You all know I live in Gruene. I've lived here longer than I've lived in any other place in my life. I've made friends inside this community and I love almost everything about it. I befriended a guy about 12 years ago that seemed like a good dude-- he competed in all the chili cook offs and BBQ cook offs and what not in town. Now we weren't bosom buddies but more like "have a beer" and talk sports, cooking BBQ, talk about his kids and young grandkids-- we all have people in our lives like this. His friends were my friends and everybody knows everybody.
I've seen him have a few too many in the past on a couple of occasions but never anything stupid or sloppy. He always took a cab home or got a ride on nights like that. Wasn't in church every Sunday but also not a "bad" person. Was a "live and let live" kind of guy.
Anyway--- I thought I knew the guy--- know what I mean? Turns out, he was arrested this weekend for inappropriate sexual contact with a minor. A fvcking minor. We are all blown away. I don't have the full story as to what happened but it doesn't sound like he gave an ass slap to a 17 year old who was using a fake ID in a bar. It appears to be something rather serious.
All of us that are in the "network" here that know him have been banging our heads against the wall trying to figure out if somehow we missed something. This sort of behavior is something that has a pattern. You just don't wake up on a Tuesday after five decades on this planet and go "Welp, today's the day I'm going to fondle a kid (Allegedly)." It's a learned behavior and one that is learned and repeated from an early age through adulthood. Hell, one of the females friends in the network is a licensed psychologist with a freaking PHD who spends her probono time working with convicted sexual offenders in prison. Of all the people that should have spotted the signs---- but she feels just as duped as the rest of us do.
12 years I've known this guy. And I've tried to remember as many interactions with him as I can and am unable to come up with any red flags--- should I be feeling that I or WE as a community dropped the ball on this? I won't lie-- I shouldn't feel guilty about this but I do. This was a fvcking kid. And this is also the first person I've ever associated with that has done something like this. I've always been careful about the company I keep and perhaps at times a bit too scrutinizing of some of them--- but this one got past me. Makes me feel like a dumb ass.
Rant over.
I've seen him have a few too many in the past on a couple of occasions but never anything stupid or sloppy. He always took a cab home or got a ride on nights like that. Wasn't in church every Sunday but also not a "bad" person. Was a "live and let live" kind of guy.
Anyway--- I thought I knew the guy--- know what I mean? Turns out, he was arrested this weekend for inappropriate sexual contact with a minor. A fvcking minor. We are all blown away. I don't have the full story as to what happened but it doesn't sound like he gave an ass slap to a 17 year old who was using a fake ID in a bar. It appears to be something rather serious.
All of us that are in the "network" here that know him have been banging our heads against the wall trying to figure out if somehow we missed something. This sort of behavior is something that has a pattern. You just don't wake up on a Tuesday after five decades on this planet and go "Welp, today's the day I'm going to fondle a kid (Allegedly)." It's a learned behavior and one that is learned and repeated from an early age through adulthood. Hell, one of the females friends in the network is a licensed psychologist with a freaking PHD who spends her probono time working with convicted sexual offenders in prison. Of all the people that should have spotted the signs---- but she feels just as duped as the rest of us do.
12 years I've known this guy. And I've tried to remember as many interactions with him as I can and am unable to come up with any red flags--- should I be feeling that I or WE as a community dropped the ball on this? I won't lie-- I shouldn't feel guilty about this but I do. This was a fvcking kid. And this is also the first person I've ever associated with that has done something like this. I've always been careful about the company I keep and perhaps at times a bit too scrutinizing of some of them--- but this one got past me. Makes me feel like a dumb ass.
Rant over.