Abuse allegations at Calhoun behavioral clinic lead to arrests

OUACHITA PARISH, La. (KNOE) - The owner and several employees of a former behavior health therapy clinic are in trouble with the law. At least eight people face felony charges due to abuse allegations. A special agent with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation reports he observed multiple instances of alleged abuse captured on camera.

State investigators are looking into claims of physical and mental abuse at ABA Therapy Solutions in Calhoun. The clinic was forced to close after the allegations surfaced back in 2019. The clinic provided services for people with autism and other behavioral developmental conditions.

Louisiana’s attorney general’s office tells KNOE former owner Kristen Nobles, and employees Elizabeth Hensley, Angela Stewart, Michaela Jones, Christina Elizarov, Eryn Ogden, Randa Mathers, and Jessica Bird all face felony charges of cruelty to the infirmed. According to the affidavits for arrest warrants, at least eight incidents were reported between December 2018 and February 2019.

Special agent Jason Dammon with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation reviewed content from a seized digital video recorder. Dammon alleges in an affidavit that he found quote “…numerous incidents of abuse, both physical and mental.” Another affidavit states a text message sent to an employee came from a phone number linked to Elizabeth Hensley. It suggested Hensley “knocked a child’s tooth out.” According to Dammon the text also said…“hey I’m not kidding i hate that ******* kid man”. The affidavit says Dammon confirmed with the mother that the child did lose a tooth, but the child would not say how it happened. Hensley also faces an additional charge, second-degree battery.

Kristen Nobles faces three counts of cruelty to the infirmed. Another LBI affidavit says Nobles and another employee executed a “…hostile, excessive and continuous form of hand over hand techniques.” It goes on to say “this act alone was extremely excessive and physical which agitated the situation which prompted “juvenile” to become violent.”

Angela Stewart is also charged with cruelty to the infirmed. An investigator’s affidavit says she acted violently and lifted a child into the air and slammed the child back down into the chair. It goes on to say Stewart “… pushed a table into the child’s stomach, utilized pressure points to gain compliance.”

The Louisiana Board of Analyst Behavior says these acts were viewed as forms of abuse and neglect.

The board suspended Nobles’ license in 2019. We reached out to get her side of the story. Two of her family members tell us they have no comment.

We reached out to the other people arrested, but we have not heard back.

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