With Christmas being just days away, Adrian Devond, a Texas man who lost his wife in 2020 and had his 4 children removed shortly after, recieved an early Christmas gift. After nearly three years of hard work, tears, and court battles, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services finally returned Devond’s children. They even got an early visit from Santa Claus!
Adrian Devond of Ft. Bend County, Texas is a proud father of 4. Like the majority of us, hes made a handful of mistakes during his younger years. According to Devond, he cleaned up his act and turned his life around. Adrian became a truck driver, he supported his family, has been a dedicated father, and he was happily married to his wife of 11 years.
Tragic hit shortly after the couple’s fourth child was born. Adrian’s wife passed away, leaving him to care for their 4 children on his own. According to him, it was tough trying to raise children while grieving the loss of his wife. However, he took pride in fatherhood and keeping his wife’s memory alive with his children.
Within weeks of his Adrian’s wife passing away, grief began taking a toll on him. He says that he sought help and that his request for assistance only led to all four of his children being taken away from him. According to the original removal order that was signed by a Texas judge, one of the justifications of the children being removed was that Devond’s 7-year-old child was walking to school on her own, which is not illegal under the “Every Student Succeeds Act.” The father of 4 says that he was accused of leaving his daughter alone, which he denies, stating that the child was supposed to have been with her older sibling, important information that was never documented in records, he added.
When he reached out to me over a year ago, Adrian admitted that he was having a hard time dealing with the loss of his wife, and he was more than willing to get help. Devond successfully completed everything that CPS required of him to have his children returned. According to him, that wasn’t good enough for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. In the beginning of the year, Adrian’s attorney filed a motion in court to have the children returned. It was denied.
DFPS then started accusing the father of four of tampering with his drug test results. He says that he has passed more than 25 drug tests, including drug testing from a provider that works directly with CPS. Adrian believed that he was given a life sentence of being discriminated against because he’s a black father that wants to raise his children.
He also alleges that the state of Texas was funneling thousands of dollars a month between child support from Devond and social security funds from the children’s deceased mother. Adrian said that before CPS removed his children, he was in the process of purchasing a home so that his family could start over fresh, and his children would have their own home with a backyard to play in. His plans turned into nothing more than a shattered dream.
Ironically, after months of filing complains against DFPS, Adrian and his four children were finally reunited, just in time for the holidays. If that isn’t the best Christmas gift ever, I don’t know what is. For more information on this story, email jeniferknighton08@gmail.com. DFPS was not available for comment.