DALLAS – They’re not criminals. They’ve broken no laws. But they’re
being held against their will by the State of Texas. Why? It’s a tragic
story about what can happen when you are alone in the world and lose
control of your rights, your money, and your ability to complain.
Jean
and Michael Kidd never imagined their retirement would play out like
this. “I feel like I am not in America,” said Michael Kidd. “I can’t
believe I have been hi-jacked off the street, virtually from the
hospital, and imprisoned,” Kidd told FOX 4.
Michael Kidd and his
wife Jean have been living out of a tiny room for months. They have
lost control of their money, their home, even their car. They say
they’ve been robbed of their dignity and their voice. And who do they
say is responsible? The State of Texas.
“It is a shock to our system,” says Kidd. “We are still kind of in a state of shock,” Kidd told Reporter Becky Oliver.
Michael
Kidd worked as an engineer at KDFW for 23 years. He retired in 2001
with a pension, retirement account, and social security. Last month, he
called the station for help. The Kidds have no children or relatives
nearby. In November Michael fell and broke his hip. He was taken to a
Plano hospital and into surgery. After a few days, the hospital called
the state Adult Protective Services to report Jean had been in the
waiting room for days and wasn’t eating. What happened next is a
complicated, legal tale told in hundreds of pages of documents filed
with the Collin County Probate Court.
Caseworkers paint a
picture of two incompetent old people, age 67 and 70, suffering from
dementia. Reports say the Kidds have mismanaged their finances and used
poor judgment, that Michael is verbally abusive and even attempted to
assault Jean. Michael says Jean has memory trouble but denies
everything else. A judge determined the Kidds were incapacitated and
unable to care for themselves. The state took over the Kidds lives,
sent them to the Countryside Nursing Home in Pilot Point, and is now
burning through their money to pay for their care. MORE>>>>>>>>>