Houston's Craziest: The 30 Worst

The troubled people whom Houston police officers hate to see headed their way.

1. A 34-year-old man whose grandmother filed a restraining order against him because he beat her up. The man eventually moved to Pasadena with an aunt who had a criminal record for fraud and takes care of two foster children with special needs. The man assaulted one of the children and was arrested. Since the chronic consumer program started, the patient has been arrested and hospitalized four times.

2. A 23-year-old woman who lives alone in her own apartment and has a history of violence against her mother and father and anyone who disagrees with her, leading to a lot of contact with police. She reportedly "will pick up strange men from the street" and have sex with them.

3. A 26-year-old woman who was recently hospitalized for nine weeks after becoming violent and destroying property. Caseworkers tried to get her in a state school, but she didn't qualify. She was kicked out of her group home and lives with her aunt, who has reported physically fighting with the woman.

4. A 52-year-old woman who is "hyper-religious," leading to arrests and 14 hospitalizations in the last five years. Her illness progressed after her sister died of complications from AIDS, and the patient became responsible for her sister's five children. She wasn't employed, but was "infatuated with finding religious clarity." A recent episode included her tearing up her home and terrorizing her roommate. She was later found walking naked downtown.

5. A 48-year-old woman who lives with her boyfriend and is "hyper-religious," causing delusions that increase during Easter and Christmas, followed by manic episodes where she doesn't sleep for days. She believes she was deported from Iran/Iraq for working with women, she had her ear cut off for ransom, she was hired by a church to battle demons and that a drug cartel is after her. Her boyfriend attempted to pimp her for sex to homeless people.

6. A 26-year-old man who lives with his parents and is violent toward them and other immediate family members. He does not think he is mentally ill and will not go to treatment or take medications.

7. Jackie Foster, a 46-year-old woman who lives in an apartment in the South Park area. She has a criminal history for selling crack cocaine. She continued to test positive for cocaine and marijuana during the chronic consumer program. She believes people watch her through her air-conditioning vents and people come into her apartment when she's not there.

8. A 29-year-old man who lives in an abandoned car in his mother's driveway, because his family won't allow him in the house. He's a chronic crack cocaine user, and steals property from family, friends and random homes to pay for the drug. After breaking into his mother's house and assaulting a family member, the patient served several months in jail and was sent to Rusk State Hospital. He has been unwilling to attend drug rehabilitation.

9. A 29-year-old woman who lives with her grandmother. She is frequently arrested for trespassing and belligerent behavior. When the chronic consumer program started, she was serving time for possession of eight grams of PCP. She's robbed people on the streets, walked into oncoming traffic and attempted to drown herself in a swimming pool.

10. Tashonya Williams, a 37-year-old woman who lives in an apartment near the Houston Ship Channel. After losing custody of her five children several years ago, she has become increasingly delusional, thinking that neighbors and family members were performing voodoo on her or trying to kill her. She also becomes sexually hyperactive, opening her front door and lying in her living room naked, or she walks naked down the street.

11. A 25-year-old man, who is HIV-­positive, lives at home with his mother, who is mentally retarded, and he has a history of slitting his wrists when he doesn't get his way. He has also been diagnosed as mildly mentally retarded. His grandmother is his primary caretaker. He abuses crack cocaine and steals to get money for the drug.

12. A 42-year-old woman who lived in a group home or behind a gas station in a wooded area, where she worked as a prostitute and smoked crack. She was a refugee from Cuba and under the care of the Harris County Guardianship program. She died during the chronic consumer program.

13. A 53-year-old man who hears voices telling him to throw himself into traffic, which he often does. He is in the hospital weekly for stabilization and drug treatment, and panhandles somewhere along Westheimer Road. He gets a monthly social security check that goes to his sister, and she charges him for room and board. More often than not, he lives on the streets.

14. A twentysomething man who has a long history of drug use, usually mixing Xanax with alcohol. Not long after he was accepted into a drug rehabilitation program, some friends talked him into robbing someone with a pistol. The "victim" held down the client until police arrived, and he is in Harris County Jail waiting for trial.

15. A twentysomething man who lives with his parents in southwest Houston, where he roams the streets, pestering women. Gang members have targeted him because of his behavior, and his family is scared for his safety.

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  • Sean C. 01/17/2010 3:22:00 PM

    You people are all so surprised and appalled that this article exists when one of the leading American television shows is "Jersey Shore"? Crazy sells, folks.

  • Yepyepyep 01/05/2010 9:30:00 PM

    At least the Tea Party can count on 30 people to show up to their meetings.

  • mhmracaseworker 01/04/2010 12:15:00 AM

    I am a case worker for MHMRA and I have to say I have a major problem with the title of this article and that these mental health patients are referred to as "Houston's Craziest". It's a derogatory term! They teach us the first day of training at MHMRA to never refer to our clients as "crazy". I liked the article but hate the title very much. I'm sure The National Alliance on Mental Illness(NAMI) will be all over the Houston Press about this.

  • jacob klementich 01/03/2010 1:18:00 AM

    I am deeply offended. I should've been mentioned on the list of Houston's craziest. Research me up and you will probably agree!?$

  • Schmoe 01/01/2010 7:32:00 AM

    So, you did this completely unfeeling, horrific story for WHAT reason? Boo, Houston Press

  • David Whitten 12/31/2009 4:55:00 PM

    I am always amazed at the word "crazy" when it is applied to the behavior of others, particularly when the description of such is so vague. Some of these accounts sound legitimate while others appear to be substance-induced in nature. Now, I realize that there is a huge problem with mentally ill patients abusing recreational drugs and alcohol, but why can't officers learn to differentiate between the types of mental illness? The classic delusions and denial of mental illness are some of the best indicators that someone is "throwed off." I have monitored police radio traffic and know that there are mental health professionals working for most of the law enforcement agencies in the Houston area. But, this article does not really help matters. To me, this article sheds a negative light on those who are mentally ill or mentally retarded due to a lack of information provided. I know that HIPPA law prevent naming patient, obviously; however, more information could have been presented in each of these cases in order to present an accurate portrayal of the problem. In my opinion, you have barely touched the surface in this article. Now, the Houston Press has done an excellent job, in the past, of writing about the lack of mental health treatment in the state of Texas. I applaud them for this. I have worked in the mental health field since 1981. I started working in TDCJ during 1987. So, I have seen the outcome of "deinstitutionalization", the buzz word of the 70's and 80's within the former TDMHMR. The police & Texas prison system are now having to deal with those who should be locked up when they don't comply with their medication. TDCJ lists some parolees as "special needs" and if they don't take their medications, they are revoked! Bravo for the parole board. Let's not forget that private enterprise has taken over most outpatient services in the state of Texas thanks to those wishing to "outsource" such services to save the GOPigs tax dollars. Now, the numbers are starting to grow inside our prisons, nationwide. Great job, Texas.

  • Why I Rarely Read the Press 12/31/2009 1:30:00 AM

    What is the point of this ridiculous list? Someone who lives with no air conditioning or with their rich parents is "crazy" and to be feared by the police? Do society a favor do some volunteer work for MHMR so that you truly understand the issues surrounding "crazy people" before you waste anymore Press space with poorly, thought-out garbage.

 

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