MORE RUNAWAYS FROM ‘FIVE OAKS’ IN AUSTIN COUNTY

  

Austin County Sheriff’s deputies report two more cases last week, of their office having to apprehend runaways from the troubled Five Oaks Achievement Center in New Ulm.

Thursday, the Sheriff’s Office was notified that three males had run away from the facility for troubled youths on Pechacek Road.

A Sheriff’s Department spokesperson says their office was not notified until approximately forty-five minutes after the three were discovered missing.

A Regroup Alert was sent out by phone, Text Message and Email to residents within an 8-mile radius of the Achievement Center.

A resident later reported seeing the three near Texas Street in New Ulm.  They were picked up by Deputies and returned to the Center.

The very next day, three female juveniles fled from the Center.

Once again, while units were in the area searching for the runaways, a resident reported seeing them walking on the railroad tracks, heading towards Fayette County.

The three were picked up and released back to the facility.

Earlier this year, a runaway from the Five Oaks Center walked away from the facility, then set fire to a nearby home and watched it burn to the ground, as he sat and waited for authorities.

The Austin County Sheriff’s office reminds residents that are not presently on the Regroup Call list for emergency messages, they can sign up by going to the Austin County Website.  At the bottom of the homepage.  A text and symbol allow you to sign up for the alerts.

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15 Comments

  1. Washington County Citizens. The new facility here is being compared to 5 Oaks. Just because one facility is bad does that mean all will be bad. If one politican is dishonest are they all dishonest? This facility is being built and operated by local people. All have strong ties to our community. The facility will have a different program and will have safety items to protect the kids and the citizens. If this facility had been open before all the bad press from 5 Oaks none of this would have been discussed. How many of these type of facilities are in operation and we hear nothing about them

    1. If the investors all have strong ties to the community, why have they not all be identified? It would help to know who stands to profit from this facility, especially if runaways begin to occur.

    2. From “TRUSTEES RECEIVE UPDATE ON BLUEBONNET HAVEN RESIDENTIAL FACILITY”
      KWHI – April 2, 2018

      “She said that the district currently serves 4 residential facilities; the Brenham State School, and 3 residential homes. She noted that Brenham has 13 percent of its students listed as special education, the highest of any district in the area.” – Brenham ISD Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction Jamey Johnson

      “Director of Business and Finance Kim Weatherby said that if the facility had 30 students, it would require at least 12 teachers and specialists from the district to meet the state requirements. That would cost the district between $590,000 and $1.1 million per year, depending on if full time staff or contract employees were utilized. She estimated that if all of the students were categorized as special education, the state would cover only $525,000 of the costs.”

      So what’s one more right? Well, if we have one more, why not advertise and get the BISD name out that we’ll be the sugar daddy for all the “investors” that want to put a child bunkhouse here. Shoot for the stars and have ten or more.

      It would be different if these facilities operated without any involvement of Brenham ISD, but they do not. And since they do not, and since public schools are much more than just educating now, we’re stealing from our own children and in the process making it even harder for our own children to succeed. Peer groups matter tremendously, a child has much less of a chance if they’re surrounded by delinquents most of their waking hours. No thank you. That they (“investors”) are allowed to use, and abuse the system matter of fact, is absurd. I can’t believe its been allowed to happen three or four times before. You are right about that, that needs to be revisited ASAP and reversed. What you ask is not compassion, it’s more like that old saying about the road to hell, only we already know where those intentions lead.

      How is a loaf of bread proportionaly sliced to just provide MINIMUM sustenance for 10 children considered compassion by reducing the size of those slices to give to another child? And by the way, the child who recieves the reduced slice of bread already has a full slice of bread where they are from.

    3. Concerned Citizen ~~~ naive, wishful thinking. Good that you are so positive but don’t be blinded.
      Five Oaks is “local people” also. (working there). Wanna know why you don’t hear about any other facilities? Because everything is HIDDEN. Denied. Swept under the rug. That poor 15 year old boy did everyone a favor. He blew all out into the open. I have first hand knowledge of EVERYTHING going on at Five Oaks!!!! SHUT IT DOWN!!

  2. I too agree that a fenced in area is needed-not so much to keep them in but also to keep unwanted out! The same with the SSLC; fence it in, make it secure; not because they can hurt someone, more so that the do not get harmed themselves!
    As someone who has used Rock Prairie Behavioral when I could not get me anti anxiety meds straight, we were locked in the facility and unable to get out! We had a court yard for exercise and were allowed to go out three times a day to enjoy the weather. It was a life saver for me. If this facility and the one in Columbus would follow these same practices, I think there would be less issues. We did not have a fence, but again as I stated, we were locked in!

  3. Anyone that posts criticism of these facilities should first acquaint themselves with what all Five Oaks and others like them are doing with these children. I have been into these many of these type of facilities, as a third party vendor and have never been treated with anything less than respect by the staff and residents. These children are ones that have been subjected to some of the most horrific things in life, many that no person ever experiences, thank God.

    How about instead of whining about how it might affect US and our families, we take a closer look to see how we can help these youngsters overcome the terrible disadvantages life has already thrown at them? To push this type of facility off on another community is NOT the answer. We have a God given responsibility to these children to protect, nourish and love them since the ones that were supposed to did not do so effectively. Our town and our county prides itself on being so accepting and loving yet many (including our government officials) are the very first to try and discredit, and bar these kids from living here. Seems very hypocritical to me. We are not supposed to love and care for and associate only those that are like us. We are supposed to help those in need and this is who we are talking about here. Those kids can all make a difference in this world, given proper help and a little acceptance.

    Before anyone questions if I would like to live in proximity to this: I do live close to a facility that does this type of work already. (approx. 1.5 miles and just a few pastures over from mine)

    Come on county, state officials and people of our great area……how about we love on these kids, workers and pray for them rather than tossing them out with the bath water?

    1. It’s easy to have an emotional response and always say yes with other peoples money. That’s how you become class president in high school, new soda machine, now its a Starbucks.

      No one is denying that this is a problem. It is definitely a problem caused by the left in their never ending assault on the family unit, the patriarch, marriage (between husband and wife), respect for authority, and all the other things America used to have as defining attributes to its culture. Now we’re a multicultural over sexed whatever due the confused and mentally ill left. The left broke our culture and it will only get worse until their ridiculous ideas are trash canned.

      You already know Brenham ISD sits at 13% of these special needs/behavioral issue type kids and we’re well above the surrounding counties. You already know that adding more will only lead to requests that will add even more until our systems are broken well beyond what they already are. Yet you condemn practical discussion as whining, and “pushing them off on another community”. Rather than attempting to move county officials to mandate a tax increase, why don’t you move your Church and other Churches to focus efforts on the widows and orphans in our own back yard. These people need Christian values more than they need structure. It was shortsighted leftist government policy that broke the family unit in the first place, it’s sure not the fix. Or even better, why don’t you sell your home, your clothes, and anything else of value and give all the money to the poor? If you have kids, give the poor anything from college savings to their inheritance. Send your kids to the worst public school you can find so they can be the “salt”, at the youngest possible age and then watch your kids transform into their secular and immoral peers and teachers. Have you done these things as part of your “God given responsibility”? If not, wouldn’t that be “hypocritical”?

  4. This is why those facilities need to be gated, however, then that violates the children’s rights! What about our rights as a community? I have always said that the state school needs to be gated and secured also! Anyone has access to that facility as well because it’s a violation of their rights!

  5. W E W I L L B E N E X T! Stories in the near future will reference Brenham roads and landmarks when describing the runaways and where they are found. Come on people wake up and try to stop this facility. Please show up when they give a date for a public meeting. This is awful for our county. The public should make a stand against the people bringing this blight into our community. Boycott whatever businesses the investors own, be it boat/RV rentals or storage, house cleaning, concrete businesses, drywall etc. These are perfectly legal ways to make your opinion known. Make a choice not to patronize these places. This is harsh and I know it. However, protecting our home is what is most important. I consider this county my home and will do whatever is legal to protect our way of life. #sorrynotsorry

    1. So, what do you say we do with some of our youth that have developmental issues, assuming not all of them are ones to be locked up?

      Some may need to have more structure, but what do you want “us” and “I’m not a staff of Five Oaks either”, to do? What is the cure?

      If there wasn’t a place for treatment, then would we be complaining of “not having a place for youth with developmental issues”?

      When it’s working no one hears about that, it’s only when they leave the facility and walk down the road. Maybe we should give them more money to fund more programs or some type of research, or with more self development activities to do. The only Job Corps I can think of is in San Marcos, and are they taking in people from this area?

      I hear it all the time, “this town has nothing for our youth to do, to keep them out of trouble”, so maybe help them learn a trade, instead of video games and cell phones, then maybe our county and city will grow in a better direction. I’m just saying.

      1. Thanks OhGee
        No one mentions the hundreds that were helped and returned home. These are kids for Gods sake.

        I spent 9 years working with “those kids” in Five Oaks and in lots of other RTCs and I know first hand what a need and a difference these places can make for the life of a kid AND their families.

        They need treatment not jail.

        Where’s your humanity.

      2. They make enough money, over 100 grand off of each kid. This last year the owners of the land made a little over 5 MILLION DOLLARS!

        1. So, what’s your point? What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?
          How much does it cost for education, and the price of that facility?

        2. We already have multiple facilities in our community. How are we supposed to support another one? This will be difficult to sustain and the investors will be the ones winning. Brenham will be left with the burden of supporting another facility for the next 30+ years. This is ridiculous!!!!

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