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East Texas Grandparents Say They Asked for a Welfare Check — Then Were Told They Could Be Arrested

By Ryan Nichols

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East Texas — They Asked for a Welfare Check, Now They Want Answers · RealRyanNichols.com

Lynn and Rhonda Tress say they are not looking for drama. They are looking for answers — about their granddaughter, their great-grandchild, a March 3 welfare check, and a criminal trespass warning they say they never received in writing.

An East Texas family says they tried to use the proper channel. They asked for a welfare check. Now they say they need answers about what happened next.

Lynn and Rhonda Tress say they are not asking for special treatment.

They are asking for answers.

They say their granddaughter, Halie Shaver, is living in or near Diana, Texas, with a man the family identifies as Kane Wood. They say a young child is in the home. They say the family has serious concerns about threats, isolation, the condition of the living situation — and, most of all, about how the relationship between their granddaughter and Kane Wood began.

And they say that when they tried to get help by requesting a welfare check, the situation somehow turned around on them.

According to Rhonda Tress, after law enforcement responded to the residence on or around March 3, she and Lynn were told that a "CT card" — a criminal trespass warning — had been placed against them.

Rhonda says they were told they could not return to the property, could not contact their granddaughter, could not go to her workplace, and could not even request another welfare check without risking being accused of harassment or arrested.

The family says they received no paperwork. No written warning. No report number. No copy of the alleged CT card. No clear explanation of what they were legally prohibited from doing.

That is why this story matters.

They asked for a welfare check. Now they say they need answers about why they were warned they could be arrested.

This is not about declaring anyone guilty. This is not about sending a mob to anyone's door. This is not about harassing a young woman or her household.

This is about a family asking one basic question: what happened during the March 3 welfare check — and why were these grandparents allegedly told they could be arrested for trying to make sure their granddaughter and great-grandchild were safe?

The family's concern

Lynn and Rhonda say their concern has grown over time.

They say Halie became increasingly isolated from her family. They say communication changed. They say her phone number was changed or became unreachable. They say relatives who once had contact with her no longer do.

They also say Kane Wood has allegedly made threats toward members of Halie's family, including Halie's sister, Halie's mother, and another young family member.

The family also reports an alleged FaceTime incident involving a firearm and a threatening statement.

These allegations have not been independently confirmed by RealRyanNichols.com. They are reported here as allegations made by the family, and as part of the family's request for law enforcement transparency.

A young child is involved

The most urgent part of this story is not adult family conflict.

It is the child.

The family says Halie has a young child in the home — a child they say will turn two this October. They say they are concerned about the condition of the house, the alleged threats, and whether the child is safe.

Rhonda Tress with her great-grandchild

Rhonda with the great-grandchild at the heart of this story. The child's face is blurred to protect their identity.

Lynn Tress holding the baby the family says they have been cut off from

Lynn with the baby. The child's face is blurred to protect their identity.

When a young child is involved, families should not be left guessing.

When a young child is involved, the records should be clear.

If law enforcement responded and verified that everyone was safe, the records should show that. If there were concerns, the records should show that too. If a criminal trespass warning was issued, the records should show who requested it, what address it applied to, and what it actually prohibited.

The concern the family says matters most: how the relationship began

This is the part the family says weighs on them the most — and it is the part we are handling with the most care.

The grandparents say they believe their granddaughter was about 16 years old when her relationship with Kane Wood began, and when she became pregnant with the child she is raising now. They say Kane Wood was already an adult at that time. They say the relationship was allowed to continue under the roof of an adult who, they say, was aware of it.

RealRyanNichols.com has not independently verified anyone's age, and is making no claim that a crime took place. The dates of birth that would actually answer this — the granddaughter's, Kane Wood's, and the child's — have not been confirmed against records. Those records are the only thing that can settle it.

Here is the family's point. In Texas, the age of consent is 17. The law treats sexual activity with someone younger than 17 very differently from a relationship between two adults, and its close-in-age allowance applies only when the older person is within three years of the younger one. The family says that if the timeline they believe to be true holds up against the records, that is not a question anyone should wave off — it is a question for law enforcement and prosecutors to examine, with the actual documents in front of them.

So we want to be precise about what this is and is not:

  • This is not a statement that Kane Wood — or anyone else — committed a crime.
  • No one named in this article has been charged in connection with these claims.
  • These are the family's stated concerns and their understanding of the timeline, reported as allegations and as the reason they are seeking answers.
  • Because the family believes a young person may have been a minor when this began, RealRyanNichols.com is deliberately limiting the detail it publishes about her.

What the family is asking for is not a verdict. It is for someone with subpoena power and the real birth records to look at the timeline they describe — and determine whether something was missed.

The March 3 welfare check

According to Rhonda, the welfare check happened on or around March 3.

She says she later contacted the sheriff's office to request records. She says she was told the request could take more than a week, and that the agency would send what it could release.

Rhonda also says the person she spoke with began reading from the notes related to the March 3 response — then stopped, and allegedly said he did not want to read all of it because it would "hurt your feelings."

If accurate, that statement raises serious questions.

What was in the notes? Was Halie seen? Was the child seen? Were they spoken to separately? Were any threats documented? Was the condition of the home documented? Was any child-safety concern referred to the proper agency? Was a criminal trespass warning actually issued? Who requested it? What authority did that person have? What did the warning actually say?

The family should not have to guess.

The CT-card question

The criminal trespass warning — the "CT card" — is now one of the central issues.

The family says they were told they could be arrested if they returned to the residence. But they also say they were told they could not contact Halie at all, could not go to her workplace, and could not request another welfare check.

That distinction matters.

If a CT card exists, what does it actually say?

A criminal trespass warning is typically tied to property access. If the family was also told they could not make contact, could not ask for another welfare check, or could be arrested for seeking help, then the public deserves to know what legal authority was being used — and what was actually entered into the record.

The family is asking for the public portions of the record. Not rumors. Not excuses. Not vague explanations. The record.


What we know

  • Lynn and Rhonda Tress are the grandparents and great-grandparents raising these concerns.
  • Their granddaughter is Halie Shaver.
  • The family identifies the man involved as Kane Wood.
  • The family says a young child is living in the home.
  • The family says they believe the relationship began when their granddaughter was a minor — a concern they want authorities to examine against records.
  • The family says they requested a welfare check on or around March 3.
  • The family says they were later told a CT card / criminal trespass warning had been placed against them.
  • The family says they received nothing in writing.
  • The family says they have requested records.
  • The family says law enforcement has notes from the March 3 response.
  • The family says they want transparency and confirmation that child-safety concerns were properly handled.

What we do not know yet

  • The verified dates of birth of those involved — the only way to assess the family's concern about whether the relationship began when their granddaughter was a minor.
  • What the March 3 welfare-check notes actually say.
  • Whether body-camera or dash-camera footage exists.
  • Whether Halie was interviewed separately.
  • Whether the child was physically seen and assessed.
  • Whether a CT card was formally entered.
  • Who requested the CT card.
  • What property the CT card applied to.
  • Whether the family was legally prohibited from contact, or only warned not to enter a specific property.
  • Whether any threats were previously reported or documented.
  • Whether any child-safety referral was made.
  • What law enforcement did or did not verify.

What the family is asking for

  1. The public portions of the March 3 welfare-check report.
  2. CAD notes and dispatch records.
  3. The responding deputy's name.
  4. Any body-camera or dash-camera footage, if it exists.
  5. The criminal trespass warning / CT-card record.
  6. The name of the person who requested the trespass warning.
  7. The address or property covered by the warning.
  8. Clarification on whether the warning was property-only, or a broader no-contact instruction.
  9. Confirmation that the child was seen and that child-safety concerns were reviewed.
  10. That law enforcement — using the actual birth records — examine the family's concern that the relationship may have begun when their granddaughter was a minor.
  11. A clear explanation of what Lynn and Rhonda are legally allowed and not allowed to do.

This is not a call for harassment

This article is not a call for anyone to harass, threaten, contact, follow, visit, confront, or intimidate anyone involved.

Do not go to anyone's home. Do not contact Halie. Do not contact Kane. Do not contact the child's household. Do not show up at a workplace. Do not make threats. Do not spread claims as fact that have not been verified.

The purpose of this article is transparency.

If you have firsthand information, documents, screenshots, public records, or direct knowledge relevant to the March 3 welfare check, the CT card, the alleged threats, or the safety of the child, contact RealRyanNichols.com.

Why this story deserves attention

When a family asks for a welfare check, the response should not leave them more confused than before.

When a young child is involved, the records should be clear.

When grandparents are told they can be arrested, they deserve paperwork.

When a criminal trespass warning is used, the family deserves to know what it says, who requested it, and what property it applies to.

And when a sheriff's office has notes apparently serious enough that someone says reading them might "hurt your feelings," the public deserves to know whether those notes were properly documented, preserved, and handled.


A timeline of what the family describes

  • The relationship begins. The family says their granddaughter was about 16 when her relationship with Kane Wood began — an age and timeline they want authorities to verify against records.
  • Before March 3 — growing distance. The family says Halie became increasingly isolated, with changed or unreachable contact information.
  • Before March 3 — alleged threats. Relatives say they reported threats allegedly involving Kane Wood, including an alleged FaceTime incident with a firearm.
  • On or around March 3 — the welfare check. The family says law enforcement responded to the residence.
  • After March 3 — the CT card. The family says they were told a criminal trespass warning had been placed against them, and that they could be arrested for returning, making contact, or requesting another check.
  • After March 3 — the records request. Rhonda says she asked the sheriff's office for records and was told it could take more than a week.
  • Now — waiting. The family says they still have no paperwork, and they are asking for the records.

This timeline reflects the family's account. It will be updated as official records become available.

Where the evidence stands

  • Family statements: Received.
  • Photographs: Received; not all published — and none that would identify the child.
  • Ages / dates of birth: Not yet verified against records.
  • Welfare-check records: Requested / pending.
  • CT-card paperwork: Not yet received.
  • Body-camera / dash-camera: Unknown.
  • Threat evidence: Witness statements and screenshots being gathered.
  • Child-safety verification: Unknown, pending records.
  • Court / criminal records: Under review.

What the family is not saying

The family is not asking the public to decide guilt. They are asking for the public record.

Lynn and Rhonda Tress are not asking the public to decide guilt.

They are asking the public to understand why they want answers.

They asked for a welfare check. They say they were warned to stay away. They say they received nothing in writing. They say a young child is still in the middle of this.

And now they want the records.

RealRyanNichols.com will continue following this story and will update this article as documents, records, and responses become available.

If the records show the family misunderstood something, that will be reported. If the records show law enforcement acted properly, that will be reported. If the records show something was mishandled, that will be reported too.

The only agenda here is the truth.


Do you have firsthand information?

If you have firsthand knowledge, screenshots, public records, court records, police records, or direct information about this case, send it to RealRyanNichols.com here.

Please do not send rumors. Please do not send threats. Please do not contact the family or anyone named in this article. Send documents, dates, screenshots, and facts.

Help this family get answers

Share this article if you believe families deserve clear records, transparent welfare checks, and written answers when law enforcement tells grandparents they could be arrested.


Editor's note: This article is based on family statements, screenshots, photographs, and case materials provided to RealRyanNichols.com. Nothing in this article asserts that any person has committed a crime, and no one named here has been charged in connection with these claims. Ages and timelines described by the family have not been independently verified and are presented as the family's account. Allegations are reported as allegations unless independently verified. This is an evolving story; it will be updated as official records, responses, or corrections become available.

Corrections: If any person or agency named in this article believes information is inaccurate or incomplete, contact RealRyanNichols.com with documentation. Verified corrections or official responses will be reviewed and added.

Agency response: RealRyanNichols.com will publish or summarize any official response received from the relevant law enforcement agency, subject to verification and relevance.

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