This case was something that you’d think came out of a Hollywood movie. It involves bank robbery, kidnapping and guns; all meticulously planned by the defendant. However in the end, unlike the A-Team, where the plan all came together; the defendant is currently serving 2 life sentences plus 20+ years.
This case was my second jury trial during my bailiff training, it was also the longest case I’ve worked since.
All serious felony cases take around two years from the date of incident/arrest to make their way to a jury trial.
The actual robbery took place after many months of planning by the defendant. The defendant and his family were going through extreme financial difficulties. He had no criminal record prior to this case and decided to solve his financial problems with this elaborate criminal plan to rob a bank. The defendant found his target bank and spent weeks and months along with his accomplices staking it out. They all knew who every employee was, what they did and where they lived by following them all home. The defendant picked the assistant manager because she was the one with the keys and opened the bank every day.
On the day of the robbery the defendant was dropped off at the assistant bank manager’s home by his wife. He pretended to be a delivery man, delivering a box to her husband. At the door, he forced his way into her home with a silenced pistol. The assistant manager was 8 months pregnant that day, she cooperated with the defendant, who told her that he wasn’t there to hurt her and that there’s a gang who has his son hostage; that they were watching them from outside and if things didn’t go as he says, they will kill his son. He also mentioned that they knew where her husband worked, where all her employees lived with accurate details. Whether she believed his story or not, he was armed with a silenced pistol and told he that no one would hear her if he shot her. She wasn’t just protecting herself, but her unborn child as well; the only way to survive is to comply with his demands.
The defendant had her drive them both to the bank in her car. He then told her to have a coworker come out of the bank so he could have assurances that she would get what he wanted done: get all of the cash in the vault without the trackers or paint and come back to the car. She was able to convince her coworker to come out to the car. The defendant then held her at gun point and told her the same story. He held the bank employee in the car while the assistant manager went in to get the money. She told the manager her situation and that they knew where he lived as well. She then came back with the money. The defendant then told her to drive away from the bank along with her coworker and himself. Once they were several blocks away, he had her park and then told them both to go back to the bank and to wait 15 minutes, then call the police and FBI and repeat to them his story. He told them to face forward until he was gone then they were free to go. He left with the money and was in the wind, free and clear- so he thought.
The assistant bank manager, her coworker and manager were all treated as suspects. The investigators initially didn’t believe her story and all the victims went through a lot of scrutiny until they were cleared.
Many months later, the defendant was arrested. His plan had failed. DNA evidence was left behind at one of the crime scenes. The investigators had an idea that the defendant was involved and followed him and collected a DNA sample that he left behind while they were watching him. The DNA was a match and not long after, he and his accomplices were all in custody.
During the whole trial, the defendant showed absolutely no remorse. He was actually upbeat when he thought the case was going in his favor. The jurors found him guilty of all counts.
On his sentencing day, 30 days later, he faked a fall while walking up to the courtroom in the back tunnel. He was sent to the hospital with two deputies. An x-ray revealed that he had foreign objects kestered up his you know what. There were two handcuff keys made from staples, a shoelace with toothpaste packages tied on each end (to choke out one of us). He failed again, this time to escape custody.
At the rescheduled sentencing day, he requested not to be present, which was denied. He then choose to stay inside the cage and cowered in there, never showing his face to anyone.
The victims read their impact statements and they all were greatly affected because of the incident. They all live in fear every single day.
Of the hundreds of thousands that were stolen, some of it was recovered, the rest unaccounted for.
One thing is for sure: the defendant will never see the outside of a prison for the rest of his days.
Bailiff
Everyone knows what a Bailiff is. If you’d seen Judge Judy, Bailiff Byrd is always standing by in her courtroom. What most people don’t know is what they do exactly, besides just being in the background.
The Bailiff is responsible for courtroom security, which includes themselves, the judge, clerks and everybody else in the courtroom. Multi tasking is a huge part of the job. Security and safety is the absolute priority, but it is just one of many tasks at hand. Different courtrooms have different calendars and cases that are split between civil and criminal. Each courtroom has a team that runs it either well or poorly. The team consists of the Judge, Clerk, and Bailiff. They do not have any dog in the fight, if you will. The Judge hears the case and makes a ruling based on the law, the Clerk makes sure everything is done correctly and is recorded, the Bailiff maintains order and in charge of movement in the courtroom.
What you normally see on TV and films are either civil trials and jury trials. It’s only a small glimpse of what really goes on in the justice system. I’ll go into the courts in depth on a later post.
Back to Bailiff’s. On a daily basis, depending on the courtroom assignment and calendar, they make sure the courtroom is free of any possible dangerous objects or hazards. They address members of the public, defendants, witnesses, jurors, attorneys, pretty much everybody who comes through the courtroom doors; where to sit and what to do, when to do it. They also are in charge of moving inmates into and out of the courtroom. They constantly enforce the law and court rules that are in place. Paperwork, yes that’s part of it too. Every defendant that has completed their case either by pleading guilty or are found guilty after trial gets a set of paperwork that has instructions on their sentence and probation.
Bailiffs are usually alone in their courtrooms and therefore have to be always ready to react to anything that happens in their courtroom, their partners’ courtroom or anywhere in and around the courthouse. They are at foremost, the first responders of the court system.
I am currently a Bailiff and I take my job seriously because the lives of others depends on me know what to do when things go sideways.
I may have a steady schedule, which is nice; but there’s nothing routine about what I do everyday. It’s just like there’s no such thing as a ‘routine car stop’. Some may think that this assignment is boring and yes, it could be. I however, enjoy it because I learn something new everyday. I get to see cases from the start to finish and how our justice system really works. Our system is far from perfect, but in my opinion, it’s far better than in most other nations.
A lot of stories will come my experience here in the court system and there’s plenty of them!
Teamwork
Members of the Thin Blue Line are all part of a vast team that defends citizens from those who choose to commit crimes. All are Peace Officers, sworn and not sworn. They have different titles: Police Officer, Deputy, Corrections Officer, Bailiff, Warden, Federal Agent, Park Ranger, Parole Officer, Probation Officer, Traffic Officer and the list goes on and on. They all have their specific areas of responsibility. Each are experts in their own fields and together, they keep law and order throughout our nation and in our communities. They all enforce laws, whether it is Federal, State, or Municipal and whether they agree or disagree with them.
No one Peace Officer can do everything themselves, that is why they are a part of something bigger: the Thin Blue Line.
For many of us, it is a calling. I know it was for me. I grew up knowing that I didn’t want an office job, I wanted to do more to give back to my community-to help and protect others. I want to make a difference, a positive one.
I consider all members of the Thin Blue Line my family. Like all families, not everybody gets along. You see in movies and TV shows all the time, the local cops and the feds fighting over jurisdiction and so forth. A lot of that does exist, some think that their job or title is more important than that of everyone else’s. Some departments don’t get along with others. Just because some don’t see eye to eye, they usually maintain their professionalism. You don’t see an all out brawl seen in the movie “Supertroopers” between the local PD and the Highway Patrol. Although there maybe differences that exist, all of that goes out the window when it matters- we all have each other’s backs.
We all support one another when in need. That is evident when we any of us fall in the line of duty. Memorials for Officers are attended by no less than hundreds of members of their department and many from outside agencies. I’ve been to more memorials than I can remember. I make every attempt to attend a service to pay my respect to the fallen officer, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for those they served. It is very important to me because I feel like I’ve lost a brother or sister, even though I may have never met them.
We are all one team, a family, with the same goal: keeping our country and communities safe, while making sure that we all go home to our own families.
Priorities
Everyone has their own priorities in life. I’m not here to criticize anyone else’s, I’m just going to tell you mine. My family comes first, period. Whatever is best for them is what’s best for me. Nobody on this planet loves me as much as they do, therefore I’d do anything for them. Familytime is the most precious time to me.
My career comes second. I love what I do for a living. When I’m on the clock I do the absolute best job I can. When I’m off the clock, I’m still a sworn peace officer. If I can help in a situation, I will; only if I can do so without jeopardizing the lives of my wife or child. I don’t work overtime unless it’s absolutely necessary. Time and a half doesn’t come close to how much spending time with my family is worth.
We all hear the statistics on the divorce rate with LEO’s and from my personal observations, I can say that there is a trend. A lot of my partners are divorced some of them more than once. Not all of them were because of the job. Those who put their careers first usually have issues at home due to many reasons: they’re always at work, get called in, etc. What we do is important because if there was no officers to protect those who can’t protect themselves, nobody else will. I’ve seen a lot of children of LEO’s end up on the wrong side of the law. Children need their parents in their lives, preferably both parents. If you’re not there, you’re not there. What I don’t want is to be a statistic.
Shift work is rough on the family. On a 3/12, it’s nice to get the 3-4 days off, but those days that you’re on, you don’t have much time to get stuff done; you barely have time to eat, sleep and get ready for the next day. When you’re on your days off, you’re usually tired and don’t have much energy. I was fortunate to get out of that schedule into what I call, “the best schedule in Law Enforcement,” which is the court schedule. It’s like having a 9-5 job, while doing what you love to do.
Everyone has to have balance in their lives. For some it’s hard to decide their order of priorities. It isn’t for me because no matter what I decide to do, my family comes first.
Bottom line: as long as you are happy, all is good.
Tackleberry
The term “Tackleberry” is used often to describe a type of person in my profession. It originates from a character from the movie Police Academy (he’s the one with the hand cannon). I’ve been called and labled as a Tackleberry by many of my partners. People who earn this title are usually to one’s with a lot of gear or guns. It’s used in a joking manner, sometimes it’s a negative label to have because it could mean that your somewhat insane. I don’t mind being called that because I am not ashamed to be prepared. The ongoing trend that you will see in my writing and my way of life is that it almost always will revert back to my mindset.
Back in my academy days, I was quickly called Tackleberry by my classmates. They often made fun of me because I always had extras of everything. They laughed until it was low light training day at the range and they didn’t even own a flashlight. They once made fun of me in front of an instructor and he replied, “I know who I’d would want next to me in my foxhole…”
I’ve always had an interest in technology with everything that I use. Since my chosen career requires me to protect my life and others, I know that the equipment I use could have an effect on the outcome of whatever situation I may be confronted with. Do not be mistaken, knowing about your equipment and having it doesn’t make any difference; it’s knowing how to use it to it’s maximum capability by constantly training with it that will help you be more successful.
I don’t care what my partners call me, what I do care about is how they perceive me and my reputation. Jokes aside, they know that I’m the partner they want to back them up when hell breaks loose. Nothing anyone says to me will keep me from achieving my most important goal: going home to my family at the end of each shift.
the Sheepdog Mindset
The term ‘Sheepdog’ is used quite a bit lately. You may have heard it from members of our military or law enforcement. I, myself am a Sheepdog.
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman’s book On Killing defines what Sheepdog are. www.killology.com/sheep_dog.htm
Simply put, it describes the Sheepdog as the protectors of the Sheep, from the Wolves. In our society, the Sheepdogs are personified in our military warriors who take the fight our enemies abroad and our law enforcement officers, who protect our citizens from criminals.
The Sheepdog Mindset is to always be prepared to face the evil that we know exists. In order to stop the wolves, they must be able to use their teeth.
I have no military experience and never served, therefore I could only speak about my point of view as an officer. I can say that it is not easy being a Sheepdog, you are almost always reactionary because you’re there to protect, not instigate. In today’s world, the level of violence is rising and those who commit those acts have no regard for anyone besides themselves. The criminals are armed with the latest technologies, whether it be electronics or weapons. We need to modernize our own equipment in order to protect ourselves, making us effective against those who are bent on doing harm to others or ourselves. The Sheep, however are sometimes intimidated by our own weapons and equipment. The are afraid because they are not familiar with them or the real threats we face on a daily basis.
I have the right mindset. To those that don’t, all I can say is: failure to plan is planning to fail.
If we’re not effective Sheepdogs, then the Wolves will have free reign over all.
To all my fellow Sheepdogs, stay safe!
Welcome to my Blog!
Welcome to Fifty Shades of FDE!
I am a Full-Time LEO, husband and father. I have over nine years of experience with my department.
I started this blog and my Instagram in 2015 with the goal of educating fellow LEO’s and gun enthusiasts with my personal knowledge and experience.
I run Fifty Shades of FDE myself, on my free time. I am a part of the Muzzle Flash Media team and manage that page as well.
I am now a writer for Breach Bang Clear and manage other social media pages for industry companies that I have a close relationship with.
Originally, my Instagram page only featured original content. It didn’t take long for me to realize that there is a whole lot more shades of FDE out there and so I made my page a hybrid with original posts along with reposts of high quality content that I come across, while making sure that credit is always given to the original owner. The best way to get my attention for a repost is to tag me in your photo or direct message me.
If you’d like to support Fifty Shades of FDE, please go to http://www.madduo.com
and use promo code: 50Shades
Thanks for stopping by, if you’d like to contact me, email me at:
fiftyshadesoffde@gmail.com