Kristine McCreery with her 16 year old son Brandon. Image from Facebook.
by Health Impact News Staff
For the last 7 months, 16-year-old Brandon McCreery has been separated from the only family he has ever known. After being medically kidnapped by St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in Boise, over false allegations of medical abuse by his mother, Kristine, supposedly refusing to feed him, Brandon has spent the majority of 2019 in foster care.
Desperate to be reunited with her son, and prove the allegations false, Kristine McCreery has sought answers and help from anyone she could find. After the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare and the 3rd District Guardian Ad Litem program refused to listen, and several different attorneys failed to speak for her, Kristine became frustrated and angry with the system.
Unable to get anywhere with anyone associated with her son’s case, she has turned her anger into a relentless passion and renewed her fight for her son. Since the State wouldn’t actually help her, Kristine decided to help herself and turned to her new neighbors in Idaho for their help too.
Their story went public on Wednesday, July 10th, 2019. See:
Idaho Homeschooled Teenager with History of Medical Issues Removed from Mother Against His Will Due to Child Abuse Doctor Testimony
To Kristine and her family’s surprise, this young mother’s cry for help was met with a monumental outpouring of support from Idaho residents.
In a matter of days, a change.org petition demanding Brandon’s return from the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare numbered in the high hundreds, with signatures added every hour. See:
Bring Brandon Home
A fundraising campaign matches numbers of the petition and their family support page grows every day, receiving messages of support from all over the world, including as far as Croatia. See:
Please help us raise money for a attorney and miscellaneous needs for Brandon
Bring Brandon McCreery Home Facebook Page
The day after the article originally ran on MedicalKidnap.com, July 11th, Kristine appeared in Canyon County criminal court for what was supposed to be a preliminary hearing on felony Injury to Child charges. A group of people showed up to support her. Dr. Amy Barton, from St. Luke’s CARES, was scheduled to testify against her to show probable cause – but was apparently “out of town” and didn’t show.
So the hearing was continued until July 25th.
Family advocate, Serra Frank, reports,
“My favorite part was after Kristine was done talking to the judge and was leaving the courtroom – the entire back row got up and left with her. Everyone in the courtroom stopped what they were doing and watched us leave; so it definitely made a good first impression!”
After the hearing, advocates from local groups including Health Freedom Idaho, Expose Idaho CPS, and the Idaho 3% gathered in front of the Canyon County office of the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare to protest.
Health Freedom Idaho
Expose Idaho CPS
3% of Idaho
Armed with sidewalk chalk and #BringBrandonHome protest signs, the Department was apparently intimidated by their presence. Obviously already aware the event was to occur, the Department had apparently consulted with their neighbor, the manager at Flying J Truck Stop, as well as the property manager of their building, to demand the protesters leave and be trespassed from the property the moment they arrived.
The peaceful group was told they were absolutely NOT allowed to park their cars in the Flying J parking lot or shop inside the store, much less set foot on the public access road that leads through the Flying J parking lot to the Department of Health and Welfare.
Before anyone had even exited their vehicles, the police had already been called.
Robert Jones of Expose Idaho CPS reports,
“When we peacefully complied [with their demand to leave] it sent them into a rage and they called the cops immediately!! It did not stop us! Just helped spread the word to some law enforcement.”
Understanding the group was merely attempting to invoke their first amendment right to peaceably assemble and protest against the medical kidnapping of young Brandon, the kind officers of the Caldwell Police Department, helped the protesters figure out where to legally park.
The officers told them they could protest on the public sidewalks in front of the truck stop, and then went on with their day.
As the rally started, Brandon’s Nana, Kathy, stepped into the grass next to the sidewalk to get some rest under the shade of a tree. Kathy suffers sciatic nerve damage and needed an escape from the 98 degree heat in Idaho’s dry desert environment.
Suddenly, a few moments later, the police were back. Half a dozen officers called in by the manager at Flying J – all because of a grandmother taking a rest.
The officers had to tell the group to stay off the grass and then left again.
The support of the community is essential to the success that this family will have bringing Brandon home. They have expressed deep appreciation for the support they have already received.
Brandon’s aunt, Michelle, says,
“We are very grateful for the love we have received from the Idaho community and the online community. I know Brandon will be grateful too. Once he is finally home.”
Kristine appears in court next on Tuesday, July 16th for a review hearing on the CPS case. The court is set to decide the permanency plan for Brandon, which appears to be leaning towards not returning him to his mother.
But Kristine isn’t giving up. She plans to represent herself in court and demand her evidence be heard by the judge.
She says,
“I am hopeful that I will at least have a chance to be heard. I pray that Judge Tucker will see the truth in my words and Brandon’s medical records, and finally send my son home to us.”
Court support and another rally have been planned for Tuesday to show community outrage over this situation.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Support the Family – www.facebook.com/bringbrandonmccreeryhome
Change.org Petition – https://www.change.org/p/idaho-cps-bring-brandon-home
Court Support & Rally – July 16th 2019 – https://www.facebook.com/events/2626563124022769/
Contact:
GOVERNOR OF IDAHO
Brad Little
go******@go*.gov
(208) 345-8356
LT. GOVERNOR
Janice McGeachin
ja**************@lg*.gov
(208) 334-2200
Mike Crapo – Idaho Senator
https://www.crapo.senate.gov/contact/email-me
Boise – (208) 334-1776
Washington DC – (202) 224-6142
Jim Risch – Idaho Senator
https://www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
Boise – (208) 342-7985
Washington DC – (202) 224-2752
Mike Simpson – Idaho Representative
https://simpson.house.gov/contact/
Boise – (208) 334-1953
Washington DC – (202) 226-8000
Russ Fulcher – Idaho Representative
https://fulcher.house.gov/email-me
Boise – (208) 888-3188
Washington DC – (202) 225-6611
Representative Brent Crane
bc****@ho***.gov
(208) 332-1058
(208) 466-0613
Representative Greg Chaney
gc*****@ho***.gov
(208) 332-1055
Senator Jim Rice
jr***@se****.gov
(208) 332-1423
(208) 891-4178
Senator Jeff Agenbroad
ja********@se****.gov
(208) 332-1329
(208) 501-7472
(208) 466-9315
Representative Christy Zito
cz***@ho***.gov
(208) 332-1181
(208) 590-4633
Representative Heather Scott
hs****@ho***.gov
(208) 332-1190
(208) 920-3120
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