Jan. 2007 and in Feb. 2007, when DHS was granted 60 days because, according the DHS and the CASA worker, the baby was "terrorized" by her parents. It probably didn't help that on each and every visit the baby was sick, she was in a strange place being stared at like a zoo exhibit. I would be upset too. Now the parents are going through the "bonding process" and to complete the reunification process.

All we have asked for was to have Katie home. All of DHS and the Courts hoops have ben jumped through. What is the problem?

My FRiends, I am Katie's "Papa". I am currently working in Iraq, in direct support of our military. I got word of Katie's birth by phone. Unfortunately, a month later my daughter had to inform me that Katie had been taken into state custody. Why?! Her parents did nothing wrong, unless living in a trailer park and trying to make a living has become a crime. Katie's parents were accused of "nutritional and medical 'neglect'". How is that possible when they took her to the doctor 24 hours before she had to be rushed to the hospital?!

We have so many unanswered questions. These are questions we have been asking for nearly a year:

If there was even a suspicion of "neglect", why did they only take the infant? Shouldn't they have removed her siblings, also? They didn't. Why not?

When repeated drug screens came back negative, shouldn't that have eliminated the "concern" that there may have been drug use in the home?

How can the State tell people that as a condition of returning a child, the parents would not be "allowed" to live in a multi-generational home, with the grandmother? Regardless of the fact of it being the best situation for the family to support one another, in every way.

Why, as each "condition" was successfully met, another was put in place?

Why was this child removed in the first place? Because she was sick? Well, she's been in and out of the hospital repeatedly, while in government care, are they guilty of neglect? Why not?!

This child is placed in "day care" on a regular basis, by her "foster mother". If she was with her family, she wouldn't have spent a single day in "day care". What's better for the child?

There is much more that can be told. My wife, Katie's Nana, (screen-name:Glinda) will be monitoring this thread, as will I. We'll be happy to answer any questions you might have regarding this situation.

How can you help? If you would, help us get the answer to one simple question:

"Why is Katie being kept in state custody?"

There is not, nor as there ever been, any evidence whatsoever, of any neglect or abuse. The abuse has been on the part of the State and it's taken its toll on an entire family, in every way imaginable.

Please call or e-mail the people who refuse to reunite Katie with her family. Simply ask "Why?"

I realize that this may clog their mailboxes and voicemails and that that may be a terrible inconvenience for them but ...oh,well.

If some "friends of the family" or "concerned citizens" help us get what we want, then I guess there wouldn't be further need for any more phone calls or e-mails.

Thank You.

Katie's "Papa"

( below is the contact info for those who can change this immediately)

Lea, Lea.Glenn-Borts@okdhs.org (918) 746-3309, cell 720-4287

Bill Day (supervisor) Bill.Day@okdhs.org (918) 746-3300

Dean Wise (918) 720-1988 (CASA worker)

The child in question is Kathryn Hubanks

[Tinman]

Your help would be appreciated.

Regards

[Allegra]

Prayers for Katie, Lisa, Glinda, Tinman and all involved BUMP.

[Tinman]

Can I get a boost from your "ping" list on this?

Regards

[I.D.E.A]

OK so I missed the fact that this had been ongoing for a year. That concerns me given the "15 months in care, will move to terminate" requirement. You said earlier that your daughter has done everything they asked of her, if I may inquire, was she told the requirements in writing? You know, a contract of sorts that she signed that stated what she needed to do in such and such a time? I am wondering because it seems that your daughter should have been told the expectations.. that she needed to do such and such and then this and that would happen in return. Otherwise it really is just a bunch of bureaucratic hoops that can be changed on the whim of some capricious case worker.

Also, given your daughters financial status maybe she could avail herself to the local Legal Aid if she doesn't already have representation..... An interesting side note about the Foster Adopt system, even after one 'adopts' a child they may be eligible to continue to receive monthly checks for the care of that child. Something about that seems a little off to me...

[Allegra]

Calling in some prayers warriors, my brother.

I will keep Katie and all involved in my prayers for a solution that reunites this little one with the family who loves her so.

[Tinman]

Thank you, m'dear.

I'm on the night shift and headed for the hootch. I'll check back in here in about 10 hours.

Regards

[Allegra]

Have a good rest.

I'll be back "in town" early next week. Leaving the US tomorrow.

Take care and stay safe. And keep up the faith.

[Alexander Rubin]

How exactly can we help?

[Brad’s Gramma]

Pings, bump, and MUCH prayer!!!!

[Glinda]

The child with the headaches is a sister to Katie. We don’t plan on givng up.

[Glinda]

We haven’t tried that route yet, it is worth considering.

[wagglebee]

Yes, unless there is a clear danger to the child, I think it is immoral and illegal for the government to interfere.

You have my prayers and I only wish there was more we could do to help.

[Glinda]

In this instance there is a CASA person. That stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate, and Katie is his first case. He has shown his backside when he used his connections with the Tulsa Police Dept. when a friend of my daughter's passed away a few weeks ago so he could determine if Lisa ( my daughter ) was involved. He was confused as to why Lisa's name didn't show up in the report. If he had waited to speak to the detective in charge he would have been told it isn't there because she had no relavance to the death. SO I am not so sure that he is acting in Katie's best interest. This is also the same person who lied in open court. He's a volunteer, so I guess you get what you pay for. You have to understand that this is small town on OK and these people think the rule.

[Tinman]

I'll be here for a little bit then I've got to get to work.

Looks like we're getting some good info. See what you can do with the post re: What DHS's priorities are supposed to be.

Give my love to all.

[Glinda]

That seems to be the starting point, the second doctor. He is a pediatrician, not a neonatalogist. Granted he should have known what a preemie can present, but he missed it, or ignored it. When Katie got sick and sent to Tulsa, she was showing many of the problems that a preemie can manifest. The only time that Katies health comes in question is when we get close to her coming home. According to the caseworker she has asthma, lifelong, and dangerous. Severe enough that if she gets too upset it can trigger an attack. Whether that is completely true or not is irrelevant, the child should be with her family. These guys will use any port in a storm.

[Glinda]

You can email Lea Glenn Borts at the addy in the article, lots of email. Spread this story to everyone in your mailbox and ask the to do the same. Do the same thing with Bill Day. Fill their email inboxes with requests that Katie come home. The beauty of their emails, is that is read only, they can’t answer. I call it the squeaky wheel syndrome I quick phone call to either Lea or Dean Wise (numbers in article, even if it’s just a voice mail. Thank-you for wanting to help. It is appreciated.

[Tinman]

Truthfully, what I'd like to see happen is to swamp Creek County DHS with e-mails and possibly phone calls. Each asking the same questions:

"On what grounds and evidence did you remove Kathryn Hubanks from her family?"

And

"What cause do you have to keep this child in state custody?"

Quite simply, I want to know why Katie wasn't returned, to be with her Mom, siblings, and the rest of her family as soon as the initial "investigation" was completed. They had no cause to remove her and they sure as hell have no right keeping her.

If Creek County wants to know why there is a sudden increase in interest in this case, I'll tell them. I'll also let them know that if they give me what I want, I'll make the pressure go away.

One little family is easy to ignore and run roughshod over. Public pressure and exposing their behavior should get their attention.

Regards

[Glinda]

Creek County has no regard for what the real mission is, to keep the family together. The caseworker is hanging on to this child as if she were her own. If she can keep this out long enough I’m sure she will attempt to sever, however she grabbed the wrong tiger this time.

[Tinman]

My granddaughter was ill , not "in danger", when the state took custody. They seized that baby for no good reason.

Power? Money? Control?

I don't know but I know what I suspect. To me this is nothing more than kidnapping under the guise of government authority.

Please see my post at #77.

Thank you for your concern, prayers, and interest.

Regards

[Glinda]

Thank-you for that piece of info. It’s only been recently that age was even an issue, like everytime we close to Katie coming home. The interesting part is that my ex-husband was approved for foster placement and he just turned 64. The ICPC was approved for Michigan months ago and now Lea is going back on it. If I read the age requirements right, he should’nt have been approved in the first place. Creek County at it’s finest.