frank lucas

Thu, Oct 28, 2010 : 11:48 p.m.

i hope he gets that money and gets out on bond.

John Fontaine

Thu, Sep 23, 2010 : 4:28 a.m.

I had the opportunity to spend 48 hours with this man in the medical unit, as well as engaging in a lengthy conversation prior to appearing in front of the magistrate. This man has no prior convictions. He's never been in any trouble in his life, i checked his record shortly after i bonded out. It's not like me to check someone out as far as their criminal background,but this gentleman had a profound impact on me. My first inclination that this man had had no previous encounters with the law was that he spoke openly about his case. Not only to me, but to other inmates. If any of you know about Jail ettiquette, it is one of the cardinal rules amongst inmates not to divulge any information about your case. ESPECIALLY when it is such a high profile case. There are hundreds of inmates in WCJ just dying for any piece of information to take to authorities in hope for extra priveleges, or a time cut. and this DOES happen. I promptly informed this gentleman that he may consider keeping this information to himself from this point forward. This is not a violent man. He does not have a violent, or criminal past. Given my education in social work, my research, as well as my personal experience in the social work field, my many hours of voluntary work with people suffering from mental illness through Easter Seals and Goodwill Industries where my father has been employed for most of his life, i don't see a violent criminal. He spent 2 weeks in C-Block (maximum security 23 hour lockdown) with no violent outbursts, no behavioral problems, no displays of insolence or even the slightest disrespect to officers or other inmates. This man is scared and i spent a lot of time watching him from my side of C block. ALmost every time i witnessed him, he was in prayer. dosile. I could tell that he had completely surrendered to Gods will for him, whatever it may be. This man gave me hope in my time of desperation. We were sitting in line to see the magisrate. Many of us were pleading with our higher powers. Not for our higher powers will to be done. We were praying selfishly. the majority of us were bargaining "lord if you get me out of this i will never do it again." I've heard it a million times. Personally, from experience, i know that the only way to pray is to express gratitude, count it all joy when experiencing various trials, because the Lord has a plan. He would never lead me astray as long as i have my faith in him. and he will bless me with the strength to endure and trial or tribulation placed before me. SO.....while i'm praying in this way, i overhear this man, the alleged bank robber. He is not asking the Lord for anything. He is worshipping the Lord. Thanking him repeatedly. He kept kissing his hands, holding them in the air and saying "thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord. I love you." Not only prior to his appearance in front of the magistrate, but even after being given a 500,000 bond. While i understood his logic, many other inmates did not. I recall one young man saying "what the fuck is you talkin about "thank you Jesus" you just got a half a million dollar bond. You're not gonna see the light of day for months, and you ain't gonna see the free world for years. The suspect responded simply. "I'm alive, aren't I?" Those were the last words said in the waiting room for at least 30 minutes. I think that this mans surrender, acceptance, faith, hope, and strenth through the Lord sustained him throughout and ordeal that most men would have panicked, become pessimistic, hopeless, resentful, negative, violent and ungrateful. This man needs help with his mental illness. He is a good man. I spent 3 years in prison. I kept my head down in books, played guitar, worked out, wrote journals, letters, a book, attended AA meetings, NA meetings, church, An Assaultive Offenders Program, MPRI, and a substance abuse class. I aslo took classes in carpentry, horticulture, and dedicated a signifigant amount of my day to reading and interpereting my daily devotionals, spending time with God, and developing an intimate relationship with him/her. In retrospect i am grateful for the opportunity i had to re evaluate my life, my motives, my beliefs, my morals, my relationships. Eventually, after about 20 months, i became open to meeting other inmates. I had spent a lot of time alone, wandering the yards and the units, and i already had a few people in mind that i felt i could relate to. Other young men who had genuinely good hearts, but were plagued with evil addictions. I began to spend more and more time outside of RSAT or (Residential Substance Abuse Treatment) A seperate facility on the same compound that was much more structured than any other unit. It was an extremely disciplined drug rehabilitation center and the clients (prisoners) were allowed very little free time outside the unit due to their rigorous schedule. The more time i spent there the more i overheard conversations from RSAT inmates. Next thing i knew i found myself in a circle of 4 men discussing their recovery. What things were like. What happened, and what their lives are like now. This was the first miracle i witnessed in prison. A group of men with years still to serve, standing around smiling, sharing without holding back. Their guards were down. Nobody was trying to impress anyone. These men seemed like genuinely good men who made bad decisions as a direct result of their addiction and drug abuse. These men didn't belong in prison ( i recall thinking to myself). The MDOC. The call themselves the Michigan Department of Corrections. Well, the only facts that i know are correct due to statistics, is that once a person in sent to prison, they have a 50% chance or recidivism. There is no Corrections in the Michigan department of CORRECTIONS. There is no rehabilitation. You lock up a young man for a crime that he got caught for because he doesn't know anything about crime. He's most likely strung out and in desperation to get a fix so he doesn't become violently ill. He does something stupid that he most likely doesn't remember because he's so high he's blacked out, and instead of giving this young man a chance of recovery. of treatment. He gets sent directly to the Penitentiary for his first offense. ( I'm speaking of myself ) No prior record and then when i'm 23 i am in the depths of my addiction and decide to commit a UDAA. Little did i know there was someone in the car. Not just someone, but a local celebrity. Once i realize that what i was doing was insane, i flee into a grocery store, shed my outer clothes, bag my dad ( the preacher) s grocerys and walk out of the store into a parking lot swarming with police. Now. I DID sit in the car. I did not start it, but i accidentaly knocked it into neutral and it rolled a few feet backwards. This was enough, technically to make the carjacking charges stick. I was also charged with armed robbery although i had no weapon. The victim put her purse in one of my hands, and her keys in my other hand. The judge came to the conclusion that whether or not i had a weapon, the victim automatically assumed i did and so her honor decided to make the armed robbery stick. I was terrified. I was looking at 15 years on my first offense and although my lawyer was rather optomistic about the whole situation, stating "you'll just do some county time and probation" I knew i was going to prison. The months leading up to my sentencing were the most stressful, painful, shameful, guilt ridden months of my life. Not that I was worried about my own well being. I have always been confident that GOd will not give me anything i cannot handle. NO, my pain was for my father. For my fiance. For my Mother. For my little brother. For my first true friends that i had the pleasure of spending the months prior to my sentencing in the company of. These were my friends from Dawn Farm, a treatment center in Ann Arbor. THE TREATMENT CENTER in Michigan. It changed my life. When i was sent off to prison for a sentence of 1 1/2 to 15 years after taking a plea bargain for 2 unarmed robberys, i thought for sure the things i would miss the most would be "freedom" "real food" "family" "females" "friends" a real bed, sink, shower,toilet seat, soap, shampoo, facewash, a real toothbrush, being treated with respect. Affection from my loved ones. Real cigarrettes. a real meal, COncerts, my small group at church. Saturday evening services at Northridge and Sunday morning services at New Life, sporting events, my dog, my drums, my band, my car, opportunity for a real job. Being able to help my grandparents and father. ALl of these things i would daydream about within the walls in Jackson, SMT, Pugsley.... but,no. It wasn't these things that plagued my thoughts. None of these were the first on my list of priorites. The first place i went when i was released from prison (after lunch with my family) was Dawn Farm, Dawn Farm Detox, and a meeting of alcoholics anonymous. As i was sitting in the auditorium listening to the open speaker, surrounded by the fellowship of AA, i felt complete. The closest i can compare this feeling to is that of sitting in church in between my fiance and my father. COMPLETE. Sorry for the ramble. I'll get back to my brother with the bank robbery. Prison had more negative effects on me than positive. MDOC. Michigan Department of Corruptions. There is no correction. No rehabilitation. They take criminals and place them on a compound with hundreds or a thousand more criminals. What do you think the topic of conversation is in prison on any given day? Crime. What this guy did to fuck up and get caught. What this guy is going to do to teach the first guy what to do next time not to get caught. Taking people off the streets of the United states. SO eclectic. So many ethnicities living in harmony together. HA. Until the metal door slams in your face and you know the next time it opens you better stick with your own race if you want to survive. This of course has a tendency to take non racist individuals and within days force them to become not passively racist, but aggressive, violent hate machines. Not necessarily by choice. it's survival tactics. I spent my first 2 years under the protection of a gang i won't mention. This saved my life on more than one occasion, but in the long run has become an extreme detriment to my life, my behavior, my temper, my rationale. You don't have the time or luxury to stop and think if what you're about to do is the right decision behind the walls. You just react. quick. defend yourself. at any costs. because in the joint there are no half ass beatings. If you beat someone, you better be sure theyre incapable of retaliation. I've witnessed stabbings over forty cents in Ramen noodles. A suicide from the 4th gallery in Jackson Northside Quarantine. A man put baby oil in the microwave once and brought it to a boil before pouring it on a sleeping mans face. When he awoke (instantly) his first reaction was to grab his face. He pulled his entire face off. I've had my head split open by a lock in a sock, resulting in a concussion and 7 stitches. I've been cut with a razor blade for not putting money into someones account after he sent my family a letter saying he was going to kill me if they didn't put money in his account. They didn't. Gratefully. because once you give in to one person, you're everybodys bitch. Once i got moved to minimum security i really dug my head into the books, and spent time with the few guys i can honesty call friends, even to this day. Unfortunately. I have to go back for second tour. i fall under the 50 percent of convicts that end up back in prison. I plan on doing things differently this time. I own what i did and i know i have to pay the consequences. MY main fear is that i'm not going to come out the same. I didn't come out the same person i went in as the first time. Now i'm going to a higher security level for 5 to 15 years. I deserve what i get. But this guy. This bank robber. He doesn't know crime. He needs help with his mental illness. His suicidal tendencies. otherwise he's gonna end up jumping of the 4th gallery, or hanging himself like 3 of my old friends from prison. We need rehabilitation. Not incarceration. Incarceration is an excellent opportunity for me to spend a signifigant amount of time in my head. idk about you, but that is the most dangerous place for me to be. Whats the phrase? An idle mind is the devils playground? I'm not writing this to fight for myself. I can do the time. I've done it. I can do it again. But this man does not belong in prison. I see it in his eyes. i hear it in his voice. He is a good man who was led astray. God be with him. He is in my prayers. Keep him in yours as well if you so decide. God Bless.

msddjohston

Sat, Sep 4, 2010 : 9:49 a.m.

It tis the season to tighten matters down and get back to our most precious commodity here in Ann Arbor. Be ready any and all bandits the Ann Arbor Police Department are tactfull, artfull, and riding high! Thank you all: Job well done! Dawn

Lokalisierung

Fri, Sep 3, 2010 : 11:24 a.m.

"$500,000 bond - WOW" I think it usually works out to 10% of that though.

boom

Fri, Sep 3, 2010 : 10:43 a.m.

What, no banks in Calumet for him to rob?

breadman

Thu, Sep 2, 2010 : 9:30 p.m.

Did he rob the bank for enough to post his bond? If not let him go, it will cost the tax payers more money to give him a roof and three meals per day.

Gorc

Thu, Sep 2, 2010 : 5:49 p.m.

$500,000 bond - WOW - what else was he wanted for or convicted in the past of.