Pretty sure I didn't see this coming......

Yesterday was a great day. I got a lot of stuff done at work, which is good because my boss is off for the next couple days so I can get REALLY caught up for when he returns. I hung out with some friends, and came home and did ear candles. I LOVE those things. You light the ends on fire, stick them in your ears, and bam nastiness is sucked right out. My favorite part is cutting them open and looking at all the nasty that came out.
While I was using my ear candles my dad called. Let me back up a little bit. My little brother Chase got in a little trouble with the law last year and got put on probation. I believe he would have been done with said probation at the beginning of October. Well on July 2nd, he violated his probation. So, yesterday he had a hearing to learn his fate. He went in without a lawyer and told the judge he knew he deserved to be punished and did not wish to have a lawyer. They gave him his full punishment of a year in jail. My little brother is spending a year in jail! The thought of that makes me cry. Everytime a sit down to watch tv, eat anything, or enjoy anything all I can think is, Chase doesn't get to do any of this where he is. I am hoping it will teach him a lesson, so he will not continue in the path he was on, but I can't help but be affraid for him as well. Some times when people go to prison they do not come out better, they learn from the others how to be worse. I hope me posting this doesn't offend anyone in my family, but I had to put it out there so I can request prayer for him. Prayer that he learns what he needs to learn, and that he can get out and enjoy the life he has with his son. Really enjoy it, and not just waste it away doing petty stuff.
They DEA and judge were very impressed with how my brother owned up to what he did. The DEA told him if he takes their recommended class and sends him a letter, he would consider letting him out earlier and putting him back on probation. Also, if he is good he could get out of jail in 6 months and be out on January 2nd, 2009. I am hoping he takes the course and gets out of there. I am currently waiting to get the mailing address, so I can write him, but when I do I will write him everyday and send them once a week so he can open them everyday and read them.
With that said, also pray for my parents. They tried so hard to keep him from going to jail, and my mom is pretty upset about it. My dad sounded pretty upset yesterday to. No parent ever wants to let their child go into the justice system. It is like they get sucked in for life at that point. Since he got in trouble, the police have hasseled and hasseled him. My parents are struggling to pay their bills, and he has an OLD car. You know, one of those cars that the seatbelt pulls across the top of the car to you and almost chokes you. Well that broke, so he can't get the top part of the seatbelt on. His tail light went out, and he couldn't afford to buy a new one, because he had to choose between that and tires so he could go to work. Well the police, knowing he was on probation, waited in his work parking lot for him to get off, so he would start his car and not be wearing a seatbelt and his tail light would not be working. This is a violation of probation. How in the world do the police think he can afford to pay that ticket and then go fix the problems they are ticketing him for. I understand it is breaking the law, but they ticketed him at least twice for the seat belt, knowing full well it was not operating properly.
It just seems like they had nothing better to do. So they decided my brother was a criminal and they were going to treat him like dirt. I know it is not right, but I would like to see those policemen lose their jobs, their wives lose their jobs, and then have to figure out how to fix a car on a waitress salary (who by the way busts her butt, but because of the economy people tip less now then ever before and makes $2.65 an hour.)
I am in no way justifying what Chase did, but I am frustrated. I am frustrated, because I know now how the justice system works. You mess up, they keep kicking you, you end up worse then you were when you started. You can't reform because they make it rather difficult to do so. Of course our prisons are over crowded. No one gets freed from the grips of the police once they are in the system. No with out significant changes, and possibly moving from your small IN town, with small town cops at the helm. I know if you do something wrong you should pay for that, but sitting in a parking lot and harassing some one is against the law for most people. Shouldn't law enforcement have the same consequenes?
Chase's initial arrest was upsetting, but even when the cop pulled him over he owned up to the issue. The cop never read him is miranda rights, and initally pulled him over for speeding. I do not remember what else my mom told me the police officer did incorrectly, but even with that Chase still told the officer everything he asked and cooperated fully. The following week, they pulled him over for his seatbelt and his tail light and then wanted to search his vehicle, with absolutely no probable cause. This to me is also harrassment. They even pulled him over in my parents driveway and wanted to search his vehicle. That reaks of harrassment. Each time there was no probable cause and each time they came up with nothing. It was like they were gunning for him, so they could see him in jail. How about this, how about they start arresting the guys who drive drunk, beat their wives, sell drugs, neglect their children, and molest little kids. No, they would rather harrass some one with less then a joint of marijuana and a pipe. Yes haivng any marijuana is wrong, and I am not condoning that in the least, but to harrass them after they have already admitted guilt and cooperated (which is less then most people do) is a bit much.
I am a little upset. No one told me of the violation, so I did not get to say an I love you to my bro over the phone before he was sentenced to a year away from all of us. I am REALLY close to him so this really hurts. I talk to him about 1 a week. Sometimes a little less because we play phone tag, but usually 1 a week. I know no one did that malicously, but I wish I could have told him I loved him, I was proud for his ownership of what he did wrong, and to keep his head up.
I will stop my rant now. Yes violating the law should be punished. No to harrassment after the guilty party has been charged and admitted guilt and is performing his sentence. For those of you that already know, I myself had a problem with an IN cop. He pulled me over for speeding, on a Tuesday, in a silver car, and said I was a male. I was driving on a Thursday, my car was tan, and I AM NOT A MAN. To this I ask, "What was this cop on while 'policing' the streets?" The judge still wouldn't throw it out. I guess IN is still hurting for money 8 years later.