I work for the government, never mind I stole a car

A few weeks ago, I was walking through the jail and, as I walked by someone in the booking room, I heard him say, "Hey I work for the FBI and I need to talk to you."

I have become used to the fact that any time I try and walk through the jail, just about every inmate wants to talk about something and try to get my attention, so I have to be very selective on how much time I spend talking to people in the jail or I will be back there all day.

This comment however peaked my interest enough that I stopped to see what this guy had to say.

"You work for the FBI?" I asked. "Yes," he replied, "we've got to get this under control." I asked what he was referring to and he started jumping from one subject to the next.

Most of the stuff he rambled about had to do with his girlfriend and some of his family. At one point he told me that I worked for him, but then he stopped mid-sentence and sat up a little more, and leaning toward me said, "You won't be able to check my blood because the CIA put something in it that will stop you."

I tried for a few more minutes to see if I could have any conversation from this guy that would make any sense, but after being told he also worked for the president's secret service, homeland security, and every other agency you can think of, I decided there was not going to be any meaningful conversation.

I asked a jailer what he was in here for and they said he had stolen a car and was pacing around in the middle of the road when deputies got to him. Needless to say, he had taken a few drugs and was not quite back to reality yet.

A few days later I passed the guy again and now that he was not full of drugs, he made much more sense when I was trying to talk to him. He said he started smoking cigarettes when he was 10, and by the time he was 15, he was smoking marijuana, taking pills by the age of 17, and meth by the time he turned 20.

I asked him what he thought the reason was that he had started taking the drugs, and he thought for a minute and then shrugged and said, "I guess I just had too much time on my hands and was around the wrong people."

Abba Eban said, "History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives." Everyone needs something in their life that leads them and guides them and if there is a lack of guidance, it seems people will always choose every bad option before trying the right one. I met with some people recently about bringing some programs into the Vernon County Jail that will help anyone who is willing to participate.

These programs are geared at dealing with any problems in life that lead them here, helps them to identify the problem, and choose a better path in life.