Post
by Mega Hertz » Fri May 10, 2019 3:08 pm
Someday, I'll get around to posting these on YouTube (just for the historical purposes of the anchors/newspeople), but we had our own little "issue" with law enforcement many years ago.
Long story short, my father was accused (and convicted of) attempted murder of two Clinton Twp. businessmen in 1983. He'd had a run-in with these guys in 1980, but nothing came of it. A year or so later, he's arrested on these charges. Everyone knew he was at home the night of the attack, but despite repeated claims and having NO physical evidence of him doing this crime, he was convicted of it and nearly sentenced to many many, many years in prison.
By chance, the woman who would eventually be my mother picked up a newspaper by fate one morning and caught that as the headline. She immediately went to the police and said "this man is innocent. I know who did this". Finally, the police did some real digging, and her boyfriend at the time was implicated. Turns out him and two of his friends (one who was an employee) set this attack up as a means of robbing the joint. My dad's conviction was set aside, he met my mother, they were married and had us three boys. Now, had this not gone down, I might not even be here today (and sometimes I wouldn't mind that). But the fact that my father was nearly sent up because someone pointed a finger at him and, with NO proof tying him to this heinous attack, we could EASILY be bitter towards law enforcement. But, we're not (although, up until the day he died, he refused to live in Clinton Twp.).
I still have all of the newspaper clippings and audio of his TV and radio interviews (including one with David Newman). Instead of using it as ammo for being anti-cop and anti-law, it serves me as a reminder of how fragile life can be, and how it can change in an instant. I don't pick fights with people because, who knows...in two years, it could come back to haunt me.
I don't think he ever got over it. It tore the family up. Imagine nearly being sent to prison KNOWING you did nothing wrong. Just a guy that stands up in court and says "that's the guy". The family was in turmoil for that year or so. And then to be found guilty...I just can't imagine. He passed away in 2014 and I still miss him dearly. But I don't think he was ever able to shake that experience.
Shitty things can happen in life. Maybe it's time we started appreciating it, and each other, a little more.
"Internet is no more like radio than intravenous feeding is like fine dining."
-TurkeyTop