Chapter 13 - The Feds

 

      At the federal courthouse, Matt was officially charged for the pharmacy robberies. It was now the United States vs James Matthew Hobby. The first thing I did learn is that there were other services offered to a person charged with a federal crime. Matt was given a pre-trial officer who worked on his behalf in securing medical help. He was scheduled with a counselor and also allowed to return home with us, but this time he had to wear an ankle bracelet that tracked his whereabout at any given time. If he ever went out of range, even up the street or to the mailbox, the device would alert his officer. He had a short time to respond before the authorities were called.

     Matt was scheduled for a series of tests and given a court appointed attorney. Things moved much faster in federal court. Matt’s pre-trial probation officer was a really nice guy and Matt formed a close bond with Justin.

      Reality is not a fun when you are the target of a real-life drama that unfolds like a page-turning suspense novel. I thought I would wake up any day and this would be some kind of joke, but unfortunately, I was living this truth. My son had robbed a pharmacy for drugs and was facing a lot of prison time for his actions. I had raised him in the church and tried to be the best parent, but none of that mattered now. It was not my reputation on the line, it was his. He was a grown man, accountable for his own actions. I had done all that I could and I knew that I had.

      When Matt had come out of surgery that awful night in January, I had the strangest peace about the future. In those fifteen years of dealing with a drug addicted teenager, I had tried everything I could to control the situation. I had chased him to strange places, made phone calls, lied to teachers when I knew he should be at school. I had made excuses, taken him to meetings, tried to make him feel guilty, but NOTHING worked. I had finally learned that I could not change someone else, only the way I react to the situation. I had learned to work on me.

      His dad, on the other hand, had learned that he could only argue with me about how to handle things, so he eventually backed down. Sort of the fight and flight syndrome that I talked about earlier. It’s not that I was usurping his authority, it’s just that when I would pray about a situation sometimes, I would have a change of heart. When the incident happened, Joe began to ask himself what he could have done to change things. The answer to that question is nothing. Nothing he could have done would have changed Matt. Matt had to change Matt. My brother once said that Matt would stay clean, when staying clean was easier than staying high.  What words of wisdom he spoke!

         The concept of letting go is hard to grasp for some parents. We somehow feel responsible for the actions of our children. Truth is, our children are living, breathing souls with the same free-will God gives to every human being. They are their own person. Sure, we can lead them and guide them along the way, but they are accountable for their own actions. The only true thing we can do for them is pray for them. I remember a dear friend told me once that she just prayed that Jesus would take her boys “kicking and screaming.” She knew they would fight the Lord the whole way, but she wanted them to know Jesus whatever it took so she asked the Lord to knock them in the head if he had to but just take them!

    I found myself praying even harder in the Hugo Black Federal Courthouse!

Chapter 12 In Court

                                                                    

        I remember vividly the first day in court. I had taken Matt to the courtroom to address the judge and be presented with his charges. We entered the room quietly and sat on the back bench with all the other accused who did not have representation.

        They called case after case before the judge. As we came closer to our time, I was given an open moment to exchange dialog with the bailiff in charge of assigning pro bono lawyers. I briefly explained Matt’s situation. She took one look at his file and said he had some very serious charges. Just at that time an older lawyer walked into the courtroom. The bailiff looked at the man and said, “This guy here is just the man you need.”

       I had prayed that morning for guidance. This was such a new experience and there was no rule book on court behavior. It reminded me of the first time I went with Joe to play golf. I knew nothing about rules or order on the golf course. I walked on pins and needles in order to prevent the embarrassment of being criticized for simply not knowing golf etiquette. Those same feelings surfaced then in the courtroom.

      I was not even sure if I should be talking to the bailiff, but she was kind and pleasant. I told her our dilemma to which she replied, “Honey, you can pay good money and a lot of it to a lawyer, but you will never get a better lawyer than that man right there.”  I knew at that moment God had answered my prayer.

      We met with the newly acquired attorney that day and several time the next few weeks. He also was concerned with the fact that Matt had made a confession. He felt like the best defense Matt could have was to take his case before a jury of his peers. Matt was facing a rather stiff law, called the Alabama Pharmacy Robbery Act, created by the state legislature for the protection of pharmacies and their employees. We would learn that The Alabama Pharmacy Robbery Act would call for Matt, if convicted, to serve a sentence that was longer than my expected lifespan. In other words, his father and I would not live to see his release. This legislation states that any person convicted of armed robbery of a pharmacy shall be required to serve a sentence of 20 years minimum with no parole, a scary thought since Matt was possible facing two charges. He would serve 40 years if convicted.

      Given the serious consequences, his attorney made the decision to go to trial and hope there was not enough evidence to convict. Or maybe even chance a mistrial. Whatever the case, he felt it was a better defense than simply signing a statement.

      Matt had almost finished his time out on bond before the court date. He was scheduled to tell the judge his decision for a trial when, once again, God had different plans. It would take months for me to realize that this was yet another miracle. I was too upset at the change of events at the time to focus on the positive. My whole life had been turned upside down. It was like someone put a blindfold over my face and then said “Walk!”

      I remember that morning so vividly. Matt and I were to meet his lawyer at the court house around 9. Joe had gone on to work that morning and was to meet us there. As always, I was running behind, so I dropped Matt off and went to park the car. He was standing just outside the entrance to the county jail when I last saw him. He wanted a cigarette before he went inside.

      I parked the car and was about to get out when I got a strange phone call on my cell phone. The conversation is pretty much a blur because my mind went blank after I heard Federal Agent…. This could not be happening. We had this all figured out. Why would the Feds step into this situation?  I was terrified. I was alert enough to hear him say meet me at the Hugo Black Federal Courthouse.

      Since Joe was to meet me inside the court house, I continued on to the scheduled place of our meeting. He was there with, of all people, one of the detectives in the case. When I saw the two of them, I broke down. I couldn’t help but cry. This whole incident had been such a shock and now I found myself facing a Federal courthouse and new charges.

      After a few deep breaths, I was able to calm down enough to listen to Joe and the detective. Because a gun had been used in the robbery, Matt was facing federal charges. I felt like I was going to faint. This was all too much for me to comprehend. I remember the detective trying to calm my fears. He assured us that Matt would be better off with the feds than in a state institution. Plus, there was not much hope with the pharmacy act at the state level.

      In retrospect, I know it was all part of God’s plan all along. His time in federal prison would be a long hard journey, but much more bearable than timed served in a state facility.

Chapter 11 - The Wreck

 

     After about a week of recovery at the house, I returned to my work teaching. Matt was able to care for himself and he only cleaned the surgery site once daily. The bullet had entered his shoulder and exited through his back just under his lung. That wound had to be cleaned daily also.

     A second week of staying home was enough time for boredom to set in, so Matt decided to take my old van to the store. His excuse was that he needed cigarettes, but I think he also had other reasons to leave. We would find out later that he was still actively using drugs.

    I was just about to leave school when I got a call from a coworker. “Carol, I am on the interstate just after the Deerfoot exit and there is a red van in the ditch on the other side of the highway. Is Matt at home?”

    My heart sank. I assumed he was at the house but with an addict one can never assume. Within minutes I had enough information to know it was my van and my son. Matt had left around noon on his adventure and on the way back somehow managed to wreck my car just shy of an overpass on the interstate. After seeing the pictures of the automobile, I could not believe that he had once again escaped death. Another miracle!!  A few more feet and the van would have plunged down another 30 feet into the creek below. I am certain he would not have survived that impact.

    He was taken again to UAB hospital. This time I was so angry I refused to visit. I didn’t even check on him. The discharge doctor told him he was one lucky fellow to have survived two serious episodes in as many weeks. At what point does Matt wake up and see that God has a purpose for his life?

     The seat belt had saved him but it had also damaged an artery in his neck. The doctors did some repairs and ordered him to ICU for a few nights of observation. There was a possibility of blood clots forming in that artery. I let his father communicate with Matt but I refused to listen to his story. I knew it would be riddled with lies. Why can he not learn to tell the truth?

    Matt's combined charges for both hospital stays totaled over $250,000. He was indigent and unable to pay. He talked only once with a financial counselor at the hospital, yet his hospital bills were paid for through the kind charity of a generous, anonymous donor. I think we are up to at least 10 miracles by now!

    Matt spent several weeks going to doctors’ appointments. He developed MERSA even though he was on several antibiotics. His physical wounds were beginning to heal but the inevitable heartache from the consequences of his actions were becoming more of a problem each day. His dad and I agreed that we would let him handle his legal issues with a court appointed attorney. We had already spent a great deal of time and money with his prior arrests. This one had the potential of being extremely costly and his dad and I were not wealthy people. We had to rely on the grace of God once again.

      I remember very clearly a word of encouragement I received about Matt when he was dealing with the MERSA. Late one night as I was having my quiet time with the Lord, a thought about his infection came to my mind. I began convincing myself that there might be a chance he would NOT be sent to prison since his staff infection was so contagious. I felt a small sense of relief then a sudden shock back to reality that, yes, he would be going away. Then a peace came over me and I heard a small quiet voice say, “I’m going to protect Matt. You let me worry about the HOW.” I knew I had heard a voice from the Lord.

     So as soon as Matt was released from the surgeon, we appeared before the magistrate ready to face the consequences. God had another miracle in store for us.