03/16/2026
Placement options with appropriate behavior management are almost non existent. It’s not just Texas, it’s a nationwide problem. Aging caregivers with lack of in-home support lead to unnecessary tragedies.
👉Fort Worth, Texas - A Tarrant County mother is speaking out after her 26-year-old son, who she says has the mental capacity of a young child, has been sitting in jail for months.
Christy Bridgman says her son, Shawn Fraraccio, has the mindset of a 6- to 8-year-old and does not fully understand he is in jail. According to her, he believes he is at JPS Hospital, not the Tarrant County Jail, where he has been held since December 2024.
Officials say Fraraccio was first arrested Dec. 14 by Azle Police for assault causing bodily injury to a family member and released the same day. He was arrested again on Dec. 18 and has remained in custody since then on a charge of continuous violence against the family.
Bridgman says the incidents happened during behavioral meltdowns, one of which led a neighbor to call police, while the second occurred after she contacted a crisis line seeking help to calm him down.
The sheriff’s office confirmed Fraraccio has been ruled incompetent to stand trial, which pauses the criminal case. Because of that ruling, he cannot bond out and must remain in custody until a bed becomes available at a State Supported Living Center (SSLC).
Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn acknowledged Fraraccio has lost weight — dropping from about 200 pounds to 165 pounds since entering jail — but said he receives three meals a day, sometimes double portions, and even snacks like Cheetos, one of his favorites.
Waybourn also agreed that jail is not the right place for someone with Fraraccio’s level of intellectual disability, but said there was no appropriate placement available at the time.
Bridgman says her son has been treated by My Health My Resources (MHMR) of Tarrant County since childhood, and she believes he — and others with similar disabilities — should be placed in mental health facilities instead of jail.
Now she says she is determined to get her only child out of jail while he waits for a placement at a state facility.
Do you think people with severe intellectual disabilities should ever be held in jail, or should they be placed in mental health facilities instead?
