I hear ya there... I'm still working on one off and on that was left that way... I have all the crap out, carpet out, Most of the demolished kitchen out. When the holidays are over, I'm gonna start patching all the holes in the walls. Then, paint and begin reassembling.
<font color="blue">Harv, how did your problem turn out?</font color>
Good timing on that question, 'cuz we just got a "final" (yeah, right) resolution a few days ago.
It was a long drawn-out ordeal with the legal system up there, but let's see if I can sum it up ala Cliff's Notes:
Good News
There was absolutely no indication of drug use at any time leading up to the "event".
The "violent behavior" did not involve any harm to anyone or any thing.
The guy spent his time in jail reading books on anger management, calling his pastor and inquiring about programs that would help him find out what caused his outburst.
Bottom line -- he is home again and he and his family are attending church more than ever, plus he has started classes that deal with domestic problems.
My property is once again being taken care of. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Bad News
My faith in the legal system in that county has diminished considerably.
The sheriff's department never returned any of my calls.
The district attorney's office kept coming up with charges that made no sense to me.
The wife's initial interview was recorded without her knowledge (illegal by state law here), and the written reports misquoted her in extremely prejudicial ways.
(For example, her actual statement: "Drugs? He did some marijuana a long time ago, but he's been clean for years now." The report: "Wife says he has a problem with meth.")
At the first hearing, the DA "lost" the paperwork, so they had to postpone, leaving the poor guy to spend Christmas in jail.
At the second hearing (which I attended as a witness to certain "technical" matters), they forgot to schedule a court recorder, so we had to wait while they found one. Then when it was time to proceed, the judge says, "where is the defendant?" Somehow they forgot about him, so we had to wait while they brought him over (in shackles, no less) from the jail.
Of the six charges the DA brought against the guy, the judge furiously threw out 4 of them, admonishing the DA for "concocting evidence to build your case".
When the subject of the recorded interview came up, the DA failed to produce the tape or a transcript thereof.
When the subject of deliberately cutting the phone line (an off-the-wall charge by the DA) came up, the sheriff was unable to produce the photos they claimed to have taken.
He was released on his own recognizance that day, but had to return last week to face the remaining two charges (one of which had been reduced to "intent", rather than "commision").
When he got there (with his attorney), the DA announced that they intended to re-file all the previous charges (I didn't know you could do that), and add a few more for good measure. The attorney was furious and said he could easily beat them, but it would require more hearings and probably a jury trial. My guy simply couldn't afford the fees.
The DA offered a plea (like that wasn't their plan to start with), which was basically time served, mandatory classes and 3 years of probabtion if he pleaded guilty to the original two charges.
The only counter they would accept was a plea of "no contest", which is what he finally did.
Something about this whole thing has left a bad taste in my mouth, but for now it's over. Unless, of course, you count the fact that the sheriff seems to have assigned one of his deputies to follow my caretaker every time he leaves the property, which is exactly what has been happening.
Oh, yeah -- as far as the possibility of bipolar is concerned, he was denied an evaluation in jail, so he will be pursuing that on his own now.
So much for Cliff's Notes, but there you have it. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]
>>Something about this whole thing has left a bad taste in my mouth,
I agree with you Harv...its always very disappointing to find out how grossly incompetent the people who are being paid with your tax dollars are...just hope you don't find yourself on the other side someday (i.e. the one caught in the system by incompetent police/da's etc).
I'm glad everything turned out relatively O.K.. When he gets help I hope the meds don't ruin the boy's ambition, you won't get as much work done. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
I'm coming in a little late here, but I thought I might add in an opinion. Bipolar, is a tricky disorder to detect, but not necessarily hard to treat. The hard part with detection is that most people w/ bipolar only go to see the doctor when they are in the depresson phase. Why would anybody go to the doctor when they have plenty of energy and are extremely energetic (manic phase)? Thus, doctors often only proscribe meds based on the reported depression.
If the opportunity presents itself, whether by chance or by your making, I would recommend that he speaks w/ a psychiatrist and a behavioral therapist. When/if he does, explain to him that he should tell the doctor about the manic phases as well as the depression.
Although, I don't encourage medication as a be all end all fix, it will often chemically balance a person until they can behaviorally control their problems. Then the meds can be titrated and possibly stopped.
Some of what you said (e.g., having taken previous meds for depression/anxiety and the endless energy) are indicators that bipolar could exist.
Clint.
P.S. I am no expert, but I have sufficient schooling/ experience to make the above statements confidently.
Thanks for the input, Clint. I've heard some of the same info from various sources now, and you explain it well.
Coincidentally, my caretaker left last night for a voluntary 28-day stay at a not-so-local treatment center. They diagnose, evaluate and treat all sorts of behavioral problems stemming from drugs and alcohol to medical and psychological. Bipolar -- a specialty. Recommended and paid for by his insurance company, so he figured this was his best shot at finding out once and for all if he really has a problem.
I hate to have him away from my property that long, but he seems quite sincere about getting help, so we made a deal. I'll be checking up on his progress over the next 28 days, and it's now a condition of his contract renewal that he gets the whole treatment. [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]
I wish all of the people in the position of your caretaker had the support of people like you. It's uncommon for somebody to be so understanding of a potential mental/behavioral disorder and to help others work through it, especially in a limited employer/employee relationship like you have.
Thanks for working with and supporting your care taker.
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