Tuesday, February 11, 2025
HomeHarris CountyConstable Hayden's Heart Grew Three Sizes That Day!

Constable Hayden’s Heart Grew Three Sizes That Day!

A young man with special needs was a dignitary in Precinct 4, thanks to the man some of us just call “Rowdy”

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX- Constable Kenneth “Rowdy” Hayden has always been known for his outgoing personality, and some might say “he never meets a stranger.” The Constable is also known for his generosity, and we at MCPR can tell you, he gets more sentimental at Christmas, (whether he wants to admit it or not)!  A few weeks ago, the Constable attended a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert, where he met and befriended a special young man named Jalen. Their chance meeting set things in motion that led to Constable Hayden taking time from his extremely busy schedule to arrange and participate in a day Jalen and quite a few area first responders will never forget.

Craig Austin, Jalen’s father, said “from a very young age Jalen has had an obsession with police cars and police officers”. Austin said his son learned about them using Google and watching videos on YouTube.

“He actually brings them up on the TV and he can name every police car into the 1970’s, so we’re very proud of him,” he said. “He’s blessed our hearts, and that’s really all I can say about him – He loves police, he loves fire, and he loves ambulances.”

“If he wasn’t autistic, he probably would be a police officer,” Austin said.

The 22-year-old emergency vehicle enthusiast definitely made an impression on Constable Hayden.

“He touched my heart, and I found out he had an obsession for police cars and that just made it that much better for me and we were happy to get him up here today and let him go through some cars,” Constable Hayden said.

The Constable rallied law enforcement from agencies far and wide for Jalen this week, and firefighters too! He also connected Jalen and his family with New Horizons in New Caney. That may not impress Jalen as much as all the emergency vehicles, but it may provide him with useful employment and social skills that people with challenges rarely know about or manage to access.

Jalen was treated to seeing and exploring patrol vehicles and firetrucks that gathered in the open field beside the East County Annex that’s home to Constable Hayden’s Office, as well as offices for DPS and the Sheriff’s Office District 3. Those agencies were represented, as well as Roman Forest Police Department, Splendora Police Department, the Precinct 5 Constable’s Office, Splendora ISD Police, Humble Police Department, Porter Fire Department, and the East Montgomery County Fire Department.

Amazingly, he knew the proper names for every vehicle and accessory. Jalen also knew how they operated, and had memorized radio transmissions and live feed incident audio. Jalen won the hearts of even more law enforcement than Constable Hayden as he began an impromptu reenactment of a raid he’d witnessed on video, correctly reciting the dialogue of the officers and the suspect as he physically responded as the suspect had. Presumably, that was because the video was from the officer’s body cam, which is one of many emergency responder tools Jalen recognizes and knows more about than most who are paid to use them daily. Jalen went so far as to raise his hands in the air and eventually drop to his knees, placing his hands behind his back, while he pretended to be a suspect who was claiming to only have been drinking water to an officer who clearly thought otherwise. His display was so accurate, he had everyone’s full attention and many jaws literally dropped in shock! Jalen impressed everyone, and various agencies gave Jalen more than the incredible memory of feeling like the most important guy around. They gave him patches, challenge coins, and other memorabilia with their agency logos. Listening to his dad, the new items will fit well with the décor in Jalen’s bedroom, where walls are adorned with Texas and American flags, and shelves are covered in miniature models of emergency vehicles.

Jalen was happy and grateful for the opportunity to see the emergency vehicles and meet all the first responders who turned out to meet and show him their equipment. He said he’d been obsessed with law enforcement for many years and mentioned his dad’s favorite movie was “Smokey and the Bandit”. He also knew exactly what make and model patrol car Jackie Gleason’s character drove in the film, as he pursued Burt Reynolds.

Constable Hayden said he hoped the gathering would not only be thrilling for Jalen, but help to bring attention to New Horizons, which the Constable proudly said is based in East Montgomery County. The New Horizons Program helps people like Jalen.

Darbie Lindsey, Executive Director of New Caney New Horizons, was also on hand for the gathering and she explained for those who haven’t heard.

New Horizons is a vocational training program for teens and adults with intellectual disabilities, based right here in Montgomery County, but we serve from Liberty all the way up to Harris County,” Lindsey said.

New Horizons accepts applicants 16 years and older, with no maximum age, Lindsey said. The New Horizons Program is vocational-based training. They operate a resale shop, where patrons learn and gain experience with skills including pricing, customer service, stocking, stock rotation, etc. They also have a retail training environment, meal prep training, independent skills training and much more. New Horizons is truly on the job training – they get paid! They earn wages as they acquire valuable life skills. Whether Jalen remains working with New Horizons or takes the skills he acquires there and finds employment elsewhere, like many before him.

Neither the event, nor Constable Hayden connecting Jalen with New Horizons are in any way an official function of his Office. It’s not the first time he’s gone above and beyond to help make someone’s life better. Not all of the stories could, or should, be made public by the media, but East County residents know – That’s probably why he remains so popular and continues to be re-elected.

Editor’s note: Reading the typed words can’t possibly compare to the video. Do yourself a favor and watch it! You’ll be glad you did!

Merry Christmas from MCPR, in Montgomery County, Texas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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