My youngest of three boys was away at college and commencing his dreams to play football and earn his college degree. Imagine getting a call from the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) late Friday evening. Your child is on the other end, “Momma, please come and get me – I have been arrested.” My mind became flooded with a sense of fear and panic! My world came crashing down!

I did not have a clue about what to do next. With my phone ringing non-stop with people wanting to know if this was my son and if the accusations were true, all I knew was that I had to help my son.

While out shopping, I received a bizarre telephone call from a neighbor. “Don’t come home,” the voice on the other end shouted, “the apartment building has been shut down, and no one can enter or leave.” Unfazed, I continued to shop until two phone calls later when I found out the police were looking for my son. I was told that he was a potential suspect. In what…I didn’t know. For the first time in my life, I felt utterly helpless! I thought to myself, this has to be a mistake.

Frantically, I tried to call my son, but he didn’t respond. I raced to the precinct, thinking I’d surely get some answers. I thought, “calm down – you know him better than anyone else, and none of this is making any sense.”