Tuesday, November 6th, 2018
Inmates I meet with as a chaplain feel as comfortable talking with me as they would their minister. They tell me the truth as to what they did to get into jail. Some even tell me of crimes they committed that they weren’t charged with. Only two men in the past two years have claimed they were totally innocent of the charges. Andy is one of them.
Andy realized in his teen-aged years that he wasn’t like the other boys who talked about pretty girls and boasted of their prowess with the opposite sex. Andy didn’t have the same interests. He told me of a single sexual encounter with a man when he was in his early 20s, and the guilt afterward that smothered him. You see, Andy’s a born-again Christian who knows homosexuality is condemned by the Bible and a grievous sin. He said that was his only encounter. When I looked him straight in the eye and asked if there were any other instances, he said no, and I believed him.
A troubled boy from a dysfunctional family claimed last year that Andy had sexually assaulted him in 2015 when he was under 13 years of age. A police investigator in Wright County determined there was not enough evidence to bring him to trial, especially given Andy passed a lie-detector test. The family brought the case to another county where a female prosecutor apparently wanted to make an example of someone like him. He went to trial and was found guilty of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the 1st Degree, which carries a sentence of 12 years with 8 served.
Andy has told me he’s innocent. His mother told me what a kind and gentle man he was who wouldn’t hurt a flea. This morning I went to a court house and went through all the correspondence of the investigation in Wright County and of the trial in the other county. The “victim” had a history of trouble at school, trouble with the law, and trouble at home, where he admitted to having sexual relations with his brother and may have wanted to shift the blame by claiming Andy, a friend of the family, had assaulted him.
I’m not into conspiracy theories or shouting from the rooftops that an injustice has been done. But, in my heart, I believe Andy is innocent. He cooperated with the police every step of the way. He just wanted a chance to prove his innocence, to have the truth come out. I have great respect for the legal system, but sometimes things like this happen.
Andy was hoping for a downward departure from the usual prison sentence to time spent and a lengthy probation. I asked him four days before his sentencing how he’d take it if he got the full sentence. “I know Jesus loves me and I love Him. That’s what’s most important. I guess I can live with whatever is handed down.”
Twelve years was handed down, and his mother is inconsolable. She’s lost her son, and Andy has lost his freedom. I believe the world is diminished by his being in jail. But I know God isn’t done with Andy yet. Who knows what is in store for this generous and kind young man? An appeal? A ministry in prison? A life of serving Christ wherever he finds himself. Please pray for Andy. He needs all the encouragement he can get.
November 6th, 2018 at 10:53 pm
The Lord has definitely moved on me to begin interceding for Andy, and for his mother. She may need prayer as much as Andy at this point.
Bill