Adventures begin in many different ways. This
adventure begins with words on paper. I seem to have a lot to say, so much that
my beautiful wife suggested me writing a blog. Since my wife is not only beautiful
but insightful and smart, I am undertaking this adventure.
For those that care, and there may be a few, I am
writing this from my prison cell and mailing it home. My wife types it out and
posts it on the blog. I have no contact with the internet. This will work out
just fine as long as I write legibly.
A little background will be helpful for those who
choose to read this blog. I was born in Denver and raised in Colorado Springs.
I earned my BA from UNC in Special Education and Elementary Education. My M.Ed.
came from University of Missouri, St. Louis. I began a Ph.D. at Southern Illinois
University and finished it Baptist College of America. I also have a J.D. from University
of Denver and a Th.D. from Southern Indiana Baptist College.
I have had many jobs over the years including
milking cows, auto mechanic, special education teacher, counselor, lawyer, and
real estate title insurance agent. I’ve owned several businesses that were
fairly successful and a few that weren’t.
All of this education and experience give me a very different
outlook on prison. None of the other inmates can begin to relate to me, nor can
I relate to them. I listen and observe inmates and staff and try not to open my
mouth except to ask an occasional question or two. Hitchhiking on conversations
has provided me with views of life I did not know existed. My prison experience
has turned into an amazing research project with lots of data. It has also
generated many more questions than it has answers.
You may be wondering what brought me to prison. I am
guilty of theft and forgery. I was going through a divorce and my ex-wife
wanted more money than I had. I stole money from clients to pay her. After I
took the first money I decided I was in trouble so it really wouldn’t matter if
I took more. It was crazy thinking, it was wrong thinking. I did not go to
trial. I admitted my guilt and took my chances with the judge on an agreement
that it would be no more than 40 years. He sentenced me to 32 years.
This may sound like a lot of time for a first offence,
and it is. However this time has provided me an opportunity to do many things I
may not have accomplished had I not gone to prison. The most important accomplishment
is becoming a practicing Christian. Not a Christian in words, but in deeds and
full of faith.
I have been provided the time and opportunity to
read many pieces of classic literature. How many people can say they have read
the entire History of the Decline and fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
or all of Tolstoy’s books including his religious works? I have read most of
the famous authors as well as the little known authors. Reading is a good way
to pass the time. It has also opened my eyes to the possibility of writing my
own novels.
As they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins
with the first step.
Wiley Todd Linville got 32 years because he stole not just a few dollars but millions from several elderly people.
ReplyDeleteSeveral of his associates, including his ex wife, turned up dead under mysterious circumstance. One of his clients was shot in the back of the head, three times. That allowed Linville, as trustee on her bank accounts, to steal several hundred thousand dollars from her estate.