My sister Christy is keeping me away from my children.
I haven't spoken to my daughters in three months.
Christy is trying to erase me
from my daughter's lives.
I was in prison for three years for reckless homicide
and that's when I lost custody of my two daughters.
I told 'em I was going to prison
and we all cried for awhile.
A local woman is facing manslaughter charges
after police say she was involved
in a heroin overdose.
I was a drug addict and sold my friend heroin.
He died of an overdose.
Before I went to prison,
CPS was trying to put my children in foster care.
The only person that I had was Christy.
I never agreed personally
to give Christy custody of my children.
This state gave her custody.
I knew Christy was a little manipulative
but I thought when it had to do with the children
it would be okay.
I'm worried about my daughters in Christy's care.
We write down things we need from the store
do we not.
I feel that she has been abusing them
and neglecting them.
They take care of me all day long.
Not the other way around
You're my pasty of minions.
She yells at them,
makes them do all the housework.
You guys need to do your chores.
She controls how much they eat.
I feel like my sister is isolating my children
from the world because she doesn't let them see any friends
or any family.
I believe that she has a drug problem.
Christy is also an alcoholic.
I feel that they should be removed
from her home.
I turned my life around while I was in prison.
I started child support,
I started working.
And she let me see them about two or three times.
And then she went nuts.
She loves the control over me.
She treats me like she has a restraining over against me.
I know I messed up
but I'm not doing anything wrong now.
There's no reason I shouldn't have 'em.
Okay Tricia, you made some bad choices
in your life.
Yes.
You were addicted to heroin for about how long?
About a year.
And it got control of your life.
Yes.
And you don't dispute that you were an addict.
No, not at all.
Okay and you
got involved with giving heroin to someone else.
Did you give it 'em or sell it to 'em?
I gave it to 'em.
He overdosed, died. Ah hah.
A friend of yours? Yes.
So you went to prison and you
were sentenced to three years,
you didn't serve that much time.
But you were sentenced to three years, right?
I served two and a half.
Should you have gone to prison?
Yes.
So that was justice. Yes.
And you got
out early, why?
Basically good behavior.
You were released May 5th, 2017.
Yes.
Okay, now that means that you had these girls
while you were doing heroin.
I did yes.
Alright, should you have had those girls
while you were doing heroin?
No. You were not
a responsible parent. No.
Alright so you don't debate the fact that that was wrong.
Ah no, not at all.
Alright and when you went to prison,
the state took the children.
Yes.
And they could have gone into foster care
but what they typically do is revert
to a family member if possible,
that's what happened here.
Ah huh.
Were you okay with that?
Ah hah.
And now describe
your life now.
Are you clean, are you sober, are you stable
are you a white knuckle
addict just getting by
day to day, what's happening?
I am three years sober.
I love being sober.
(audience applauding)
So you're
three years sober. Yes.
And you love being sober why?
I can think clearly.
I can make goals and accomplish them.
I've never done that.
I have a great job.
Anybody and everybody that's in my life
has great things to say they're so proud of me.
It feels great like the things
that I've been able to accomplish and
the things I've been able to do.