25 Years Ago March 10, 1999 Was A Joyous Day For Me

Jack Waldbewohner 10:18 AM (2 minutes ago) to Elena, Djenane, Joao, Lovern, Marianna, Anna, PhD, Claud, Rebecca, Howard, John, Jean, Karenlynn, bcc: Luah Dear Friends and Family Members: At 05:00 AM on the date above. I awakened and watched the early morning Los Angeles news. I went to have breakfast. I was an inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. I was completing a six-month sentence for civil contempt of court. I was worried that a second threatened contempt of court warrant would be served on me when I went downstairs to Receiving and Discharge to be released. I read my Daily Bread for the day. One inscription caught my eyes as follows: "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord had done for you." Mark 5:19 I cheered up. I was sure that I would be released. The guards took me down to Receiving and Discharge. I was fingerprinted, photographed, and pulled into a private room. A guard who was a retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer interviewed me about the US Navy. We had a cordial talk. When we emerged from the room 30 minutes later, he said to his colleagues: "This man was really in the U.S. Navy." I was given some awful civilian clothes and $200 in release funds. Two guards escorted me to the ground floor. I complained that I needed to go to the toilet. They pointed to a service station across the street and told me to use the bathroom there. When the door swung open, I was a free man. I have not come back to jail since then-25 years ago. This is a joyous day for me. -JackW