AN OPEN LETTER FROM MY DAD TO THE JUDGE

DEAR HONORABLE ...........,


IT IS WITH A DIFFICULT HEART I WRITE THIS LETTER TO YOU PLEADING FOR MY SONS LENIENCY.

I WILL START OUT WHEN JAMIE WAS IN HIS TEENS HE HAD ANOTHER BROTHER NAMED JOSHUA. WHO HE WAS ALWAYS COMPETING FOR ATTENTION WITH, AS JOSH WAS THE ATHLETIC TYPE AND JAMIE WAS THE SMARTR TYPE. THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO WAS INTO SCHOOL a lot MORE. I ALWAYS REMEMBER JOSH AND JAMIE SWIMMING ON THE SWIM TEAM TOGETHER. JOSH WAS A PERSON WHO SET ALL KINDS OF RECORDS AND JAMIE JUST GETTING BY, BUT ALWAYS THERE TO LEND A HAND TO ANYONE INCLUDING HIS LITTLE BROTHER. JAMIE WAS AND STILL IS A VERY BRIGHT INDIVIDUAL WHO EXCELLED AT SCHOOL. EVEN TO THE POINT WHERE HE DECIDED TO FOR GO HIS SENIOR YEAR AND GO STRAIGHT TO JUNIOR COLLEGE. HE WAS CO-EDITOR OF THE YEARBOOK. THOUGH HE ONLY ATTENDED JUNIOR COLLEGE A COUPLE OF SEMESTERS, YET HAD ABOVE AVERAGE GRADES DURING THAT TIME.

BEFORE I GO ON ANY FURTHER I WOULD LIKE YOU TO KNOW I NEVER ABUSED MY KIDS PHYSICALLY BUT I DID VERBALLY. HAVING GROWN UP IN A FAMILY WHERE BOTH MY DAD AND MOM WHERE ALCOHOLICS, THEY SAY ADDICTION RUNS IN THE FAMILY OR IS GENETIC. I BELIEVE THIS IS SO. I MYSELF, HAS GONE THROUGH 30 DAYS OF REHAB. WHICH I HONESTLY BELIEVED SAVED MY LIFE. JAMIE'S BROTHER JOSH WENT THROUGH REHAB BEFORE HE WAS KILLED IN A CAR ACCIDENT CLOSE TO CHRISTMAS. TWO OF MY THREE BROTHERS HAVE GONE THROUGH REHAB. MY OTHER BROTHER AND SISTER THOUGH THEY HAVE NOT GONE THROUGH REHAB PROBABLY SHOULD. ONE OF MY BROTHERS SONS HAS GONE THROUGH REHAB. ANOTHER BROTHERS DOUGHTIER HAS ALSO GONE THROUGH REHAB. SO YOU CAN SEE YOUR HONOR ADDICTION RUNS STRONG IN MY FAMILY. I DO BELIEVE THIS IS A BIG PART OF THE REASON MY SON IS IN THE SITUATION HE IS IN. YEARS OF NA, HAS TOUGHT ME THAT ADDICTION IS A DISEASE AND THAT IT IS ONE THAT IS PASSED ON THROUGH GENERATIONS.

GROWING UP WITH ADDICTED AND ABUSIVE PARENTS I ALWAYS TOLD MYSELF I WOULD IF I EVER HAVE KIDS GIVE THEM EVERYTHING THEY WANTED THAT I NEVER HAD GROWING UP. JAMIE AND ME WERE NEVER REALLY CLOSE WHEN HE WAS GROWING UP. I GUESS DUE TO THE FACT THAT I FAVORED OUR MORE ATHLETIC SON JOSH. I BELIEVE WHEN JAMIE FINALLY CHANGED WAS THE MORNING MY YOUNGEST SON WAS KILLED IN AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT ON HIS WAY TO WORK. ONE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN 1993. if IT WERE NOT FOR JAMIE SETTING UP ALL THE FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR ME AND HIS MOTHER, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. I EVEN ATTEMPTED TO TRY AND HANG MYSELF DURING THIS TIME AND IF WERE NOT FOR JAMIE COMMING IN AT THE EXACT MOMENT I WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE ALIVE TODAY. SO I BELIEVE ALL THESE FACTORS CAUSED JAMIE TO START TO CHANGE. DURING THIS ENTIRE TIME OF GRIEVING FOR OUR YOUNGEST SON. NO ONE EVER TOOK THE TIME TO ASK JAMIE HOW HE WAS FEELING.

AFTER HIS BROTHERS DEATH I CHECKED MYSELF INTO REHAB. HIS MOTHER WAS HOME UNALE TO WORK. JAMIE WAS WORKING FOR ATT AT THE TIME OF HIS BROTHERS DEATH AND LOST THE JOB RIGHT AFTER DUE TO LAYOFFS AT ATT. EVERYWHERE JAMIE HAS WORKED HE HAS ALWAYS EXCELLED. ALWAYS RECEIVING LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATIONS AND PROMOTIONS. EVEN TO THIS DAY WITH ALL OF HIS VOLUNTEER WORK WITH THE RED CROSS HE HAS BEEN PROMOTED TIME AND TIME AGAIN. BEEN GIVEN MORE AND MORE RESPONSIBILITIES AND TRUST. ALL THIS EVEN WITH THE RED CROSS'S KNOWLEDGE OF HIS PAST AND FUTURE.

I HAVE BEEN THROUGH SOME SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS YOUR HONOR. I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH LUNG CANCER IN 2002. I HAD PART OF MY UPPER RIGHT LUNG REMOVED AT THAT TIME. I HAVE GONE THROUGH SEVEN KNEE REPLACEMENTS, I ALSO HAVE FIVE STENTS IN MY HEART. JAMIE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR ME DURING THESE DIFFICULT TIMES. I AM CURRENTLY ABOUT TO HAVE AN OPERATION FOR PROSTATE CANCER IN THE COMING WEEKS.

WHEN WE BAILED JAMIE OUT OF JAIL ALMOST 3 YEARS AGO, AND HE WAS FORCED TO MOVE HOME. ME AND JAMIE ESTABLISHED A RELATIONSHIP WE HAD NEVER EVER HAD OR HAD IMAGINED HAVING BEFORE. THESE PAST 2 AND A HALF YEARS HE HAS BASICALLY TAKEN CARE OF ME AND OUR HOUSEHOLD. DOING THINGS I AM NOT CAPABLE OF DOING ANYMORE. THIS HAS ALSO GIVEN HIM AN OPPORTUNITY WHEN NOT HELPING ME TO DO HIS WORK WITH THE RED CROSS.

AS STATED ABOVE YOUR HONOR, KNOW REALIZING I HAVE PROSTATE CANCER. I AM AGAIN NEEDING MY SON MORE THAN EVER, TO HELP ME GET THROUGH THIS. ALONG WITH THE THREAT OF MY LUNG CANCER COMING BACK OR SPREADING. THE CONSTANT WORRY OF MY BAD HEART. I AM ASKING YOU FROM THE STAN POINT OF A FATHER. WHO DOES NOT KNOW HOW MUCH TIME HE HAS LEFT. TO HAVE AS MUCH COMPASSION AS YOU CAN IN SENTENCING MY SON. I KNOW WHAT JAMIE DID WAS WRONG AND I truly BELIEVE JAMIE KNOWS WHAT HE DID WRONG. BUT PUTTING HIM AWAY FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME WIL NOT SERVE MUCH PURPOSE. AS JAMIE HAS ALL READY CHANGED HIS LIFE AROUND, DEVOTING MOST OF HIS FREE TIME HELPING OTHERS WITH THE RED CROSS AND OTHER VOLUNTEER WORK HE DOES. I BEG YOU ONCE MORE TO PLEASE SHOW AS MUCH COMPASSION AS YOU CAN.


SINCERELY YOURS A GRIEVING FATHER,




PATRICK GREIMAN