SMALL WORLD

One of the common events of teaching is seeing your former students grow up and move out in the world. This is one of those instances. I had Adam Pierce in one of my Algebra classes when I used to teach at one of the local colleges. After that he moved on and became a Orange County Deputy Sheriff. So did his twin brother Matt. They were a pair of hardball players that were born to be cops. Adam is the picture on the right. Squared away, good guy, good shot... a cool customer. So's his brother, who is currently working the "hot zones" of underbelly Orlando for the equally hardball Sheriff Kevin Beary. Let me tell you about hardcore Kevin Beary. He had a really lousy week last week. One of his senior staff committed suicide and took both of his kids with him. Then this crap happened. Beary actually teared up on TV. Didn't cry or blubber or anything like that... but got all wet and came within an inch of losing it. I'll tell you... a very very moving moment.

Well, the other picture , the one on the left, is Jeffrey Forbes... also one of my babies. Jeffrey is 22 now. When I met him he was a juvenile and just as mean as a snake. Born to deal dope and wasn't a bit shy about telling you that he was good at it. Now, last Tuesday Jeffrey was servicing some crack purchaser when Deputy Pierce and his partner jumped them... what it's called is a "jump out". It's sort of like waiting in a duck blind until one flys over, then you jump out and take a shot. Whee. The trouble started when Jeffrey failed to get still when he was ordered to hit the ground. Noooo. He bolted like a deer with Pierce in hot pursuit. The officer deployed his Taser, gave Jeffrey a dose of 10000 volt pursuasion, and told him again to lie down. Jeffrey pulled out a handgun and lit off 2 rounds. Now, the whole point of the cops using Tasers is that it isn't lethal force. It's just a jolt to get someone's attention. Bzzzt. You have a right to remain silent. What most people, regular citizens, don't know is that if you've been zapped before you find out that it's not lethal, it's just painful. Jeffrey knew that because he has a rap sheet about twenty yards long. He shot Deputy Pierce twice, one round deflected off his clavacle down into his lungs, and proceeded to bounce around raising hell with his innards. A relative later said that as of last night Adam was paralyzed from the waist down and he was listed as "stable but guarded". That means that they just don't know. They don't call this kind of crap the practice of medicine for nothing.

Jeffrey reads this blog. Hey guy... you really stepped in it this time. My advice: call the Sheriff and give it up. And make sure that you turn yourself in somewhere safe... like maybe your lawyer's office... and leave the piece home. Your life is in the balance guy. Be something other than stupid for once. For Christ's sake... you made the toughest guy in local law enforcement nearly cry on TV man. Get a lawyer and give it up. Now.

Bob