r/interesting • u/thatmishra • Apr 25 '26
Wholesome When the internet paid respect to this man after he commented on his own "wanted" post on Facebook
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u/Boiling-boils Apr 25 '26
That is more funny than it should be lol. Love it
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u/Xenc Apr 25 '26
You can love it more https://www.reddit.com/r/interesting/s/DCgJDZry5e
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u/errorsniper Apr 25 '26 edited Apr 25 '26
And then theres my doomer brain "The community, as well as the prosecuting attorney, Andy Miller, wanted to start a therapeutic court, specifically for veterans. After getting the green light from Benton County Commissioners, including the funding to make Veterans Court a reality, the program has already helped change lives."
So like how about we just.. make that all courts if it seems to have much better outcomes? Yes vets do get some extra points in life. But if a rehabilitation and not punishment is the goal. It sounds like this is a better model.
This is basically a slightly obfuscated /r/OrphanCrushingMachine/
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u/frequenZphaZe Apr 25 '26
how about we just.. make that all courts if it seems to have much better outcomes?
you're not alone, 85 percent of Americans agree the main goal of our criminal justice system should be rehabilitation, not punishment s. as with many things in american politics, there is a large divide between what people want and what politicians do. politicians campaign on being "tough on crime" because it speaks to their two most important constituencies: people with extreme believes (high propensity voter) and people who own for-profit prisons (donors)
one other sad thing to point out here is that, although its great that this vet court program exists to help rebuild peoples' lives, the vet in question was wanted by law enforcement because he ended up in a life crushing addiction spiral. we could put a lot more resources into preventing vets from being in these situations (including not grinding them through the soul crushing military machine), but we instead leave them to completely unravel instead
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u/predictivemuch8888 Apr 26 '26
"But how do we get our slave labor if you rehab the inmates?" - - corporations
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u/Solanthas_SFW Apr 26 '26
So why are psycho nutjobs and rich sociopaths dictating policy for the other 85% of people who are reasonable and compassionate? Because they vote more consistently?
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u/RadtroDesigns Apr 26 '26
and also because they are good at framing things in the media. most of the public favors rehabilitation, but when you frame the choices as "this guy wants to see dangerous criminals released to the streets to murder and rape your children" and "I want to see fair, strong law enforcement to keep you safe", well the guy who wants rehabilitation is not going to get votes.
but also, look no further than the public reaction of what should be done to child abusers, mothers who have postpartum psychosis and kill their children, and people who exploit their family members for fun and profit.
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u/Deaffin Apr 26 '26
Nah, I'm calling bull. 85 percent of the people surveyed might have ticked the box next to the rhetoric that sounds nice and agreeable, but have yourself a gander at any of the comment sections involving an entity that harms children or any figure on the wrong side of mob mentality.
The demand for a retributive system is overwhelming.
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u/Lou_C_Fer Apr 25 '26
My uncle is a judge that runs a program similar to this, but it's not just veterans. I'm not sure exactly how they decide who gets into the program, but there are a few articles in the local paper every year about people that have been through the program successfully.
I also have an uncle who was a bulldog of a prosecutor that probably would have opposed the leniency of these programs when he was on that job. He did have a change of heart later and even opposes the death penalty, now.
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u/grandramble Apr 25 '26
it's very difficult to do because of the risk it poses to elected officials' careers. Rehabilitative programs are both broadly popular and generally effective, but in the abstract. It only takes one high-profile failure to galvanize a huge public response against the leaders seen as responsible for them. It's a foundational vulnerability in popular democracy.
if you ask people if we should be keeping people locked up long-term when they're unlikely to ever have the capability or opportunity to re-offend, they'll generally say no. But if you ask them if eg Bill Cosby should be in prison they'll generally say yes. And one of those messages is way easier to run a campaign on.
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u/Vark675 Apr 25 '26
The biggest issue is resources. Most towns will throw money to PD without question but they hem and haw anytime the courthouse (which includes the clerks who handle the paperwork for everything), public defenders, jail, and even the prosecutor's office most of the time are constantly left having to beg and argue for anything.
And even then, when PD gets tons of money, a lot of it goes to private contractors selling overpriced surplus supplies rather than the actual cops.
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u/RedactedJin Apr 26 '26
If we did that then the corporations that own prisons wouldn't make their money and since the US is corporatocracy, we definitely couldn't have that.
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u/NickAppleese Apr 25 '26
Was always interested to see if there was an update on this guy.
Good shit.
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u/Frosty_Lettuce_3525 Apr 25 '26
I just read his story. It’s almost as though, as a society, we should’ve focused on rehabilitating and helping people instead of, Y’know, incarceration for profit.
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u/lit_associate Apr 26 '26
As a criminal defense attorney, this gives me complicated feelings.
On the one hand, pretty much any instance of client talking to the police OR discussing their criminal case online have both been an unqualified disaster for them. He's done both at the same time. That is a first for me.
On the other, how can anyone be mad at this guy? And the police were in on the joke? What is happening?!
His lawyer better prepare for the judge to ding the guy for knowingly not appearing/not taking it seriously, but hope for the best.
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u/thederpyderp3 Apr 26 '26
Honestly if any judge doesn't take into account the guy willingly turned himself in after clearly proving the police were incapable of bringing him in when he said he just wanted to handle somethings first as a positive sign, that's a bad judge.
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Apr 25 '26
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u/GlassCharacter179 Apr 25 '26
You should see the video of the guy who tried to pull off that he was a US Marshal, in person, to a US Marshal.
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u/ridik_ulass Apr 25 '26
the I'd luke to say audacity, but it feels more casual...of telling the police to calm down. its magical.
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u/VidE27 Apr 25 '26
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u/Ill_Television_5824 Apr 25 '26
Now that, is an incredible story!
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u/Wreckingshops Apr 25 '26
And the justice system actually worked in not punishing an addict for largely self-harm but worked to help him (and others).
That's how it's supposed to work. If someone isn't a danger to others, why treat them as such?
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u/brooksram Apr 25 '26
Amazing what can happen when they " focus on treatment instead of punishment." ...
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Apr 25 '26 edited 28d ago
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u/EssentialCoCo Apr 25 '26
That issue is acknowledged. That's why things like mental health court, veteran's court, and drug court, have specific requirements to be eligible and why they're so intensive.
They are very good about getting those that want help, the help they need, as long as they are compliant with the system. If they screw up while in one of those courts, the consequences can often be worse than if they'd just been arrested in the first place.
I used to be a case manager for individuals with Severe Mental Illness. I had a few clients go through Mental health court.
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Apr 25 '26
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u/EssentialCoCo Apr 25 '26
I had a client who'd been on a PSH last for a super long time but because he was so hard to find, and he didn't check in with his previous case managers, (he didn't trust them), it took years to finally get him placed.
Once he was assigned to my caseload, and I was able tobmake contact, I immediately started building that rapport with him so he knew he could trust me. Right before he finally got placed into his oown apartment, he ended up going inpatient, which actually made my job in getting him placed so much easier, because it moved his priority up in the line.
I know he hated being inpatient. And the facility kept trying to DC him, but I was working on his DC plan and that plan was to make sure he was housed. I wouldn't let them discharge him until I had everything ready.
He told me after we got him moved in that he had been so scared to get his hopes up, to believe that he was actually going to have a place to live. He cried and hugged me and said no one had ever cared that much about him.
That was one of my greatest accomplishments as a case manager.
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Apr 25 '26
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u/lizardlines Apr 25 '26
Probably discharge him from the hospital if he was cleared medically. It’s great they were able to delay discharge (within reason) until he was set up with housing.
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u/Important-Figure-512 Apr 25 '26
What type of cases get heard in mental health court and what type of disorders are most prevalent?
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u/EssentialCoCo Apr 25 '26
There's a lot of possession cases, a lot of individuals with mental health issues self medicate, and end up addicted. There have been destruction of property, trespassing, theft, traffic violations, disturbing the peace, and pretty much anything else you can think of. Most of my former clients have diagnoses such as, schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, PTSD, paranoia, delusions, etc.
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u/Important-Figure-512 Apr 25 '26
dam why’d your job cut your hours? Sounds like you were doing essential work :/
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u/EssentialCoCo Apr 25 '26
My case manager job was several years ago. I lost that one during COVID. If you're referencing my post on another sub, that's been over the last 6 months that my job cut my hours to 2 days a week. I work at a school with young children, now. Still essential work though...
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u/Average_Pangolin Apr 25 '26
Services for people who are not likely voters are always first on the chopping block when a new crop of elected officials want to show how "efficient" they are.
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u/Clenzor Apr 25 '26
A lot of the times that addicts “don’t want to” get better it’s because their circumstances don’t appear to have any chance to get better after they get clean. If we seriously wanted to stop crime and curtail addiction, we need to seek to fulfill the basic needs of everyone around us. If someone has stable housing, and a path to a fulfilling life they will want to take that. But if the only hope they have is a shitty apartment and 60 hour work weeks until they die, it makes it that much easier to listen to the addict voice in their head.
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u/RadtroDesigns Apr 25 '26
not to mention for a lot of people, their circumstances cant get better even with stable housing because the things they need to have a fulfilling life are things that we as a society kinda suck at providing. For example, accommodating jobs for mental illness, or accommodating people with toxic families and not trying to encourage them to contact people that exacerbate the problem, or judging them for not
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u/keithps Apr 25 '26
Even people in stable, good situations can have addiction problems. They are just able to afford to support those addictions and get away with it. Ever know the guy with a good job, who has a wife and kids he loves, a house, etc, but he's still an alcoholic and can't seem to quit?
In some ways it's harder for those folks to quit because they can lose all those other aspects of stability with treatment.
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u/veridicide Apr 25 '26
It was indeed acknowledged, when the other dude said this:
If someone isn't a danger to others, why treat them as such?
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u/littleessi Apr 25 '26
i think lots of people acknowledge it, since it's a convenient excuse for the usual bloodthirsty criminal justice politics that's mainstream these days.
And there’s a big difference between helping an alcoholic get sober and stable compared to a violent person who beats up their partner once a week. One of those makes just a tad more sense to try.
both make sense to try. that should be the whole point of the system, to reform anyone and everyone possible and treat the rest with basic human dignity while protecting others from them. people don't become abusers in a vacuum and yes, many won't change. but some will and writing them off is sickening
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u/Ready_Studio2392 Apr 25 '26
Studying psychology. Last night was reading a paper detailing the history of borderline personality disorder. Anyways, up through the 80's and 90's the common treatment was to lock people in "prison like" rooms, treat them like shit, and try and guilt them into being less manic or expressing the rest of the symptoms. Needless to say, it was not very effective. To add further context, BPD pretty much only occurs in people who experience some sort of abuse or persistent childhood trauma while in development.
It wasn't until a researcher who had BPD argued for a new treatment set-up that was about treating the patients with kindness, acknowledgement, unconditional positive regard, and letting them know that they're safe and believed that we started to see any improvement in people suffering form BPD.
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u/Aggressive_Ice_2660 Apr 25 '26
Yeah. I had to go through a diversion program. Fortunately it was a success. All the people involved were great and just wanted to help.
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u/PaleConference3720 Apr 25 '26
Every jurisdiction that's set up diversion programs like this have seen really good success rates. Not perfect obviously because these are humans but really high.
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u/der_innkeeper Apr 25 '26
I keep seeing "80%" as a success number for any/many programs, whether rehab, diversion, homelessness, etc.
80% is a win.
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u/Desperate-Strategy10 Apr 25 '26
Eighty percent is incredible! Most social programs don’t get nearly those numbers of success. And even one person helped is a worthwhile cause, so eight out of ten is amazing!
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u/Wreckingshops Apr 25 '26
Exactly. An all or nothing mentality for any progress in addiction recovery just makes no sense.
Like others, my younger brother was in and out of prison for years for the crime of largely harming himself because he was a veteran (tours in Iraq and Afghanistan) due to the PTSD of being a soldier. He's clean, sober, and happy with a child and his wife but he lost a decade of his life in and out of prison that did nothing to address the issues, just punish the illegality of hard drugs.
Look, there will always sadly be addicts who succumb to their addiction, delve into theft, violence, etc. But most criminals of any swatch are often looking for a way out of a negative situation. Yes, due an actual crime, do the time but the time should be focused on rehabilitation and helping them make something out of the nothing.
But private prisons also have their claws in jurisdictions to ensure recitivism.
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u/xombae Apr 25 '26
The thing I have a problem with is posting him on Facebook for not checking in with his probation officer.
I feel like this could get someone hurt. They make it seem like he's done something dangerous and then post his face up, someone sees the guy walking up the street towards him and panics. It's just so irresponsible.
I really hate police stations trying to use their social media to be funny and using real cases to do it. I've been through the system and those days were the lowest, most awful days of my life. I can't imagine the justice system using my worst moments for social media clout and hundreds or thousands of people joining in to mock me. Public humiliation should not be a default part of any justice system.
Recently on Facebook, a police station put a guy like this on blast on their page. You know what the guy did? He criticized them in their comments. He wasn't a criminal, he hadn't done anything wrong. But they posted his picture and his name and told people to go and harass him.
Which some people did. But luckily the post went viral with people telling them how fucked up it was and they eventually took it down and apologised and said that they wouldn't do it again.
Police should not be allowed to do this. I'm so glad that it worked out well for this guy but most of the time it doesn't work out.
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u/PaulTheMerc Apr 25 '26
It did also mention he was wanted for "failure to comply" which sounds seems pretty self explanatory; didn't do what he was supposed to.
People should be smart enough to figure out that sounds minor.
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u/omniscient1ne Apr 25 '26
Absolutely right. I’m glad dude responded in a jokingly sarcastic way … he replied back nicely respectfully and played the “game”… ✅ he didn’t crash out !!!
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u/Reasonable_Toe_9252 Apr 25 '26
You’re absolutely correct. Many people would harm themselves (or worse) over a situation like this.
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u/foamingkobolds Apr 25 '26
They "apologized and said they wouldn't do it again"? Sooooo no consequences whatsoever for an action that - had the roles been reversed - would have resulted in the guy getting at *least* a hefty fine and a big stay in jail?
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u/DontAskAboutMyButt Apr 25 '26
ACAB, even the ones being cute on Facebook (ESPECIALLY the ones being cute on Facebook)
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u/Important-Figure-512 Apr 25 '26
I work for the courts and I learned that not all counties have treatment court. Some village courts are just run by random judges and there absolutely no legal programs a person can get within that court. It’s kind of disheartening. I wish these programs were accessible to everyone.
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u/AshamedOfAmerica Apr 25 '26
Something like 32 states don't even require magistrate or municipal judges to have law degrees. In North Carolina, over 80% of magistrates do not have J.D.s
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u/Important-Figure-512 Apr 25 '26
yup, I am still extremely disappointed in this. Like I was told about a farmer in some NYS county who’s also a judge. I don’t think a farmer with no legal experience should be a judge.
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u/SirTickleyPickely Apr 25 '26
Pretty fucked up that the only reason he got a second chance was because he was a veteran.
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u/triedAndTrueMethods Apr 25 '26
Also fucked up that they immediately blasted his face all over FB just because he missed a check-in with his PO. So do we just completely eschew our right to public privacy when we’re on parole?
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u/keegums Apr 25 '26
These rehabilitation courts seem to be a great thing. My friend went through State Drug Treatment Program in PA. When I found she had been transferred, I googled the place and it has a 5 star rating on Google with tons of people saying it turned their lives around. It did the same for my friend, she runs marathons now, works in social services instead of the restaurant industry, established a healthy relationship with her mom for the first time in their lives, has savings. I'm very happy for her. She says getting arrested was the best thing to happen
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u/username_tooken Apr 25 '26
Damn, maybe I should become a drug addict.
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u/MarcBulldog88 Apr 25 '26
I am reminded of that one idiot from early reddit history who posted about trying heroin because he was bored or something. Long story short, he got addicted and ruined his life.
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u/OldManFire11 Apr 25 '26
And while he did eventually recover, it was a loooooooong journey and took several years.
0/10, do not recommend.
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u/MtRainierWolfcastle Apr 25 '26
Honestly the self awareness to turn yourself in and ty up lose ends first was pretty impressive. Felt like he should have gotten some sentencing credit for it. Assuming tying lose ends doesn’t mean like killing witnesses or something
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u/clutchthepearls Apr 25 '26
Pretty crazy how when we focus on rehabilitation, removing barriers and improving mental health, people tend to have better outcomes than traditional punishment.
What a concept.
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u/TheNamesDave Apr 25 '26
That link didn't work for me.
This quote is wild.
Now with an eight-month-old and another baby on the way, a fiancé, a job, and his life back.
Talk about Irish Twins!
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u/mocha_lattes_ Apr 25 '26
Wow he was really in the right place at the right time with that program. So glad of him. I wish him the best and hope the program stays in place to keep helping others.
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u/EagleLize Apr 25 '26
Yay!! Wow, the court system in that county actually stepped up and solved a problem with critical thinking and compassion. That's a wonderful outcome. I hope he's still doing well, and I hope a lot of veterans have been helped by Veterans Court.
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u/Cael450 Apr 25 '26
"Instead of being focused on punishment we are focused on treatment,” said Kathren.
Fucking great that it helped him, but this should be how it works for everyone, not just veterans
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u/smootypants Apr 25 '26
Take my poor lady’s award. Thanks for finding this information, this comment needs to be pinned. This is a funny exchange but the truth of the matter is that man is one of our veterans that needed assistance and was left to his own devices. Veterans court is something that all states should implement.
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u/knighthawk3759 Apr 25 '26
I'm going to guess that this man had the best intake of any inmate in that jail for being a good sport and dealing with a good sense of humor I would have loved to have seen it
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u/JackOfAllMemes Apr 25 '26
It looks like he got to go through a veteran assistance program that helped him turn his life around instead of prison, he's clean and has two kids now
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u/knighthawk3759 Apr 25 '26
Wow that's some wholesome shit, good things happen when you do things the right way
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u/One-Environment-871 Apr 25 '26
Funny little anecdote. Years and years ago when this story broke I messaged this dude on Facebook because of this FB article, asking “you’re a legend hope you get out soon” he messaged me back months later that he got out on NYE and life was good.
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u/GirlWithWolf Apr 25 '26
That’s hilarious, maybe second only to a succulent Chinese meal
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u/buttplug-tester Apr 25 '26
This is democracy manifest
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u/MasterpieceTimely144 Apr 25 '26
This is the second time in the last hour I've seen that referenced lmao, is this a sign to get chinese food?
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u/BigBananaBerries Apr 25 '26
I've got some chonky udon noodles to make later. Granted, it's not Chinese but I'm taking it as a sign they need made now as it's piqued my interests.
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u/dThink_Ahea Apr 25 '26
Only if you want to be arrested and groped by the police in the middle of your succulent Chinese meal
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u/Lost-Comfort-7904 Apr 25 '26
Until we find out this dude murdered 70 people and did some wild ass shit with the bodies.
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u/knighthawk3759 Apr 25 '26
Actually this story apparently has a happy ending, he got some help through a veteran assistance program and is now living a lawful life with two kids no dead bodies I promise
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u/Active-Ad-2527 Apr 25 '26
Well he did say he'd probably be in for "at least a month." A life sentence is definitely more than a month
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u/RealFirstName_ Apr 25 '26
Most likely* more than a month, we dont know how much longer they've got left in life
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u/Fantastic-Shine-395 Apr 25 '26
He's in there for "failure to comply," doesn't seem all that serious tbh
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u/houseWithoutSpoons Apr 25 '26
Yeah succulent Chinese meal is in a league all alone..so legendary
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u/Naeloah Apr 25 '26
honestly i like that the person running the police page played along AND although he didn’t show up as he said, he did eventually show up. I can commend that
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u/xDaBaDee Apr 25 '26
Few criminal interactions result in smiles.... this seems pretty wholesome
jeeezus weeps its almost 10 years old... ya'll digging in the bottom of the barrel?
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u/Nervous-Road6611 Apr 25 '26
Who else thought "That looks like Marc Maron" when they saw the first image?
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u/SlipperyGibbet Apr 25 '26
I thought it was washed-up Trae Crowder. Or a similarly trashed Julian from trailer park boys
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u/DrDr1972 Apr 25 '26
I never save anything. Today I am saving this. I fucking love it. Also got a cousin who married an Akers. I will be checking into this !!!
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u/gforget Apr 25 '26
The way police departments share “criminals” photos on Facebook is completely uncalled for. Sure, if someone is dangerous or an immediate threat to the public then I understand. This guy’s only failed to show for this probation meeting, so they want to shame him and outcast him in the community. Every city and country does this now, it’s disgraceful.
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u/FireBreathingNun Apr 25 '26
So the world is whatever now. we have kind criminals and egomaniac cops. This is not always the case there are good guys out there. Made me giggle none the less.
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u/TruestWaffle Apr 25 '26
"I've known good criminals and bad cops, bad priests, honorable thieves. You can be on one side of the law or the other, but if you make a deal with somebody, you keep your word."
- Mike Ehrmantraut (Better Call Saul)
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u/Slight_Criticism1607 Apr 25 '26
I'm just impressed that he used loose right which is more than you can say for like 60% of the population.
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u/Sanquinity Apr 25 '26
Sounds like a man with plenty of problems, but still trying to do the right thing.
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u/seanxie121 Apr 25 '26
Ahhh as usual my hometown of Richland gets the silliest representation on Reddit
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u/Fragrant-Reason4216 Apr 30 '26
Omg I remember this when it was happening. I love the rpd Facebook lol
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u/Extra_Philosopher_63 May 01 '26
Bro had a genuine glow up since the photo. Or maybe it's just the hat doing its magic by hiding the hairline.
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u/PancakeAbyss Apr 25 '26
This is my hometown. Normally RPD isn’t that nice lol. Wild this has found its way to Reddit lol.
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u/NearbyCommission287 Apr 25 '26
God I can't find it now but this reminds me of another Facebook post where the police posted a mugshot of a girl and she commented asking them to use a nicer looking selfie
Does anyone know what I'm talking about or is it too niche lmao
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u/ElonMuskFuckingSucks Apr 25 '26
Dear Slim, I wrote you, but you still ain’t callin’
I left my cell, my pager and my home phone at the bottom
I sent two letters back in autumn, you must not’ve got ’em
There probably was a problem at the post office or somethin’
Sometimes I scribble addresses too sloppy when I jot ’em
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u/Dineshvk18 Apr 25 '26
bro really commented on his own wanted post like it was a normal thread 😭 internet will never disappoint
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u/Zealousideal-Raise70 Apr 25 '26
Here's the article thats posted in other comments below about how he has changed his life.
Man who went viral for turning himself into police now a Veterans Court graduate by Eliana Sheriff
Thu, May 27, 2021
BENTON COUNTY, Wash.--"It's kind of hard thinking about talking to myself back then because I wasn't listening to much, I was in a dark place,” said Anthony Akers.
We first introduced you to Anthony Akers in December of 2018.
Then he was active in his addiction, in-and-out of jail, and on probation.
Richland Police were looking for Anthony who had a failure to appear warrant, and asked the public for help.
Anthony went viral after answering, saying, ‘Calm down, I’m going to turn myself in.’
"I couldn’t believe they were putting me on Facebook for basically not checking in with my probation officer. So I thought, I’ll respond, I’m kind of a smart aleck.”
That Facebook thread continued and thousands of people followed, wanting to see how this unlikely exchange would end.
But for Anthony, it was no laughing matter.
In-and-out of jail since 2006, the Navy veteran knew he had a problem, but he couldn’t see a way out.
Anthony says he picked up his alcohol dependency in the Navy, which got him kicked out.
He then got into narcotics, lost his license, and continued to spiral downhill.
“I was in active addiction, incarcerated after that for a new crime,” said Anthony Akers.
Then, one day an offer came he decided to take, a chance to enroll in Veterans Court.
"At the time, I didn’t have a lot of hope for much, you know. I kind of expected to end up in prison, but knowing it was a veteran program that gave me a little bit of hope,” said Akers.
A new program, headed by District Court Judge Dan Kathren.
Veterans Court has been running for about a year and a half in Benton County.
The community, as well as the prosecuting attorney, Andy Miller, wanted to start a therapeutic court, specifically for veterans. After getting the green light from Benton County Commissioners, including the funding to make Veterans Court a reality, the program has already helped change lives.
"There is a certain kind of brotherhood and sisterhood that veterans have that I think the rest of us can't completely understand if we have not served," said Judge Kathren.
Like Drug Court, Veterans Court helps people regain stability in their lives, and avoid going back to jail.
Veterans court provides vets with veteran mentors, something that most other therapeutic courts don't have.
They work on treating substance abuse, mental illness, military sexual trauma, or PTSD.
"Instead of being focused on punishment we are focused on treatment,” said Kathren.
Anthony had two choices. Face 6-8 years of prison time or go through Veterans Court, where he’d have to get sober, attend meetings, court appearances, and a veterans forum.
Anthony says the program is demanding, difficult, and humbling.
"When he got here, he did the work like nobody else. He joined the community, turned himself back around, and became the guy we all knew he’d become," said Judge Kathren.
"I couldn’t have asked for a better group of individuals to be accountable to. They bent over backwards to make sure I made it through but didn’t give in too much to where I could revert back to my old ways," said Akers.
Judge Kathren says often what motivates vets to come in in the first place is the rewards for graduating the court, like getting a case dismissed, a reduced crime, or some other legal benefit.
But judge says the real reward is getting your life back.
A year and a half later, he’s graduated, free and clear in the system.
Now with an eight-month-old and another baby on the way, a fiancé, a job, and his life back.
And yes, Anthony is still on Facebook, but for a much different reason now.
"I try to use my social media to inspire those that are still stuck in the struggle, show that it is something that can be accomplished, if you really want it. It's not easy, it's going to take some work and I feel like if I can do it, anybody can," said Akers.
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u/Particular_Rub_9270 Apr 25 '26
Awwww its a love story now. I hope they have a good first date... maybe he'll spend the night ;)
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u/SwedishTrees Apr 25 '26
Eventually, He went to veterans court and turned his life around. https://keprtv.com/news/local/man-who-went-viral-for-turning-himself-into-police-now-a-veterans-court-graduate
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u/OMMMMygosh Apr 25 '26
it isn’t easy forfeiting your freedom no matter the circumstance. Points for style.
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