Author Topic: One Who Got Away  (Read 1292 times)

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Offline cmack

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One Who Got Away
« on: December 31, 2011, 12:47:20 AM »
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/f ... o_rehab_i/

In 2003 a 17 year-old young man from the Washington DC area was kicked out of school after he was discovered by a school x-ray machine to have a marijuana pipe in his bookbag. His parents gave him the option of going to rehab or leaving home. He chose to leave home. Some time later his parents learned that he was staying with a relative and called him to apologize. They asked him to come home and he did. While eating dinner two goons suddenly appeared blocking the two exits of the kitchen. One dangled handcuffs and basically said: 'we can do this the easy way or the hard way'. Apparently he chose the hard way because he attacked one of the ex-cops with a stool hitting him in the knee and knocking him to the floor. Unfortunately the other one tackled him and got cuffs on him.

They had been hired to transport him to Second Nature in Georgia. At some point during the drive they stopped at Popeye's to eat and didn't put the handcuffs back on him. Later when they stopped to get gas around 3 or 4 in the morning he told them he had to go the the bathroom. As soon as he got out of the car he took off running into the woods. He climbed over a fence but got chased out by a dog and lost a shoe in the process. Finally he got a ride to Salisbury NC and bought a train ticket back to DC (the goons hadn't taken his wallet and he had about $100). He spent the next several months till he turned 18 living with friends.

These are his words below from a reddit AMA, edited for clarity.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/f ... o_rehab_i/

Quote
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/f ... o_rehab_i/

Sure, my folks were very conservative, Christian type people. Nice enough, but not accepting of any lifestyle that went outside of what they thought was proper. At school, the school cop saw a pipe [edit: for pot, no crack or meth or anything] in my bag on the X-ray machine and I was suspended indefinitely pending an expulsion hearing. My parents offered an ultimatum: go to rehab or get out of our house. I chose to leave, and took a train to Boston and lived in a youth hostel there for a while. I got in contact with a relative back home who offered to let me live at his place, so I went back and lived with him for a while. My parents found out and called, told me they were sorry, and wanted me to come over for dinner so they could apologize. When I got back to my parents house, we sat down for dinner and ate for a while, and all of a sudden, I look up from my food and there are two goons blocking both the exits to the kitchen. One of them holds up a pair of handcuffs and basically tells me we can do it the easy way or the hard way.

I grabbed a stool and got one of the guys in the knees. He went down but the other guy tackled me and got me in handcuffs. I was handcuffed for most of the way, but a few hours in they stopped and bought me Popeyes and didn't put the cuffs back on afterwards, which is how I was able to run later. Delicious chicken and helping me escape. is there anything Popeye's can't do?

They got me in DC, but the rehab facility was in Georgia. They were driving me down south, and when we stopped for gas, I asked to go to the bathroom. as soon as they let me out of the car I just ran into the woods and didn't stop.

I ran until I got to a fence, climbed it and immediately got chased out by a dog. Lost a shoe climbing back over the fence. Walked until I found a road, then walked down it trying to hitch a ride. Failed. This was about 3 or 4 in the morning. I kept walking until I got to a restaurant, sat down for a rest, and after a while a car drove up. I ran up to the car and begged them for a ride to the nearest town. They asked why I was there and I told them truthfully. Amazingly they gave me a ride and dropped me off at the train station in Salisbury, NC. The goons hadn't taken my wallet so I tried to buy a ticket back to DC. The station wasn't open until 8, and I only had one shoe, so I walked around trying to find somewhere to get a shoe. I ended up buying an Ace bandage at a Wal-Mart, and then amazingly found a shoe in the parking lot. I waited until 8, got a ticket, and took the train back to DC. I spent the next few months hiding out at various friends' houses in DC and NYC. Had the cops threaten a lot of my friends' parents, but they never found me. Once I turned 18 there was nothing my folks could do anymore.

I had a little less than $100 on me, and I didn't know how much a train ticket was going to be, so I wanted to spend as little as possible.

The goons were "recommended" by the rehab program, but my parents had to hire them. They were both ex-cops, and surprisingly nice.

They actually told me that only about 1% of kids fight back. I asked them if anyone had ever escaped and they said no. I guess I was the first.

It was indeed Second Nature. After that they were going to send me to Swift River Academy, which I actually heard is not that bad, but I have a seriously stubborn nature, and just the fact that I was forced to go somewhere I didn't want to be would have made me resist so much at Second Nature I doubt I would have ever gotten out.

When asked about his age, he said:

17 I'm 25 now BTW.

I got my GED after I turned 18 and didn't have to hide anymore.

When asked if he still smokes pot

Yes, but very infrequently. The last time I bought a gram it lasted me 3 months.

This was about 7 years ago, and I have fully restored my relationship with them.

I'm doing fine. I went to college and work in science now, so I can't complain.

I work for a major scientific journal. I'm not going to say which one because I'm at work right now, but seeing as I already posted a link with my full name it's probably not that hard to figure out.



« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Ursus

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Re: One Who Got Away
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2011, 01:37:49 AM »
Quote from: "cmack"
He spent the next several months till he turned 18 living with friends.
Oh, it happens! The older kids, who have a more developed sense of self and/or political perspective vis a vis their inalienable rights as a human being, sometimes manage to tough it out thisaway...

Here's another such individual: MISSING student: runaway
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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