Sentencing was yesterday. Since SS22 asked me to be there, I took the morning off and attended. BM was absent- she can not step into a courroom due to her own warrant- and her hiding from the law. SO told me that SS asked that I address the court on behalf of SS22 - say what I do, that "I know this kid," and that he has a great support system. That's right- he gave mea a script and asked daddy to make me stand and deliver. I told SO that I did not want to give my name or associate any of this with my job. He seemed annoyed. Oh well. I can not represent my employer (the government) when I am dealing with personal matters. 

So the prosecutor went off on him, and we all learned some new information. For instance, he had 10 missed and a positive UA while out on bond.  And most of the time, he was not even calling in to see if he was supposed to drop. Then- it comes time to speak on his behalf, and SO got up and told the court what a sweet, empathic "child" he has, and that he would "dedicate his life" to making sure he did the right thing. An old teacher showed up adn spoke on his behalf. Saying he was intelligent and had a good heart.  That was it - Even his brothers and grandparents did not speak. They just sat there and cried. 

Then it was time for SS22 to speak on his own behalf to the judge. After he listened to the DA tell the court he pled guilty to a mandatory minimum sentence crime- because he admitted  to threatening a guy with a gun after stealing his stuff. SS22 said eh was "speechless" and "shocked." The judge looked confised... "Why are you shocked?" she asked. "Because we are talking about my life, and you're talking about taking a lot of it away."  Then he said he has an addiciton, and he picked up something he couldn't put down, And he wants help. and she was not impressed. "What attempts have you made to get treatment?" she asked. He told her he completed the 12 DUI classes he was ordered t o do when he was 17 and slammed drunk into another car, putting a man into a coma. He admitted he has sought no treatment since then. The judge pointed out that he was Medicaid elligible. And he has done nothing. 

, See- here is a young man who had a previous felony from ruining someone's life ,violated his probation by getting on heroin and running around robbing people and selling stolen stuff to pawn shops, then violated his bond over and over by not doing UAs, testing positive and picking up new charges. And then he gets up in front of a judge looking genuiinely surprised that he is being sentenced to the Dept. of Corrections. Actually had the nerve to tell the judge he was "shocked."  This did not go over well. 

So he was given 6 years of prison. Which SO thinks will end up being closer to 3. When we walked out of the court room, his middle son (24) said twice that he wanted to "Jump the judge in the parking lot." And his oldest son (26) said he hoped the DA "shoots herself." SS24 thought SS22 got a 12-year sentence because he apparently doesn't know what it means when sentences run concurrenlty. "They don;t explain anything so you can understand!!!"  What are these people?? Hillbillies? Street trash? Of course the DA is not gonna kill herself. She probbaly has a very nice life. And real smart to threaten to jump a judge while you are standing in a courthouse. So weird. 

I worked on consoling SO's mother. Just hugged her and held her and told her i was sorry. (BMs parents showed up, sat on the prosecutor's side and said nothing to anyone- apparently they hate everyone including their own daughter). When we were out in the parking lot, SO said, "Apparently, SS22 was not being as responsible as he was telling us. You can't help someone who won't help themselves." WHAT? Insight?? I was proud of him.