"It is difficult for some people to understand the criminal mind,” Ms. Fishburn told me. “I don’t have any pretense of that insight other than, like everyone, they want what they want. The difference seems to be their ability to instantly work to achieve it.” I have to agree with her. As middle school teacher she seen a lot and she’s a pretty savvy young woman.
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| Violence and Restraining Orders |
Because of this need for instant gratification, laws, restraining order or morality makes no difference to them. They want what they want.
Let me recount a
recent news article from the Columbus, Ohio media she was sharing with her class
of eighth graders.
29-year-old Brandon
Richards, was just released hours ago before he was rearrested on domestic
violence charges. I want to point out he
was in the Franklin County Jail on
aggravated menacing and domestic violence charges. He has several previous charges including
domestic violence and violation of a previous protection order.
He was released at
9:30 p.m. Thursday night on his own recognizance, which either Fishburn nor I
can make heads or tail of that. What
were the courts thinking?
Brandon called up
his victim, who had a protection order in place and said he was coming over. She was frightened enough to call the Columbus
police.
The details aren’t
elaborated on but it appears there was a Columbus police officer right behind
Richards' vehicle when the call came in. Fishburn is amazed about the coincidence,
really, really amazed. So am I.
Brandon took one
look at the flashing light and took off.
He crashed a couple of blocks later and jumped out of the car with a
handgun. A brief foot chase took place
and resulted in an officer firing their weapon. No one was hit or injured in
the incident and Brandon’s firearm was recovered at the scene.
I’m not the police nor
involved with the community’s legal system, so I can call it as I see it. He had a gun and intended to coerce and eventually
shoot his victim. Fortunately that
didn’t happen. The media reports that more
resources are available at the Ohio Domestic Violence Network’s website to help
victims of violence.
It took me a full
minute to get Fishburn to stop laughing at that.
“Look,” she explained after wiping away the tears of laughter. “Somehow Brandon, despite being in jail and under disability managed to illegally get his hands on a gun within hours of his release. If it wasn’t a gun it would have been a knife, two feet of rebar or his fists and feet. So the fact he completely ignored the restraining order doesn’t even register with me And really, what could some powder-puff at the end of a phone at a help center do when someone is kicking down your door?”
We suspect the Columbus
police knew he was up to something. The odds
of having a patrol car in the right place at the right time is
astronomical. If it was just good luck,
I would say the intended victim used up her lifetime of luck in one evening.
Laws only restrict
those who voluntary obey them. I’m sure
that Brandon blames his victim, society, poor potty training or anything other
than himself for his problems.
What did it take to
prevent Brandon from murdering his intended victim? It took force.
Here’s my
mantra: Get a gun, get training and then get a restraining order.
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