Our government  now uses a method that was once considered illegal. The laws were changed to benefit the judicial system. A quote I once heard fittingly applies. "A purse in one hand and a sword in the other ", and you will find corruption. It's all a matter of money, not justice. 

The task force agency went county to county in Tennessee and held meetings with the county officials. They explained the plan. They would come into the county and set up a sting operation, From the proceeds of fines, they would take a third, the D.A.'s office would get a third and the city a third. We are talking " A sword and a purse here"

Nationwide, violent offenses account for only 5 percent of all juvenile arrests, according to the FBl’s Uniform Crime Report. Homicide represents less than 0.1 percent. Instead, juveniles are far more likely to be arrested for non-violent property offenses (38 percent) and so-called “status” offenses such as underage drinking, running away, loitering, and curfew violations (18 percent). Time honored juvenile offenses such as disorderly conduct and vandalism each represent another 6 percent of juvenile arrests. The FBl’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR) is notoriously unreliable and easily affected by small changes in reporting and processing procedures. For example, “,aggravated assault” which represents the largest category of so-called violent juvenile offenses, is a catch-all category that can include school yard fist fights as well as cases of only threatened, but not actual, harm. Other cases were just being present if a fight occurred as the third party would "instill fear". 

Ninety-seven percent of the 125,000 federal prisoners are non-violent offenders. Two-thirds of more than 1,000,000 state prisoners are non-violent offenders." Crimes that in other countries would usually lead to community service, fines or drug treatment — -or would not be considered crimes at all — in the U.S. lead to a prison term. 

Judges, not juries, almost always determine the punishment, even following jury trials. In fact, a common jury instruction warns jurors not to consider the question of punishment when deciding a defendant's guilt or innocence.

Teddy Wayne's Criminal Life.

I will not even try to convince anyone of the innocence or guilt of Teddy Wayne's first run in with the law. I will just state facts. The reporter that thought he was charged with assault was mistaken. He was arrested and charged with "instilling fear" as he was charged with "being present while a fist fight occurred." He was 16 years old at the time. John, (the slugger) says the boy (victim) kept harassing him to sell some pot. " the next time he tries to buy some dope from me, I will give him something, and it will be my fist" stated John. The next time did occur and true to his word John slugged the boy, giving him a black eye. 

John and Teddy Wayne were arrested and the D.A. took the case before the grand jury. The 16 year old's  were to be tried as adults. The victim was an informant for the D.A. to get out of a seven year drug charge sentence. When the D.A. learned of the incidence the following day, he took the boy to the emergency room to get the black eye on record. It was another year before the trial. 

We were not worried about a conviction. Teddy Wayne's teacher would testify that he was in her class taking a test at the time of the fight. He had a public defender who asked could it not have been Teddy Wayne's cousin who witnessed the fight. The end result was the jury found John and Teddy Wayne guilty. They also sent a note to the judge. She did read the note from the jury aloud to the court room. They asked that the boys be given "community service" She smiled and sentenced them to three years communed to four months in jail and six years house arrest. plus fines. 

John's family had retained a lawyer, and he somehow got John's sentence wavered and John into the armed services. John loved the military, later married and is still eleven years later in service. Teddy Wayne's life however, was destroyed. 

Teddy Wayne served his four months in jail, and did fine the first month of house arrest. He had to be drug tested each week as part of his probation, even though his case did not involve drugs. He did not have the monitoring device some house arrest officers use. How can anyone expect a teenager to sit at home for SIX YEARS !!  I am sure too, the judge was aware he would break the probation. At first he would just visit the girl he had started dating a few hours and rush home. One night he, his girlfriend an a few friends went riding in the country. They had car trouble and the police came by and stopped to check. Having been an inmate at their jail, they immediately recognized Teddy Wayne and arrested him for house arrest violation. Back to jail to serve more time. During the next two years, he stayed in jail more than out. Each time for house arrest violation. 

Second offense
(while still on house arrest)

One night a girl he had known for several years came by his home and asked him to ride around with her. She drove to the home of anther girl and they went in. While there the girl bought a (1) lortab pain pill from the host. It was several months later that Teddy Wayne was arrested for selling a schedule substance. He loudly proclaimed his innocence to his family, and his mother retained a lawyer. The lawyer was the former assistance D.A. who had convicted Teddy Wayne several years before. He believed Teddy Wayne, and demanded to see and hear the evidence. Plain as day on the tape was Teddy Wayne's voice saying, "Don't give me that money, it's not my pill you are buying. and the voice of the girl and her friend  they had visited. The girl who had come by and then bought the lortab was wired and helping the D.A. get convictions to get off her drug charges. It's called "playing tag". The lawyer pointed out that their own evidential tape was proof that Teddy Wayne did not sell the drug and asked for a dismissal. The new D.A. was not persuaded and only changed the charge to "facilitation". To any one unfamiliar with that word it means to aid,  help, facilitate. In other words, if you are present when a drug is bought or sold you can be charged. At his trial he received three years in prison. the girl who sold the pill got 10 days in jail. Teddy Wayne was a big time criminal now and serving time in the state penitentiary. 

A different Teddy Wayne

Teddy Wayne was only on parole a couple of months after he was returned from prison as he had served his time. Although he was still a caring sweet person, he had changed to a bitter, system hating young man. He also began taking drugs, lots of drugs, and any drugs he could get. His weight went down till he looked like a walking skeleton. His once healthy complexion  was terrible. He became a drug addict. He still though, trusted his old friends and it was not long until he had been set up again. Would he never  learn?? Again, the charge was facilitation. Being present when his friend who was wired bought  drugs. He was again, sentenced to three years in prison. He went up for parole after a year in prison and was denied. It will be another year before he can go before the parole board again. Many of his classmates from high school work in the prison system and looked him up on their internet site. They say he is considered a high risk case. The type who rarely get paroled before their sentence is served. They say too, that he is involved in gang activity in prison. My grandson, a gang member. ?? that is so foreign to me. Country kids don't get in gangs. Gangs exist in inner cities, in large cities, but then prisons are a city of their own. He now lives in a different environment from our small rural community. Did  the officials target my grandchild to get back at me with revenge for my outspoken criticism of the corruption in Lewis County. Did they, knowing I would not commit a crime find a way to silence me.  Am I and my daughter to blame for the start of Teddy Wayne's destruction. Some think so. Teddy Wayne tells me not to give up my fight for justice for his sister. I feel we let him down by not getting counseling for him when his sister was murdered. He was the last one to see her alive, when she left his care and got in the car with the suspects that night. He and his friends did not give her the ride to her friends house as she begged them to. He must have been eaten with guilt, although it was not his car and he could not have known he was letting her enter the car of her killers. Her death has made her family bitter, not care for their duty as citizens or even want to be law abiding.  The indifference the judicial system showed for her death, has made us all feel complete disregard for the authority figures or their laws. Personally, I think their lack of duty to their jobs are worse than what Teddy Wayne did. I just hope when he comes back again, he will not turn back to drugs, for his sake and for his mother's sake. And for his son's sake. I know that from age 16, most of his time has been spent behind bars. He has become institutionalized.  They can become so institutionalized they don't know how to act in society," This is what they get comfortable with. In prison they are at home."

Would his life have been different if he had not been treated like a criminal at age 16. Even though the jury thought him guilty, they also thought "community service" was a fitting  punishment. That alone showed they did not think it was a serious act. Personally I feel that Judge  Cornelia Clark paved the road to a life behind bars for a sixteen year old. 

Teddy Wayne is now 27 years old. Keep this young man in your thoughts and prayers. Some day he will return to society and we hope the system has not created a monster who has finally turned violent.