I am so relieved!
Here I was, thinking that I was going to be going to jail for what my boyfriend did to my son.
Yes, I was charged ("child endangerment"), but there were extenuating circumstances, according to my lawyer, that reduced my sentence to three years' probation.
No jail time for me!!
TaShawn, meanwhile, will be behind bars for 10-20 years with no chance of parole.
I am still shaking as I write this. I am so relieved that my sentence wasn't nearly as bad as I first thought it would be.
I have to report to a parole officer. My first appointment is today at 10:00 this morning. I will find out the details of my probation further once I get there.
More than likely, I will have to work at a home for children with severe special needs. That's okay.
I will have to have supervised visits with my son, as part of the sentence. And that's okay, too. They will see that I love my son and did the best I could for him, even though I was blinded by TaShawn's lies and smooth talk.
I will have to take monthly parenting classes as well. That's fine, too.
Maybe what I will learn will benefit both Roderick and myself. Maybe in the end I'll gain enough experience to get my child back home, where he should be.
~Jaylene Jones.
*to be continued.*