Student: Briana D
Facility: Cross Creek Manor
Years attended: 2004-2006

Safe Teen Schools had the pleasure of being able to interview an
amazing survivor. Briana built up her courage and called us for 
an unforgettable interview.

Briana D. was Escorted from her home in the middle of the night by
strangers. People who wouldn't answer any of her questions, she has no 
idea what was going on or why. It has come to be known that Briana was
Sent to Cross Creek Manor due to her having Aspergers which was unknown
at the time. Due to the tics that come along with this disorder which
Briana and her mother did not know about, she was sent to a program for
"Troubled Teens".

Briana arrived at Cross Creek Manor when she was only 11 years old. 
Her first meeting with the director Ron Garret was not what she had
expected. Due to her traveling through the night and being emotionally
exhausted she fell asleep when she was in the meeting with Ron. Instead
of seeing a tired child who was just taken from her home in the middle
of the night and had no idea what was going on, Ron threw a water 
bottle at her to wake her up.

Briana spent a lot of her time in isolation, 15 months in isolation
to be exact. During this time she was not able to be in contact with
her mother or attend schooling. While she states that she was never 
physically harmed at Cross Creek Manor she says she did witness a lot of
physical abuse that was done to other children in the facility. 

One of the worst things we find in facilities are the fact that they
strip search their students. Briana was forced to strip naked in front
of a stranger at 11 years old. They also forced her to exercise and 
deprived her of food. Entering the Cross Creek Manor, Briana weighed
265 pounds. It was obvious that during her stay due to the lack of a
nutritious diet and being forced to exercise she had dropped from
265 pounds to 133 during her stay at the Manor. 

Once Briana was finally let out of Isolation it was clear that
the staff were out to get her. Being force to sleep with the lights on for 3 months, forced to sleep with her arms above her head at night
hanging off the wood from the bunk beds. Even the Director forced
her into wearing shorts. She caught him often trying to look up her
shorts.

Briana was forced medication, 1000 mgs of Seroquel a day. She was 
also forced to be watched when she used the bathroom. A symptom
of Aspergers Briana would be obsessed with things. She did not 
like staring at other people and does not like it when others
stare at her. In a attempt to "correct" this behavior the 
Director Ron Garret felt the need to make her stare at other
girls and make other girls stare back at her.

Briana was able to escape the program because her mother realized
how drugged up she was and she did not want her daughter living
like that. As soon as she found out she went to Cross Creek Manor
and took her daughter home.

Briana now suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),
panic attacks and constant nightmares and flashbacks. Briana has not
left her home in 4 years. While Briana and her mother get along ok,
Briana holds a lot of resentment towards her mother for being sent
away and not properly looking into the facility or found another
route to help her.

When asked what she would tell a parent looking into a program
Briana responded, "Check other options before you place your
teen in a place that will hurt them. These places are like prisons."


Safe Teen Schools would like to thank Briana D. for being so brave
for sharing her story with the world. You are not alone Briana. Thank
you so much for helping us expose these places that abuse children, you
are an extremely brave woman. Thank You.