Families of SOs Community Group
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I was thinking yesterday. Where would my son be if I wasn't able to get out of Floriduh and move to PA.
I don't know. Where would he be living. I know of a real crappy hotel in Daytona Beach where there are a couple other SOs. It was across the street from my shop. I had to move around a bit after he was put in prison. I moved my shop every year trying to relocate so I could be near him and the last year I went back to Daytona because I knew the area. I lived in my shop for almost 2 years. The cops there were so bad they would follow me around the block when I took my dogs for a walk. I would stop and they would stop.. like I was doing something bad. I had to move to the hotel across the street. For $200/month I lived in a 1 room where my neighbor was a family with 3 kids living in 1 room and prostitutes and druggies.
That was an option for my son.
Or , if I was lucky I could find him something out in the country but then he would be so isolated that he would literally rot away in the home, no job, no life.
The cops in Floriduh are so bad . They used to harass my son and his friends as he was growing up in a middle class neighborhood. The kids would go out at 5 a.m. skateboarding around the neighborhood and the cops would give them a hard time. Or they'd be sitting in their car waiting for a friend and a cop would pull up behind and go to their car looking for anything to scare them. That's why my son 'confessed' when they brought him to their squad car... he lied to make them go away, just like he did his whole life.
Even tho my son has to deal with supervised release, and 15 years on the registry (at least it's not lifetime) I'm glad I took that chance and we're here in Philly.
I can't image the nightmare of Floriduh if we were stuck there. My heart goes out to others who are.
I don't know. Where would he be living. I know of a real crappy hotel in Daytona Beach where there are a couple other SOs. It was across the street from my shop. I had to move around a bit after he was put in prison. I moved my shop every year trying to relocate so I could be near him and the last year I went back to Daytona because I knew the area. I lived in my shop for almost 2 years. The cops there were so bad they would follow me around the block when I took my dogs for a walk. I would stop and they would stop.. like I was doing something bad. I had to move to the hotel across the street. For $200/month I lived in a 1 room where my neighbor was a family with 3 kids living in 1 room and prostitutes and druggies.
That was an option for my son.
Or , if I was lucky I could find him something out in the country but then he would be so isolated that he would literally rot away in the home, no job, no life.
The cops in Floriduh are so bad . They used to harass my son and his friends as he was growing up in a middle class neighborhood. The kids would go out at 5 a.m. skateboarding around the neighborhood and the cops would give them a hard time. Or they'd be sitting in their car waiting for a friend and a cop would pull up behind and go to their car looking for anything to scare them. That's why my son 'confessed' when they brought him to their squad car... he lied to make them go away, just like he did his whole life.
Even tho my son has to deal with supervised release, and 15 years on the registry (at least it's not lifetime) I'm glad I took that chance and we're here in Philly.
I can't image the nightmare of Floriduh if we were stuck there. My heart goes out to others who are.
So much more to the story but I don't have time now to write it (Dr. appointments)..anyway it is wonderful to finally have a place where I can vent with people who understand. I'll get back for more of the story when I get home.
The step-father came home one night and found the 2 of them on the couch snuggling under a blanket, watching TV. He changed his clothes and then the family (including the girl) left to go school clothes shopping. My son went to sleep on the couch. On the way home from shopping the step-father pulled off the road and stopped the car. He asked the girl what was going on with my son and her, and if she didn't tell him the car was not moving. (Her sister had already been removed from the home because of this mans temper.) She was scared! Finally she admitted that they had been "making out." She did not admit her role in it all, and that on one occasion she had even come home from school with a pink condom and dangled it before him, saying "now we can do it." (Whether they did or not I don't know, but there was no DNA evidence at his trial.
When they got home, the girl was ordered to her bedroom and my sleeping son awoke to most brutal attack he ever suffered. The man and his son beat my son so badly that he suffered permanent hearing loss in one ear, and his eyes were swollen shut (in the mug shot). They then called the police. The arresting officer told my son that "if he did not confess, he would see to it that things would be made very hard for him. " My son said nothing. He arrested my son and took him to Marion County Jail. The judge set his bond at $150,000. Marion Cnty jail is a scarey place! While my son was there, on average at minimum some inmate died of mysterious circumstances every 2 month. My son got public defender about 3 months into his stay, and she was able to get his bond reduced to the level where we could bail him out. The defender was given all the details and urged my son to plead guilty . She didn't tell him by ding so he would forfeit all rights to appeal, from here out. He was sentenced to yr. at the jail and 3 yrs probation. Had it been a yr and one day he would have gone to prison.
My son came home to live at my house. And successfully served 2 1/2 yrs of probation, during which time he spent over 80 hours digging neighbor out from under trees and mending roofs that had been damaged when a hurricane came through., he also pulled a man from a burning car, and took a young woman with MS to the hospital a few times because she could not afford an ambulance.
Well, his PO changed and he now had a woman who was out to prove something. She made him sign a piece of paper saying that he would pay all his fines by the end of the week. If he didn't sign, she said she would violate him on the spot. (The terms of his probation clearly said he would have them paid before he was released from probation. He was unable to pay so she violated him.
He went back before the same Judge, with a different public defender. ( the one he had had left her office 2 wks after his court appearance, to go to work for Dept of Families and children-anyone else see a conflict of interest?) The judge was the same one who let a school teacher walk with worse charges than my son (because she was "too pretty to go to jail") The case made national papers. My son was sentenced to 10yrs prison time and 6 yrs. probation.
He is set to be released from prison a week from this Fri. He has served his time without 1 write up. Earned his Masters in religion (with the hopes of ministry in jails and to young men in churches. He would would have earned his journeyman's license in air conditioning if we could have afforded to pay for it. When in prison down here, its not so much the offender, but family members that suffer. The offenders make a life in prison but families must pay for phone calls, stamps, clothing and more.
While he was in prison the city where he had lived since he was 3, changed the requirements they put on SO's. We didn't find out until 2 wks before his release date that he couldn't come home. They would not allow him to be "grandfathered in, so he could live with his family. There was no public vote for these new rules, it was simply a group of uneducated City commissioners (which is not right) It is now illegal for my son to live less than 2500 ft. from school, park, playground or daycare. Or within 500 ft. of another SO. Good luck on meeting those requirements!!!!
While he has a job he has no where to live. This area of FL has a LOT of 55+ subdivisions and RV parks. After calling 13 realtors (who said they would call back but never did after learning his SO status), making over 100 phone calls to churches, the chief of police, and the sheriffs dept,State Representative, Ste Senator, we still came up empty. We finally found 1 RV park that would take him, so went out a bought him the cheapest 5th wheel camper we could find. His PO reported that it was unacceptable because it was 20 ft to close to another SO on the other side of the fence. We finally found a place that the PO recommended . The manager was "willing to give it a try." We put a deposit on the spot, and set a date for the 5th wheel to be set up. The day before that date he called to say that "he had talked to the property owner who had said ABSOLUTELY NO!!!) So now we have a 5th wheel without any use and no place to park it. I asked the PO what was my son to do with his release date looming so close. He gave me 2 choices. Some seedy motel, with bedbugs and roaches, as well as open drug deals in the parking lot, for $295 a week.....or else he can sleep in the woods." I said to him "This whole thing is set up for them to fail, isn't it. he replied "Unfortunately it is."
I have 9days to find my son somewhere to live or the prison has said they will be sending him back to Marion Co lockup to live until we can find something. I AM DESPERATE!!!!!
http://www.dailystrength.org/people/516690 Oncefallen and he can give you Cary's #.
I did get a new lead with a phone# for Fl. Dept of corrections, they have an office of inmate release. Waiting for her to return my call.
Nakohichi I understand about giving out #s..thanks anyway
I put months into going to these meetings. FYI you could go to the local ACLU meetings. There should be one near you. These people know each other and if you could spend some time, let them know you want to support them.. maybe you can get something started where you are.
It took me about 6 months before they opened up to my issues and were willing to put their time into it.
My son was on SO probation at the time. He wasn't accused of kidnapping, assault on a little boy or anything else connected to the case. Because my home is locate probably less than3 miles from where that supposedly happened, my son as a SO suddenly became one of many "persons of interest". Sheriff. Dept. (3 women) showed up at my house the night it was reported, and began pounding on our front door.It was before curfew time so my son was not home) They identified themselves and said because of son's status they needed to search our house. We didn't have any problem with it, so we let them come in. These 3 women then proceeded to ransack our home . The went through my kitchen cupboards & drawers (right-Trentons hidden there) they pulled back the bed clothes on well made beds (where they could easily tell just by looking that no one was under there), and they looked under our couches (I guess dust bunnies count for evidence) Then they left with not so much as a goodbye. They did not however check the shed on our property, a small covered boat, or a screened in area behind the house that has a pool. Harassment plain and simple!! Welcome to FL
If they didn't you have the right to not open the door or letting them in. Once you open the door it's really hard to close it. But they must have a warrant. They would also have to get permission from you to open closets and drawers, especially if it's in your personal space , like your bedroom.
I have security cameras going up at my son's house. Our lawyer said it was a good idea. They're purchased and I'm just waiting to have them installed.