Tuesday, August 31, 2004

FINALLY!

Uncle Jerald is found!

I spent most of the afternoon in the company of two officers at the West Helena police department filing a missing persons report for my uncle. From my visit, I found out that:

Ft. Walton took the information from my cousins to file a missing persons report on him on Sunday evening but never actually ENTERED the information (still had not as of 2:30 p.m. today).

Jasper, AL police would not agree to filing a missing persons report because they claim he left on his own. (This I'm STILL trying to understand). The Alabama State Police had a "be on the lookout" for him but no official missing persons thingy.

Where was he, you ask?

In jail, in Alabama, in another county 30 miles from Jasper.

I seriously suspect that he was intoxicated and since I found out today that his driver's license had been suspended here, that probably didn't set well with the officers either.

I'm still mighty upset right now, since, had he not been in jail, and been released, where he could finally call his family to let them know he was ok, I have to wonder just how much longer that his family in three damned states would have been pacing the floors and worrying about whether he was still alive! Do you realize just how long 120 hours is when you don't know?

My uncle used to have a really high security clearance in the Air Force. At one point he monitored the calls coming into the White House. He retired from the Air Force an alcoholic, he's still an alcoholic, but dammit, his life is still worth something to someone.

The woman who was traveling with him just got out of a Texas prison. I wish the hell she was back there. I'm thinking that Uncle's daughters will be sure to make it known that she is unwelcome in their lives down in Florida so maybe she'll go wreck havoc somewhere else. Oh, and did I mention that this woman is the daughter of the Mayor of West Helena??

I do appreciate the efforts of the West Helena, AR police department. They took me seriously and they were prepared to file the missing persons report.

I also appreciate the Alabama State police for keeping an eye out for my Uncle and his truck.

As for the Jasper Police Dept., I hope that each of them finds out what it's like to wonder, and worry, and not know about someone they love for 120 hours. All it would have taken was for them to file the damned missing persons report for us to know that he was ok. They wouldn't.

Thank you so much for your prayers and well wishes. They worked!!

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