Kristi Pough’s Story: A Mother’s Battle with CPS

In 2018, the origins of a case in Stockton, California, became more prominent, which later transitioned to Sacramento in 2020. It is important to highlight that the impacts of Child Protective Services (CPS) can extend beyond the immediate context of parenthood. As a child, I was placed into foster care after being separated from my parents, where I unfortunately experienced molestation by my foster father. When my biological father learned about this abuse and reported it to CPS, his concerns were disregarded. Instead, CPS shifted the focus and narrative, portraying him as the abuser after he expressed his frustration towards them. As a result, the actual perpetrator remained unpunished while my father faced unjust allegations.

I grew up in group homes until I turned 18. My entire childhood was marked by trauma, mental health struggles, and heavy prescriptions of antidepressants, antipsychotics, and ADHD medication.

At 21, I had my first child. That’s when CPS began inserting themselves into my life again. False reports were constantly made by people angry with me, and CPS twisted every allegation. They would come to my house, demand to see my baby, and even force me to remove her diaper so they could inspect her. I didn’t know my rights, and I was terrified that if I refused, they would take my baby away.

By the time I gave birth to my second child at 29, I had already endured more than 30 CPS visits. Each time, I was threatened: “Talk to us, or we’ll take your kids.” When I was pregnant with my third child, a CPS worker made an illegal U-turn and T-boned my car. I sued and won damages, but that only seemed to intensify their harassment.

Homelessness, Struggles, and CPS Intrusion

Life pushed me into homelessness more than once. I lived in tents, broken-down cars, and shelters; always trying to shield my children from CPS while fighting to survive. When I reached out to the Victim Witness Program for help after a landlord harassed me, they called CPS because they overheard me yelling at my kids to stay out of the street.

That one phone call changed everything. CPS and police cornered me at a laundromat, kept me and my children in a patrol car for six hours, and lied to a judge to justify removing my kids. They claimed my 6-year-old said she hadn’t been to school in a week, when in reality it had been only three days. They accused me of drinking to cope with homelessness, despite never giving me a breathalyzer or drug test.

That night, CPS took my kids without a warrant or removal order. My daughters were forced to strip for invasive examinations before being placed in foster care. CPS told me I had to enter drug rehab, even though I had tested clean, if I ever wanted to see my kids again.

Desperate, I swallowed drugs to qualify for rehab so I could comply with their demands. I spent seven months in treatment while my daughters were physically abused in foster care; one nearly drowned when the foster mother held her head under bathwater, and another was shoved so hard she bruised her back. CPS ignored my reports of abuse and even tried to give my children to my ex-husband, a man with convictions for rape, sodomy, DUIs, and gun charges, despite a court order barring him from contact.

Fighting to Reunite

I eventually completed rehab, entered sober living, and regained custody. My daughters’ hair was falling out from neglect under foster care, and I had to slowly rebuild their trust. But life was unstable. Homelessness struck again, and my oldest daughter later called CPS on me over welfare money. Once again, CPS opened a case without evidence, without a warrant, and without a failed drug or alcohol test.

I was forced into another year of random drug testing. One slip—a vape I bought unknowingly laced with meth—resulted in more outpatient treatment. I completed the program, regained my children, and closed the case.

But the damage was done. My children were changed forever. One daughter became entangled with delinquent peers, turned violent at home, began stealing, and eventually got pregnant at 15. I believe with all my heart that if CPS had never taken my children, none of this would have happened.

The Bigger Picture

Through all of this, I’ve learned one truth: CPS is not about protecting children. They are tearing apart families already struggling, while leaving children in actual danger with abusers. They invaded my home without warrants, forced me into unnecessary programs, and endangered my children by placing them in abusive foster care.

No mother should be told she has to enter drug rehab for drinking a single legal beer. No child should be strip-searched without a warrant. No parent should be forced to comply with unconstitutional demands under threat of losing their children.

Today, I live with paranoia, mistrust, and trauma. I am overprotective not only of my children but also of my grandson. I will never fully heal from what CPS did to me and my family.

But I tell my story so the world knows: CPS is broken. Families deserve better. Children deserve better. We must demand change.