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Growing up I guess I had as many
opportunities as any other person in The Grove. Maybe even
a few more. But I made some bad choices that landed me in prison in
1982 (at age 16) for burglary of a habitation, picking up a few other
charges while being held in jail. I was paroled later, but was back in
1986, again for burglary of a habitation.
Paroled on March 26 1990, I had two very good reasons to live right:
Rose and Christi, my wife and daughter. It wasn't always easy, but I
didn't break any laws to provide them with the best life possible.
On June 25, 1992, I was placed on Annual Report... something not
easy to come by, and is no longer given. I went back to work for
Granite Construction and relocated to Fairfield. It was while living
there that I was stopped for speeding, given a breath test,
and found to be over the limit. Even though this same DPS officer
had released two people earlier that evening for the same offenses
-- and one of them a minor -- I was the one taken to jail and
charged with a Class B Misdemeanor DWI on October 23, 1999. This is
not said to deny responsibility for my actions, but to show
that injustice in Texas thrives on all levels.
Part of the terms of my parole was total abstinence from alcohol,
and to report, in writing, an arrest within five days. I thought
that part of the
signed paperwork
in connection with my probation
was notification to TDCJ and thought nothing further about it.
On May 26, 2000, I was sentenced to 15 months probation, 40 hours of
community service, ordered to complete a DWI Education Course, and
to pay fines and court costs, in addition to monthly probation fees.
I successfully completed my probation on August 25, 2001. In the two
months before that time, we had moved back to the Lubbock area, and
I was allowed to submit written reports instead of transferring my
file to Lubbock County. In November 2001 the Lubbock Parole Office
called me to come in to discuss the
situation. Once explained, they were going to recommend I remain on parole and
switched to monthly reporting. I was told to call back on the 16th
to see what the Austin board had to say.
When I did, I was told they had decided to issue a warrant for my
arrest. Though I was ready then to turn myself in, they told me
to wait until after Thanksgiving, then to get this cleared up so I
could probably be home by Christmas.
So on November 26, 2001, I surrendered myself to the parole office and was
locked up in the Lubbock County Jail. A local hearing was held
on December 7 at which my wife and boss testified on my behalf. My boss also
supplied
several letters of support
written by high level employees of Granite. The Field Officer and
Hearing Officer's
report
recommended
Intermediate Sanction Facility and then be returned to monthly
reporting. (A fully-secured facility used for
short-term incarceration of offenders who violate the conditions of
their community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. ISFs
are operated by CSCDs for community supervision offenders and by the
Parole Division for parolees and mandatory supervision offenders.*TDCJ
website)
On Dec 28, I was notified the
Board voted
on Dec 20 to fully revoke my parole.
After 11 years and 8 months I was to be returned to the prison
system even though there were currently inmates in the jail who have
tested dirty for crack, cocaine, or marijuana, yet they were getting ISF or drug
rehab for the third, fourth, or fifth times.
I have never denied that I was in the wrong, but this is
about TDCJ's misapplication of the law to my situation. For almost 12 years I
had worked very hard to move into a respected position within my
company. I held a great deal of responsibility, was able to
contribute to the various communities I have lived in, and to care
for my family, even seeing my wife through treatments for early
stages of ovarian cancer. I was dealt with unfairly, and overly
harsh with the full revocation, and even more so as we fought to get
that 11 years and 8 months rightfully returned to me.
After all these years of working to better myself, to provide for
us, we lost nearly everything with a few strokes of the pen. Rose
had to move in with her folks for a time -- God bless them for being there
through that! -- and go back to working full time when she should be
taking it easy and enjoying time with the grandbabies.
I did my time at three different units starting with Middleton in
Abilene, then Ft Stockton (a 225-mile trip one way
which she drove every weekend), and finally received a
hardship transfer that moved me to Preston Smith Unit in Lamesa, Texas. That
was a much better trip; only about 70 miles from Lubbock. We owe a great deal of thanks to State Representative Delwin Jones for getting me moved closer,
and for the letters of support he has written on my behalf to the
BPP.
I thank God I have the most wonderfully strong and supportive wife a
man could ever hope to have. She has stood by me for the past 17
years, 5 of which I was imprisoned due to this revocation. During
that time we
have missed sharing a lot of memories ~ landmark birthdays and
anniversaries, holidays, as well as missed business opportunities.
All a needless waste of time. I truly do not know what I would do
without my wife's support and love. She is definitely my
North Star!
Our mission at that time was two-fold:
One: to return the 11 years and 8 months street
time as legislated through House Bill 1649.
Two: award bonus for overcrowding through the
Prison Management Act. |
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