I received a letter from a mother in...well, I don't want to say, but it was a letter from a mother whose son ran into some legal trouble. I'm editing it a bit to protect the identities of ALL those involved.
I'm posting it because I don't know what to tell Mom. The truth is, after reading the letter, I still think that I'm missing some part of the story. I'll let you decide for yourselves and maybe you'll have a recommendation for her.
The Letter
I was googling to see just what a public defender in Oregon is supposed to do for their client when I came across your blogs. I met Mr. Public Defender today, he's supposed to represent my son in charges of simple assault in connection with another 13 yr old boy who flashed a 13 yr old female classmate. His attitude? He could care less. He didn't even ask for my son's side of the story. He said his job was to be there when the judge heard both sides and decides who he believes as far as my son's involvement.
Btw, the court has charged that my son is also a delinquent so family services has been called in to investigate and decide if he should be placed in a group home or the state boys school. The female was my son's little ex 'girlfriend'. I let him change schools after
Christmas from Tinytown, OR to Biggertown, OR because I thought he would do better academically at a jr high where he went last year that taught everything on laptops, no books, no papers to lose, etc. I'm not saying my son Reggie is an angel, but he's not a sex offender in the making as the prosecuting office is inferring.
The other boy involved has a lawyer hired by his family, who have lived in Tinytown for generations. My son, Reggie, says the girl called them over, he walked up and asked for a hug, which he got. His buddy then decided it would be cute to flash her. She went home, told her mom and charges were filed. They say Reggie forceably hugged her so the other boy could flash her.
My son has always stuck up for the kids who get picked on. He's a good looking boy, popular but refuses to run with the 'in' crowd because they bully everyone else. He helps anyone he sees in need. He volunteered at Christmas time at the local community giveaway and Christmas basket because he wanted to, not because he had to for a school club(like the other kids there). A neighbor moving or trying to haul in groceries when he's around has a ready hand to run up and down the stairs in our bldg. Last summer he had his own little business called 'Rent a Son' advertising to do lawn or babysitting jobs. He got his Red Cross certification last June for infant and child first aid and cpr.
His only fault? He doesn't care who his friends' parents are or how much money they make. I could go on and on listing the good things he does. For now the judge has said that he stays in Biggertown and can't come back to Tinytown until this is settled. So he stays with my daughter and her family even on weekends. The Public Defender hadn't done anything with Reggie's file, no copies of the officers investigations, didn't ask if Reggie had any witnesses on his own behalf, nothing.
My question therefore is, have you any contact with anyone in Oregon who will help us? I can't come up with the funds lawyers here are asking. I'm director of a lab where the owners pay me a $50 monthly stipend for expenses and a company in the county seat, pays me $300 a month for helping them locate clients for their classes which are taught in our lab.
I've been out of my mind worrying about Reggie, the family services dept here can twist anything to make it look bad. I've heard horror stories from other families around here and I think I'm in a nightmare of my own now. I'm cringing at the witch hunts that go on now in our small town. The local police dept and the initial investigating officer is currently being investigated for enticement for using an undercover officer to try and do a drug sting. They got 7 people who all invited this guy to their homes to smoke pot with them, which he did..spending the night sometimes. He'd leave money on their table when he left and considered that buying from them."
Crap, I know this is so long you won't want to read it. I'm desperate, what can I say?
- A Concerned Mother
Yikes.
Well, I didn't have any specific recommendation for the ACM, except I don't know any PD's in Portland (for the record, Oregon is not the state this occurred in). I highly recommend you request a meeting with the Public Defender to address your concerns and worries. He/She might have some good reasons for doing what they did for your son but without reading the police reports and exactly what the charges are, its difficult for me to give any input or advice...aside from the fact that I'm an investigator NOT an attorney!
Well, I didn't have any specific recommendation for the ACM, except I don't know any PD's in Portland (for the record, Oregon is not the state this occurred in). I highly recommend you request a meeting with the Public Defender to address your concerns and worries. He/She might have some good reasons for doing what they did for your son but without reading the police reports and exactly what the charges are, its difficult for me to give any input or advice...aside from the fact that I'm an investigator NOT an attorney!
I'll be sending a link of this post to ACM, so I'm hoping we have at least one attorney give this lady an idea of what to expect or what she should expect from her son's Public Defender.
