Life in the Felon Tank:

I was placed in the felon cell at  Imperial county jail. 18 years old and scared to death.  My charge was Strong Arm robbery.  I found a bunk and settled into it. My plan was to keep a low profile and  hope to get out soon.  There was a guy playing Badass, saying I am a US Marine and you best not mess with me. Was he a Marine? I do not know. But he was claiming it and acting bad.  That night after lights out, a few of the real bad asses cornered him and worked him over pretty good. Last I saw of him he was hanging onto the cell door screaming for the jailer to save him.  I was aware that I was in bad company so I was trying real hard not to piss anyone off.  Monday morning rolled around and a couple of the guys wandered over to check me out. They asked me what I was in for, and I explained that I was in for Strong arm Robbery.

     The older guy introduced himself as “The Arizona Gunman” a guy I had seen on the evening news. He had started a crime spree in Phoenix that ran all the way to El Centro. Had performed many robberies and shot a few and killed at least 2.  His friend was likewise an armed robber, and they decided to take a liking to me.  Both were already 2 time losers and would be going up for life because of the 3 strike  Part of our judicial system.  They started telling me I would be going to Chino with them.  They gave me a rundown on how things went at the big house and told me they were planning their escape already and wanted me to be in on it and run with them.  They said when you get to Chino ask to work in the garden, that was where they would be. Told me we would steal the farm truck and make our break..  Well I was not ready to make a jailbreak, but listened to them because I had nothing better to do. Also as long as they were my friends everybody else in the cell left me alone.  We  spent all day Monday, and Tuesday planning what we were going to do.  Their plan was well thought out because they had both been to Chino before. I was sure I was going to prison. and that these two were going to force me to help them make their escape. I was worried  that I had really screwed up my life. Even when I was bailed out on Wednesday, they said “See Ya in Chino”. They had told me horror stories about prison life, and convinced me I was going to find out for my self.  Well Thanks to being honest with the Sherriff and with the Grace of God I did not go to prison.  Did I live a straight life after that? Not always but God Protected me and kept me from harm.

I did proudly serve my time in the US Navy and receive an Honorable discharge….And as I look back at my Jail Time I have always wondered did my “friends” tell me all that to scare me? To make me realize what could happen if I didn’t straighten up? I think that was their motive and it did work to a great extent!!

OUT OF JAIL:

    When I got home from Jail that Wednesday, I first called my sister Patsy.  Her and her husband Sam and I were supposed to go to the Drag Races the Sunday I was in jail, and I wanted to say sorry I missed it and talk to her about what had transpired.  Plans that Sunday were important to me because it was going to be the first time we had big name racers at our strip, “Gas Ronda” was the headliner and he was one of my favorites. When I told her “I am out and home!” she asked “Out of what?” I said Jail, and she was surprised because when they went to get me all Dad told them was I hadn’t came home yet.  I filled her in on things and she was not happy with me.    Next I called Meredith and found out He and Wayne didn’t know either.  They came to the house and we talked about it.  My car had been impounded, and Meredith took me to pick it up.  We cruised El Centro that night, and everybody thought I was crazy because I raced a guy ring in front of the courthouse, me being out on bail.  Time passed and I got a call from the Sherriff and went to see him.  He explained that my friend had said he would join the Job Corp, and since I was already in the Navy they were going to dropp the charges, but I had to contact the farmers where we had messed things up, and arrange to make restitution. I di male contact with both farmers told them who I was and what I had done. Both took my name and number and said they would get back to me.  Neither ever called me back.  Court day came and Meredith and Wayne went to court with me. At the hearing all charges were dropped and I was free to go.

      The time came and I headed for AFFEES in Los Angeles,   While going through processing, I was asked “Did you get into any trouble while waiting for active duty??   I explained that I had but all charges were dropped. They asked why charges were dropped and I replied “Because I was already signed up for the Navy. I was sent to some officers office and he said if the charges were dropped just so you could stay in the Navy we may not want you. He sent me back to the hotel until the next day and when I returned to his office he said the charges were dropped for “Lack of evidence”  I said fine if that is what they want to say so be it..  At that point I resumed processing and started n=my hitch in the Navy.  God had been watching out for me, ande I was on my way to an interesting life.

I have one more part of the Jail story I will post tomorrow. Life in the Felon Tank..........

Run in with the Law

I have said many times I have done things in my life I am not proud of. I have wished I could go back and make changes, but everything I  have done has made me what I am today.  I could go on telling my story with these parts but then I would not be telling the whole story. Will I admit to all the wrong I have done in my life, NO! but I will share some of it so everyone can get a glimpse of the real me. And in some cases will realize that my feelings on certain things come from my own downfalls.

It was a Saturday and a friend I had recently met had dates with two young ladies we knew. In fact it was these ladies that had introduced us to each other.  I was the one with the car so I went to his house and picked him up, and we phoned the girls to let them know  we were on the way. Well that was when we were stood up, lol, Seems one of the girls parents had grounded her and the other was not going alone.  He and I decided we would go cruise El Centro to kill the evening. At 19 I was the oldest, I believe he was 17. At some point we decided we wanted to drink a couple of beers.  We drove around town and stopped at the bowling alley to see who was there. I found a friend I knew was over 21, and made him a deal I would pay for a case of Coors and split it with him if he would make the purchase.  He agreed and we headed to the liquor store.  I promised him if anything happened I would never tell who had bought it for us, and to this day only he, the other guy that was with me and myself know who he was.  So my friend and I headed out of town to drink some beer. This was my first time to go out drinking, and I had only had a few sips of beer at any given time before. We had a 6-pack each and parked out in the country to drink them.

  We found out we had some things in common, and decided we would go camping the next week end we got the chance.  After the beer ran out we started cruising the country roads and ditch banks, not wanting to go home yet. We were feeling pretty good on our buzz, and as we were going down an irrigation road we saw 2 camping lanterns and a can of fuel. We decided we could use this on our camping trip so we stopped and picked it up, actually we knew we were stealing it but didn’t care at the time.   Later we ran across the irrigator sitting in his car and I still do not know why we stopped but we did and started talking to him. He was a Mexican guy and I or my friend did not speak much Spanish at the time. Well my friend decided he liked the guys watch, and we thought it would be a good idea to trade him the lanterns and fuel for his watch.  He did not know English, and we found out later that through our sign language thought we were going to pour the fuel on his car and burn him if we did not get the watch. This was never our intent, but he gave us the watch and the lanterns.  We were Laughing about that when we ran across some equipment parked in the field. We got out and found some tools and other things we took and then we vandalized the tractors and stuff. To make it short, we vandalized 2 fields that night and harassed another irrigator. I dropped my friend at his house and headed home.

     I made it almost to the Alamo river bridge going into Holtville, when my world lit up big time. Not sure how many officers were all around but there were lots of red lights.  I pulled over, and they told me to get out of the car with my hands up. I quickly complied, and was surrounded by all types of law enforcement with weapons drawn.

   They searched my car finding all the stolen things and put me in cuffs. They then drove back to my friends place where his house was surrounded and they had him in custody as well.  We arrived at the Imperial County jail about 0400 Sunday Morning.  I reminded him not to tell who bought us the beer and we both told them it was some wino off the street.  My friend was taken to Juvenile detention, and I was placed into the felony cell.  I did manage to call my Dad and let him know I was in jail.  He had always told me “You get yourself in jail, and you can get yourself out!!” so I did not expect any help and I was right.

    I found a bunk and laid down but could not sleep.  I stayed in my bunk (near the door) and kept my mouth shut.   Monday morning the Sherriff called me to his office and started talking to me. He ask me what happened and I told him everything just as it happened.  He asked if I had ever been in trouble before and I replied never, not even a traffic ticket. I told him I was in the Navy and waiting to report for active duty, and he decided to try to help me as much as he could. Monday after noon I was taken to the courthouse to be arraigned on charges. I had spoken to a defense attorney and told to plead not guilty so that is what I did.

  On the way to the court, I was shackled to a very large black gentleman. He said it I start runnin you better keep up!!!! I replied if you start runnin you are going to have to drag me to get me to come with you!!!! He didn’t run and didn’t get on my case back in the cell either. (Thank You Lord!!)  I was charged with “Armed Robbery-Strongarm” I was really worried now.

    I was in the sheriff’s  office 3 times on Monday, and we were starting to become friends, LOL,  He knew everything, and had a pile of evidence in his office.  They had found my Dad’s hunting knife in my glove compartment and he asked if I had used it during my “Crime spree” I told him No we did not intend to hurt any one!  We were just having a little fun.  During our interviews he decided I was not a criminal but a kid caught up in showing how bad I could be to impress another kid. He said he would get it arranged with the DA so I would be charged as a juvenile instead of an adult so it could be sealed into my juvenile record. He asked about who my family was and many visits were as much just to talk than to question me.

On Tuesday he again called me to his office to talk. One visit he said “I just thought you might like to get out of the cell for a while.”.  I remember the jailer telling me If I kept getting called to the office he was going to wear out a pair of shoes LOL. 

     On Wednesday, I was called to the Sherriff’s office again, this time it was to talk to a bondsman.  The bondsman would not tell me who had contacted him, but I narrowed it down to three possibilities.

1.    My Dad

2.    My Uncle Andrew

3.    The Sherriff himself.

    To this day I do not know who sent him, but he and I made a deal I had half his fee and would pay him the rest on Friday when I got paid. He did all the necessary paperwork, and drove me to the field were day Dad was working because Dad had my money. I did not go back to work that day but instead had the bondsman drop me at my house. I contacted my sister Pat, and found out Dad had told no one where I was.  I called my cousins and they hadn’t known either…….

JOINING THE WORK FORCE.

In September 1967, My dad had me start going to work with him with the Holtville Alfalfa Mills. They harvested alfalfa year round and dehydrated it to make cubes, pellets, and other feed products.  The basics of the process was for one machine we called a Swather  to cut  the alfalfa down and leave it in rows, which were then pushed together with rakes into a row suitable for the choppers to grind up and shoot into the trucks. The product was then taken to the mill where it went through final processing in to feed.  The choppers could not pick up too large a row and if it was not large enough it took too much time to get the trucks filled. During the summer the job was easy because the hay was thick, but during winter the hay was short and then and it was a chore to keep enough down for the chopper.  I worked for a week without pay, and at the end of that week, the foreman (Which was also my Uncle Andrew) told me I was doing good so I said “Does that mean you are going to put me on the payroll?” he laughed and said yes.   Problem with the job was it was 7 days a week and we seldom had a day off.

       The hay was thick, and we would cut a few sections and stop and wait for the choppers to catch up. Usually it would go like this. Get to the mill, load up in the company pick-up and head out to whatever field we were in that day, service our equipment and lay down a few sections. Then we would stand around and talk for a while until it was close to lunch time. Then we would lay down a few sections and load up and go to town or a local grocery store or café to eat. Go back to the field lay down a few more sections and stand around talking or working on our rigs until about quitting time and lay down enough sections to keep the choppers going until the night shift arrived.

   Many times if we knew we would not finish a field that day we would take our own cars to the field and work on them during down time. One day we were cutting a field behind the Barbara Worth Country Club and my Uncle and My dad were under my car replacing the starter for me. While they were working, the service truck was parked next to my car and I pumped my tank full of company gas LOL. Every body was taking gas when they got the chance anyway.  I was always grabbing a few gallons. One day in the middle of the week my cousins and I wanted to go cruising, but we’re all pretty broke. Well that afternoon I pulled the choke out on my tractor and then went and got the service truck and filled the tank. That evening we drove to the field and siphoned the gas from the tractor to put in my car.  This became a bad habit but we never got caught, although I thionk my dad was getting wise to us because he made a statement about it was funny how they always knew where we were parked. So we quit this process.

During the winter it was different, we had to keep moving or as Uncle Andrew said “:Cut‘er down and Move” a phrase I still use to this day. Another phrase I learned was from my co-workers.  It seems the swathers at times would get plugged up and leave a big knot of hay for us to straighten out. Many time requiring us to get down and spread the hay then rake it up into the row. So every time we had a problem, regardless of what it was we would say “Hit a knot?”  Again a phrase I have used ever since. 

   The mill had a contract with the New Holland Equipment Co, since they used equipment 365 days a year, to test new products. I was often using a hay rake that had never been used before. I was pretty rough on equipment. Both  because of my age and my wanting to do as much as possible as fast as possible.  One of the New Holland mechanics at the time once said to be “We’re going to keep developing until we have one that is James Proof!!”  Another memory was the day they brought out the first “Hydrostatic drive”  Swather.  Drew had to be the first to try it and he mounted up. With the hydrostatic drive you had one lever to control the forward and reverse. Push to go forward, pull to back up. Well Drew had the header up on that thing and when he pushed to go it went to fast so he pulled back and when he did the back end raised up like a reverse wheelie. LOL so push forward again, and repeat the process. That thing bucked him around and we all waited to see if he would make 8 seconds.   I learned a lot about working and holding a job from that experience, but did not want to make a career of it working all the time. Also in 1967  many of my classmates had gotten their draft notices, I did not want to be in the Army so I joined the Navy.  I was on a program where I joined got, sworn in and then had 120 days before I reported for active duty.

 So I continued to work until June 1967. During the time I was waiting for active duty I had my first run in with the law but that is another story..