Police: Men held against their will in 'deplorable' home

Viewed in its best light, the modest brick house on Whitecastle Lane could be described as one more shabby group home, an unregulated or lightly monitored residence where a handful of people received shelter in exchange for government benefit checks or whatever money they had.

But some of those who stayed there have a different description of it - dungeon. It was less refuge than prison, they said, a place where they were slowly starving behind locked doors.

Houston police officers who went to the home after a 911 call Friday said at least four men apparently were kept there against their will. Three were found in a renovated garage, which did not have a bathroom, and one was in the house in front. They were not shackled or tied up, police said, but an elaborate series of locks kept them from getting out.

"Deplorable" was the adjective police Sgt. Steve Murdock used in describing conditions at the house in the 8600 block of Whitecastle, where the men were lured by the promise of food, beer and cigarettes. The three in the garage slept on a linoleum floor and were fed scraps, they told police. An air-conditioning unit was in a window, but police said the garage quarters at the north Houston home, near Veterans Memorial and West Gulf Bank, were hot nonetheless.

Murdock said the men told investigators their government benefit checks were being taken from them by those who controlled the home. Some of the men appear to be military veterans and were possibly homeless. They were not allowed to leave.

"They clearly stated to us they were being held against their will," said HPD spokeswoman Jodi Silva.

Silva said it was unclear how long the men had been at the home, but they likely had been there for days or possibly weeks. They had no access to a bathroom - a bucket or portable toilet may have been provided, police said - and there was only one chair in the room. She said the three men found in the garage appeared malnourished. They were taken to LBJ General Hospital. The fourth man appeared to be in better condition and was being interviewed by police.

An officer tapes off a home on Friday in north Houston where four men told police they were locked in and not allowed to leave. An officer tapes off a home on Friday in north Houston where four men told police they were locked in and not allowed to leave. Photo: Cody Duty, Staff Photo: Cody Duty, Staff Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Police: Men held against their will in 'deplorable' home 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

Police said the men's ages are 80, 74 and 65. The fourth man was said to be in his 50s. Information was limited, police said, because most of the men were receiving medical attention.

Linked to nonprofit

Remarkable only for its bright purple trim, the three-bedroom home is owned by Essie Mae Scranton and is valued at $55,000, according to Harris County property records. However, it is unclear who actually lives there or under what arrangement.

Since December 2008, the address has been the registered location of a nonprofit corporation called Regina's Faith Ministries Inc., directed by 57-year-old Regina Jones, who is also known in public records as Regina K. Nelson.

Efforts to contact the home, its owner or people associated with the address according to public records were unsuccessful on Friday.

Police detained one man for questioning. He was at the home when police arrived, but whether he lived there or was involved in the recruitment of potential residents was unclear.

Four women also were found in the home. One appeared to be a caretaker for the other three, who appeared to be mentally disabled. They did not appear to have been held captive.

Like other large cities in Texas, Houston has hundreds of so-called group homes where elderly, disabled or mentally disabled poor people reside because they have no other place to go. Some of the homes are run well by responsible caretakers, but over the years many others have been shown to be vehicles of exploitation - a relief valve of sorts for social service agencies that often have no good place, or sometimes any place, to house clients with limited means or none at all.

Texas newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, and other media outlets have exposed gross negligence in the shadowy world of the state's group homes for decades. The long list of outrages has included suspicious deaths, medical mistreatment, malnutrition, fires and lack of supervision.

Some cities have ordinances addressing group or boarding homes, and Houston's City Council is considering an ordinance that would force unregulated group homes to pay a fee, register, share information about owners and employees, submit to criminal background checks and report any criminal activity or deaths.

No one asked for help

Neighbors said they had not noticed anything out of the ordinary about the home.

Monica Booker said a mother, son, daughter and granddaughter all live at the house. Booker's mother lives in the neighborhood and said she also has seen elderly men living in the home for years.

Booker said the son of the woman who lives there has told residents that others periodically stay in the home and he received their Social Security checks. She said the man also has told people that he owns other homes where he offers rooms to people in exchange for benefit checks.

Booker said she has previously spoken to the elderly men. They appeared to be in good health and none ever told her or anybody she knew that they were being held against their will. None of the men ever asked her for help, she said.

After hearing the news of Friday's events, Booker said she wonders whether she was deceived.

"It's so upsetting," Booker said, adding that if she had sensed something was wrong or that the men did not wish to be there, she would have done something to help.

Mike Glenn and Mike Tolson contributed to this story.