Eighty-five-year-old Reta Cook can't get around without the help of her family and a wheelchair but she says she doesn't need Santa Clara County's help with anything.
"I really don't know why they would want to take over my life," Cook says.
In Spring 2008, the Santa Clara County Public Guardian planned to conserve Cook, taking over her financial decisions. It was concerned about how cook was spending her money, including taking a large loan out on her home with hopes of fixing it up and selling it, purchasing cars for her grandsons and a RV for her daughter. Cook also tried getting one of her grandkids into the music business by investing in a hip-hop artist.
"I think that's my right; to spend my money on what I want to spend it on. I had enough. I knew what I was doing," she told the ABC7 News I-Team.
After Cook's primary doctor diagnosed her with dementia, the County also petitioned to take control of Cook's healthcare.
But Cook had one problem with that.
"I wasn't demented at all," she says.
She tells us that's when she decided to get out of Santa Clara County.
"I called my daughter and we immediately made the decision to leave. We had to do something," according to Cook.
Full Article, Video and Source:
Woman Hiding From Bay Area County
See Also:
Reta Cook Pleads Mercy - I do not have dementia!"
Tentative Rulings
Superior Court Supplemental Filing