Graduation Denied
by
Alan Baker will have a graduation story that few seniors get to tell.
In the course of a few short weeks, he witnessed an alleged crime. He helped a buddy. He did the right thing by notifying the police. He flirted with the possibility of not graduating with the rest of his senior class.
This story orbits around the Robertson County Juvenile Justice system, where ostensibly, Alan is just another number in the proverbial avalanche of cases the county has to deal with.
Springfield Police reports indicate that it all starts on March 10th at Springfield H.S. That’s when detectives tell Messed Up a student comes up to Alan and offers to sell the 18 year old a stolen CD player.
“I said no. I don’t want to buy it,” Alan Baker tells me, fidgeting ever so slightly as a teenage boy is apt to do. “I said where did you get it. He said he stole it out of Dustin’s truck. I said Ok. And he walked off.”
It turns out that Dustin is a good friend of Alan Baker, who tells his buddy that he had better check his vehicle in the school parking lot.
Sure enough, Dustin’s stereo had been stolen.
“My buddy came down and I told him what happened and he filed a police report,” Alan says.
Alan’s father, Bruce tells me that he advised his son to do the right thing, even if it meant going down to the police station close to midnight to give his statement to detectives, which is exactly what Alan had to do.
“Alan is at work, when a detective in Springfield P.D. called him and asked him to come down and make a statement. He told the detective, he works till 10:30 pm. The detective said that is fine, So around midnight, we filled out a statement.”
Alan’s dad, Bruce is energetic as he recounts the story to that is Messed Up.
“So a few days later, he gets a subpoena. And he says dad, the subpoena is the same day as my graduation.”
I can’t help myself as I interject.
“OH, OH. Red flags!”
The elder Baker laughs.
“I am like I can take care of this. I will call Juvenile court. This should not be a problem.”
“Right,” I exclaim. “I mean your kid is the hero in this story.”
Bruce Baker nods affirmatively. “Yes, and he is doing the right thing. So I said i can fix it. So I make Phone calls. Nobody calls me back. A Few days go by. Nothing happens. I call up again. Nothing. I get More assertive. I say look, He is graduating this day, and surely we can change his day in court. Is there nothing you can do? And she says no we can’t change the schedule. And I say; This is Robertson County Juvenile Court and this is Robertson County graduation day, surely you can do something. Then she hits me with; we don’t work around people’s social schedules. And I said this is not a social schedule. So I gave up.”
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Graduation. It is a right of passage that practically every adult reading this story can relate with. Graduating with your class after 12, long, hard years and taking that transitional step into the world of adulthood is a monumental leap. I know the courts are busy beyond belief, but sometimes a case has to be looked at individually and not just treated like a number on a docket.
“It’s not like this kid was the stereo thief,” I say to the father. “I mean, this is the good guy, the kid who did something to maintain law and order and right and wrong, and now the system is treating him like a number, a name, another case.”
Not on my messed up watch, I begin to think.
According to Mr. Baker, the subpoena indicates that court begins on May 22nd at 1:30pm. According to Mr. Baker, Alan has to be at the convention center with the rest of the seniors at 5pm May 22nd.
Now, it is possible that Alan’s case could have been heard promptly at 1:30 pm and it is possible that he could have been the very first witness at 1:30 pm. allowing him to make his commencement exercise. Then again, it is also possible that a flying dishwasher full of money will fly over the courthouse dropping sacks of 100 dollar bills on all who think nice thoughts.
Not likely huh?
I have been to court hundreds of times, and there is always a motion to hear, a continuance to grant, another case to be dealt with.
When I think of speed and precision, court is not the first thing that comes to my mind. Court is long and tedious, like a run on sentence that continues on two pages of a novel.
The speed at which court works is also the concern Mr. Baker expresses to me.
“I was talking to principal High Smith to make him aware of the situation. I told him we will be late, but we will be there.”
According to Bruce Baker, the Springfield HS principal drops the bombshell that gets Mr. Baker’s mind stewing.
“He tells me that he has been in juvenile court till past 8pm.” Baker’s eyes roll inside their sockets. “That’s when I said this is Messed Up. And all I can think to do is call you guys and see if you can help me out.”
The Bakers show me their graduation photo and the announcements they have sent to relatives around the country. They tell me that 10 people alone are coming from Pennsylvania for Alan’s big day. This includes Grandma and aunts and cousins.
What if they all travel from all over the country and Alan is not even there because he is sitting in Juvenile Court waiting to testify I query the anxious dad.
“He did what i told him,” Baker says. “My instructions are: You have been served. If you can’t get out. You will have to sit in court and miss graduation if that is what it comes to. it is the right thing to do. But surely there must be a way to work this out. So its frustrating cause I’ll have called the Robertson county juvenile court and asked to talk to the D.A. To call several times, he is supposed to call me; maybe he will call me today.” Baker laughs a cynical laughs.
My guess is the court doesn’t care. His son’s walk across the stage is not a pressing matter.
That is going to change I think to myself.
“I read the police report,” I say. “This is a 168 dollar stereo. It’s not a murder. The kid should graduate. Don’t you think?” I say testily.
“Oh yes sir. I agree.”
at my request, the young man gets his cap and gown.
“You may not get to graduate with your class,” I tell him, but you are going to get to graduate across the Messed Up stage.”
The boy laughs as camera man Al, and I and even Mr. Baker begin humming the commencement theme.
Alan walks about 20 feet and concludes his Messed Up moment by shaking his dad’s hand.
Always the good sport, Mr. Baker looks in his boy’s eye with love and says, “Thanks for graduating, now move out.”
We all laugh out loud.
Al and I thank the Baker’s and go to the Robertson County D.A.’s office.
The DA is not there. The secretary in the office hands us a piece of paper with the name of District Attorney General John Carney who runs the entire 19th district.
I call Carney’s office in Clarksville. The woman says he is out.
I impress upon his secretary that it would be a very good thing for John to get back in touch with me as soon as possible.
And he does.
John and I have known each other for a long time. He has always struck me as a fair guy.
At our urging, He tells me he has looked into the graduation mess.
“I just talked to the Asst. D.A. in Robertson County” he tells me. “I am going to move the court date,” he says bluntly.
I am surprised it comes so easily.
“That’s great, John. When?”
“I don’t know. Maybe as late as August,” he says over the phone.
Carney tells me the alleged radio thief didn’t have an attorney yet, and the case would probably be continued, so rather than let it all go to hell in a hand basket, the sagacious prosecutor decided to do the right thing and move the subpoena date.
“That is the right thing to do,” Carney says. “I 100 percent agree with it. if it was my kid I would expect the same thing. It’s Taken care of.”
Carney is on his day off. He thanks me for calling him and then says he has to run.
I thank him for such a speedy and judicious decision.
I call Mr. Baker who is astounded that resolution has found its way to his doorstep so promptly.
“Are you kidding me?” a rambunctious Baker says into the receiver.
“Oh. Thank you so much. Wow you called the attorney general. Thanks so much. That is amazing. Thanks so much. Can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. Absolutely. Nothing was happening. I had given up. You were my last hope. I had given up. I can’t thank you enough.”
It’s the least we could do for a good kid who did the right thing.
…way to go Andy. now lower the gas prices ’round here.
He certainly did do the right thing.Thanks to “Thats messed up” He will get to graduate with his class.
WAY TO GO ANDY! YOU HAVE DONE IT AGAIN!!! YOU GO GUY!!
Alan Baker should not be punished for doing the right thing! I admire his courage. His parents should be commended for raising such a fine young man.
wow, a happy ending.. wtg hun and Congrats to the fine young man.
Hmmm.Maybe I should think twice brfore reporting a theft. One could be tased. Judging by the reports I have seen on TV, They seem to really enjoy doing that.
What’s happened to this blog. Is he on vacation?
Being a Robertson County native and resident, I know first hand how totally ludicross the County beaurecracy is. It is a shame that it takes citizens to coll on the Media to get something handled as simple appropriate scheduling conflicts. And our county officials are NEVER in their office or available when called upon. Why are we paying them?
Disgusted with my citizenship.
Kelly Sanders
I am proud of you Andy, even though I don’t know you or your family. I know it had to have been trying on you and your family. It seems those that have earned the right to graduate, should get to do so and it seems, since all the graduations for the county are on set dates, the officials should have known when graduation was and the conflict it would cause. Now they’ve moved the date to maybe even as late as August, that’s ridiculous as well. It will be an old matter by then and will it once again conflict with the start of college for such a fine young man? Stick to your guns Andy and continue to do the right thing, not the easy one. You will one day look back on this and know it marked not only your passage into adulthood as so many of us take, but a passage into a “responsible” future for yourself. Congratulations!!
We are only people with hopes and dreams. No one should have the right to take this moment from any child. Yes Child. What has happened to America. We have become so caught up in treating people bad that it seems to be second nature. As adults we need to set an example. Andy was aware of how important it was to show up and respect the courts, but how could anyone exspect him to miss this moment?? The first person that was spoken with about this matter had the power to help change this. Andy Good Luck. Andy always remember to treat people the way you want to be treated and that we all are human.