{"id":125144,"date":"2026-01-16T01:41:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T01:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/125144\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T01:41:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T01:41:11","slug":"texas-officials-put-his-caretaker-in-solitary-confinement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/125144\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Officials Put His Caretaker in Solitary Confinement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just days after a fundraiser to save a sick stray cat at a Central Texas women\u2019s prison<\/a> raised nearly $11,000, Texas prison officials placed the incarcerated woman who cared for the cat into solitary confinement \u2014 despite the fact that she did not organize the fundraiser or receive any of the money.<\/p>\n

Sonya Reed, a 53-year-old woman incarcerated at the Patrick O\u2019Daniel Unit in Gatesville, was moved into administrative segregation, also known as solitary confinement, during an internal investigation into a GoFundMe created by her daughter<\/a>, Kitti Reed, last month to pay for veterinary care for a beloved prison cat named Orange Julius.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Barbed Wire previously published two stories about OJ and the comfort he has provided Sonya, precipitating more donations and an outpouring of internet support \u2014 but did not identify her until now as a precaution in order to protect her from backlash from prison officials.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey really rely on those cats for emotional support,\u201d she previously said, adding that the generosity from strangers has been overwhelming. \u201cThese animals don\u2019t see their mistakes. They\u2019re just a constant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only are these women kind of shunned by society because they are in prison, but even more so the cats,\u201d she said earlier this week. \u201cI didn\u2019t know so many people cared about them.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that positivity quickly soured.<\/p>\n

The younger Reed said she has now agreed to speak publicly \u2014 and to allow her mother\u2019s name to be used \u2014 in hopes that public attention would protect her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more eyes on this, the better,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen something is under scrutiny, there\u2019s less chance of anything untoward happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

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According to Reed, her mother was first pulled in for questioning about the fundraiser and told she was not in trouble. She was questioned twice, returned to her housing area, and then placed in isolation the following day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still don\u2019t have any straight answers from the prison about it,\u201d Reed told The Barbed Wire.<\/p>\n

Paperwork given to her mother lists the charge as \u201csolicitation,\u201d Reed said \u2014 an allegation she called \u201cbizarre,\u201d since her mother did not ask for money and had no access to the fundraiser or its proceeds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI made the GoFundMe,\u201d Reed said. \u201cThere is no way for my mother to access the money. She didn\u2019t ask for money for herself. She doesn\u2019t have money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Texas Department of Criminal Justice officials told The Barbed Wire on Thursday the move was tied to an investigation, not a disciplinary punishment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis incident was under investigation as it is against policy for inmates to solicit money and fundraise,\u201d Amanda Hernandez, a spokeswoman for TDCJ, said in a statement. \u201cThe inmate was not moved \u2018as punishment,\u2019 but because of the investigation. During an investigation, it is common for inmates to be moved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hernandez added that an inmate\u2019s grievance history is confidential and cannot be disclosed.<\/p>\n

Reed said she initially heard the prison might pursue an extortion charge before learning that solicitation was listed on the disciplinary paperwork.<\/p>\n

Reed said her mother has now been held in administrative segregation for several days, with limited phone access between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., making communication difficult. She said she has only spoken to her mother once since the move.<\/p>\n

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\u201cShe was crying when she called me,\u201d Reed said. \u201cShe\u2019s very distressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reed said her mother has significant medical issues, including heart problems, anxiety, depression, and spinal conditions that require prescribed bedding. Reed said being removed from her air-conditioned housing unit is especially dangerous given her heart condition, and that she does not know whether the isolation unit is air-conditioned.<\/p>\n

Administrative segregation, Reed said, is especially concerning because inmates there can be exposed to chemical spray used on others in the unit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen an inmate acts up, they pepper spray, and it gets into every cell,\u201d she said. \u201cShe has eczema, which can blister and burn from chemical exposure. This is not a place my medically challenged mother should be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reed said her mother told her that the disciplinary paperwork was signed by a new assistant warden she does not know well, and she believes the situation may be a misunderstanding.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reed also said her mother believes the assistant warden \u201cdoes not like the cats,\u201d though she emphasized she does not have definitive answers for why her mother was placed in isolation.<\/p>\n

For now, Reed said, her mother remains in administrative segregation with no clear timeline for release. A prison representative told Reed that inmates can be held in isolation for up to 30 consecutive days \u2014 though they can be released briefly and then placed back in segregation.<\/p>\n

Reed also learned that her mother\u2019s bed assignment has already been reassigned, meaning she does not know where her mother will be housed if and when she is released.<\/p>\n

Reed said the situation has left her anxious and fearful for her mother\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis could be detrimental to her in so many ways,\u201d she said. \u201cPhysically and mentally.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fundraiser at the center of the investigation was created after a stray cat named OJ, who lives on prison grounds and is cared for by incarcerated women using their own commissary funds, became seriously ill. The GoFundMe was created by Reed on the outside to pay for veterinary care and to cover the cat\u2019s medical expenses. Reed has said none of the money can be transferred to her mother.<\/p>\n

The story struck a chord for many on social media. \u201cNice to hear about one good thing happening at least,\u201d wrote one reader<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI kept expecting \u2018and here\u2019s how facility administration ruined the whole thing for everybody,\u2019\u201d another wrote<\/a>. \u201cGod, this is one of those things I could never fit my thoughts into a single post, but doing a full thing would absolutely fuck my mental health. Lol In short: cats good, TDCJ bad. Keep up the great work!\u201d<\/p>\n

For Reed, what began as an effort to save a sick cat has become a fight for her mother\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no reason she should be in solitary for this,\u201d she said. \u201cNone.\u201d<\/p>\n

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