DF-S1: Overcrowding and You Only Lost One?
You work for the Michigan Dept of Justice in the Inspections department. You are summoned to an urgent meeting to go inspect a boy’s youth detention center near the Hiawatha National Forest (This is located on the Upper Peninsula).
Be
aware you are not allowed to take weapons into the prison as is standard
protocol.
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Freya
Korhonen (Bill-NE)  |
Lukas Vertanen (Michael
P.)  |
Henry Harvester (Michael H.)  |
Joseph
Blayne (Brian-WA)  |
Satele Greenwood (Dalton-UK)  |
|
"Youth
Rehab Services" (YRS) Steuben,
MI |
Lawyer,
Lansing,
MI |
Electrical
Inspector, Detroit, MI |
Dept
Licensing, Bldg.
codes, Detroit,
MI |
Lawyer,
Brit moved to Marquette, MI |
Monday, 13 May 2019: “Damn
it Dan, why are you sending me? I’m the stay at home type. Robert likes to
travel…yeah Bob, screw you too. I see what you guys are doing. Want a little
vacation time away from my pleasantries. OK, but I’ll tell ya now, I’m gonna
max out the travel allowance. Ya betta cover ALL my expenses. You betta have
bought me 1st class plane tickets. Lansing, MI. I’d better check my
Tinder contacts and see if I got any loving lined up.” Laughter echoed behind
her as she left the building.
Lansing DOJ Bldg: Freya rolled her luggage into the lobby and parked it. “Hey bellboy, keep an eye on it. Yeah you, lover-boy. Now where’s this meeting with Regina Tate?” Elevator to 2nd floor, she entered the conference room and slipped into the chair beside the young man, “Names Freya. Have they announced the number of dead yet?” Lukas stared as if he recognized her nametag but not the face.
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He quickly searched his phone, scrolling thru his Tinder account. A
double take, then shutter. Freya saw his phone, “Yeah, I get that a lot. Starting
to lose my girlish figure. Sue me.”
Soon a petite Regina Tate entered the room carrying
folders she handed out. “I want to thank you all for coming so quickly. I see
we have a couple of lawyers: welcome Mr. Lukas Vertanen and Ms. Satele Greenwood.
Did I pronounce that right? I see Detroit send us two inspectors: welcome Mr. Henry
Harvester and Joseph Blayne. Uh mam, Ms. Korhonen, this is a non-smoking
facility. I must ask you to put out your cigarette.” Freya smiled, “That’s OK
darling. It’s Menthol. No really, it’s just Vape.” She simulated flicking her
ashes onto the bare wood table.
Caught off-guard, Regina continued, “We have a juvenile
prison up north that has a missing boy. We need your help to locate him.” Freya
interrupted, “You called in 5 of us to find one little boy? Isn’t that
overkill? But hey, it’s your dime.” Regina blushed as she continued, “The
governor himself gave this his highest priority. Apparently, Dante’s mom,
Martina Love, called in with complaints and demanding equal justice for…people
of color. Governor Clements wants to set an example. Freya jabbed Lukas in the
ribs and whispered, “Must be an election year.”
Lukas sat up straight and pushed away from his assailant
as he opened his folder, “Says here Dante was incarcerated in the PJ Nelson
Training School for Boys. Now why would a boy whose been retained now for 3
years and about to be released, go missing?” Henry looked up from his folder,
“18 years old, in the system for 3 years. On what charges? And he’s been
missing now one week?! And we’re just now being called?” Joseph chimed in,
“Busted for graffiti and possession of pot. A 4 years sentence?! I’m not a
lawyer but isn’t that pretty harsh?”
Now Regina was really getting nervous being asked so many
questions, “I’m just here to give you your folders and arrange your flights.
Tomorrow’s 7:21am American Airlines Embraer to the Delta County Airport,
Escanaba, MI. Then a Chevy Tahoe rental up to the town of Hiawatha. The prison
detention center is to the northwest of the town. As to why it’s been a
week…Miss Love apparently called her boy every other day. Starting almost 2
weeks ago, the boy stopped taking her calls. The facility staff would only say
he was unavailable. Once Miss Love got thru to the governor, we learned the boy
has actually been missing one week.”
Lukas spoke up, “Do they know we are coming and how much
authority do we have?” Joseph offered, “Missing boy. Isn’t that a police
matter?” Regina replied, “As the governor says, “Not on my watch!” You’re to
learn the truth. Did he run away as the facility claims? Is there lax security?
You represent the governor himself. If there are no more questions…” Lukas was
already texting everyone, “I have setup a Sharepoint site for us to gather and
coordinate data.”
Satele returned to her hotel to charge her phone and
laptop as she made her own google queries. Posted her own report [Library: 05
extreme], “4-year sentence for simple graffiti? Sentencing by Judge Vansetti in
Detroit. Multiple harsh sentences over the years such as 1 year for truancy.
Records show all juveniles sent to the PJ Nelson School.”
Freya settled at the hotel bar, “Another Yuengling beer. Keep
em coming. These are on the state budget. This is going to be easy. We got a
young lawyer that wants to make a name for himself. Doing all the work. Setting
up files and folders while constantly on his phone researching. Then there’s
Henry doing my job, asking about work programs for the kids. A neighboring farm
to learn agriculture and dairy. Prison? Sounds like these kids are in a summer
camp. (Raising her glass to no-one) Thank you Lukas and Henry for freeing me to
search my phone for more Tinker connections. Yeah, cushy job. And to think I
argued with the boss for sending me.”
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Freya opened one eye when Joseph announced the anti-hitchhiker sign, “We must be getting close. Prison ahead.” Hiawatha was a small township of maybe a few hundred folk. Freya fully awake when they pulled into the motel, “Pet friendly. Means they got cockroaches and bed-bugs.”
After checking in, Satele and Lukas used
their laptops to continue research. “Let’s see what we can dig up on the
corporation. Not listed on the Stock Exchange. Started in 2013 with the Nelson
Center its 1st startup detention.” Meanwhile, Joseph and Henry
decided to do a drive-by of the center. “We won’t be long. Just want to get a
lay-of-the-land perspective.”
Standing at the motel desk clerk, “Hey Mac, who’s your
local cop?” Freya called an Uber for a ride to the local police station where
she found the hefty man at his desk with his feet propped up reading Sports
Illustrated while munching on his glazed donut. “Sheriff Jim Webb,
I’m Freya. I just wanted to officially check-in with you as I brought my team
up here per the governor’s orders regarding your PJ Nelson School. Yeah,
it’s about that missing boy. One kid. Yeah, hopefully we can make this quick
and get out of your hair.”
Jim closed his magazine but kept his feet propped up,
“Well, actually, there are a few boys missing. They never came into town; so,
they must be camping somewhere in the woods. Shirley, get that report I filed.
Give this little lady a copy.” Freya scanned the letter, “You call 7 a few? But
then I hear they DO have an overcrowding situation. Easy to misplace a few of
the turds…pardon my French. I say we need to follow the example of that Arizona
cop that puts them in chain-gangs and pink overalls. Quit pampering the
criminals no matter how young. You know Jim, I think we need to discuss this
more; say, tonight at the bar?” As Freya climbed back into an Uber, she sent
Satele a text with a picture of her and Jim, “Hands off the sheriff girl. We
got a date.” Satele took one look at her pinging phone and responded, “All
yours :-p”
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Joseph and Henry parked the car and began walking the
prison perimeter fence. It wasn’t long before they caught the eye of a patrolling
guard, “Whata guys doing out there? Show me some ID.” Henry was quick to
comply, flashing a copy of the governor’s authorizing letter. “Oh yeah, we’ve
been expecting you. When you’re ready to enter, you’ll have to check your
weapons at the gate. But yeah, you can walk the fence. But it does stop in the
back. We use the thick forest back there as a natural barrier. Be advised you
may lose your phone signal. We’re off the air at the logging camp too.”
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Joseph and Henry kept walking, part inspecting the fence
for breaks and part evaluating the complex buildings. It wasn’t long before
they entered the woods. Henry pausing, “Did you hear that?! A rattle?” Both
jumped when they saw the brown leaves move: a well camouflaged rattlesnake! “I
thought it was too cold up north for snakes to survive.” And that’s when they
both saw more, “Are those bones? Oh crap, they look like baby bones! Quick,
take a picture and geo-tag it. Then let’s get the hell out of here before the
damn thing decides to strike.” Freya looked at her phone pinging, “I see the
boys stumbled upon our
massasauga rattlesnake. Michigan's only venomous snake protected as a federally
threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.”
It was 2:30pm when
everyone gathered at the hotel. Henry excitedly explained, “Here’s another
picture I didn’t send. Didn’t want anyone to intercept an unsecure
transmission. Look close and you’ll see baby bones. See the femor and skull. I
didn’t want to get too close with the snake there on its nest. But the bones
have some meat remaining. Not desiccated nor bleached. I’m not a doctor to say
how old.” Joseph added, “I think we need to sit on this to figure out if the
boys are involved. 7 of them from what Freya sent. Maybe they’ve hooked up with
some local girls over their years of incarceration and this was an abortion.”
Lukas interrupted, “It’s not our place to guess. It’s no longer just a missing
person. We have a death on our hands. The law says we need to inform the
police…NOW.” Freya took a jab at Satele, “Yah girl, you’re supposed to be a
lawyer. How come you didn’t know that?”
3pm: Henry already had another rental car
delivered to the hotel; so, he and Freya drove to the sheriff’s office while
the others drove out to the Nelson School. “Hey Jim, we’re going to have
to have that date in your car as we drive out to the prison. Henry here has
something to show you out there.” Henry introduced himself then showed his
pictures, “We stumbled upon these bones and knew you needed to check it out.”
Freya rode with the sheriff with Henry in his own car as they drove to the
prison then he led everyone to the site via the photo geo-tag coordinates. Henry
pointed out [Medicine-regular], “Look closely. See the skull; that is not
animal. I’d guess it’s been dead maybe a year.” It wasn’t long before Jim had
the area taped off and made several radio calls to his deputy and the town
doctor. Freya playfully blew him a kiss as she and Henry drove away, “Remember,
drinks later tonight.”
At the prison/school, after
going thru the metal detector, the others were led to the director’s office.
Bill Nelson greeted them with a smile, “I’ve been expecting you but I thought
there would be 5 of you. Anyway, let’s get the lies out of the way first. You
know, ‘Happy to have you.’ And ‘We’re here to help’.” Everyone laughed. Joseph
scanned the office and noted Nelson’s Diplomas and family pictures. An old
‘Olan Miles’ family picture with kids then his more current desk picture of
just he and his wife. Bill asked, “Seriously though, how can I help? Dante? He
was an ideal resident. It’s a shame he ran off. He only had a week left; in
fact, he was to be release this coming Friday. When they get this close to release,
we send them to the Horse-Camp as kind of a transition setting to help them
prepare for re-introduction to society.”
Joseph asked, “So when
did he disappear?” Bill described the day, “They were supposed to ride the
horses back to the school for daily classes before returning to the camp to
care for the horses. They never arrived here at our…school.” Lukas spoke up,
“They? Who else?” And thus Bill provided the list of the 7 names Freya had
already gathered. “You mean all 7 boys went missing together? And only Dante
warranted the governor’s attention? Ah, the squeaky wheel of the complaining
mother ratted you out.” Now Bill was sweating and nervous, “They were all good
boys. We’ve never had something like this happened before.” Satele injected,
“What about the horses? Did they ever return to the Horse-Camp? No? Didn’t you
find that strange? What have you done to look for them? Besides contacting the
local sheriff.”
And that’s when Henry
and Freya stepped into the conference room, “Did we miss anything?” Nelson
stood in hopes of changing the subject, “Let me give you a tour of our
facilities.” A peek into the various classrooms where they taught agriculture
and sciences. The cafeteria. [EDU roll] Satele asked, “I hear you have 150 boys
locked up. Where are all your guards? Only 28? Per shift? 28 total to share the
shifts?! No wonder you lost the boys! You have no control nor proper security.
How do you maintain your operating license?”
Not surprising silence
from Bill as he continued the tour passed a closed door. Lukas spoke up, “Isn’t
that your medical station? Mind if we talk to your nurses?” Rather than opening
the door to let them in, he sheepishly answered, “Give me a minute to check
with her. She has a patient right now.” But as Bill quietly opened the door,
Freya walked in behind him, “So, whata we got here?” The nurse shushed her,
“This boy is under my care. Chis is sleeping. Sedated. Now if you’ll please
leave.” Now Joseph interrupted, “Tell me Miss…Nurse Charlette, is this facility
ADA compliant? Do you have an adequate staff to handle the overcrowded
conditions? What has happened to this boy?”
Charlette hesitated
before she confessed, “Chris was released almost 2 weeks ago. He staggered back
to the facility 10 days ago. Naked, exhausted, lacerations. He wakes in the
evening and mumbles something about ‘the trees and the girl’. You’ll have to
check his records or talk with the town doctor who came out to see him along
with the sheriff, but I think he was sexually assaulted.” Lukas turned to the
director, “There may be external factors that get you off the hook. Sounds like
we have a child predator in the area. I wonder why the sheriff didn’t say
anything?” Finally Bill smiled again as he relaxed, “I told you it wasn’t my
fault.”
Satele already had the
nurses’ file cabinet open, “What’s his last name? Healey? Here it is, Chris
Healey. Age 18. Oh my God! Says here he WAS sexually assaulted. The doctor
removed seminal fluids…non-mammalian!” Freya crassly joked, “So he wasn’t
butt-fucked in the woods by a bear. So what are you saying? Reptiles, birds,
frogs?! Why doesn’t the governor know about THIS boy? Who’s been sitting on
this live firecracker?!”
Freya’s BIO
Finnish descent. She once was kinda pretty. Married to Nikolas; loving couple. They loved to camp and enjoyed the outdoors. Honeymooned at Kritter's Northcountry Campground & Cabins on the Upper Peninsula near Lake Superior. 7 years ago, Nikolas was killed in a botched mugging by a teen strung out on drugs. Freya was crushed. Let herself go.
She used to work part-time as a hospital orderly while completing night school to get her college degree in ‘Family Services’. She longed to raise her own family till the doctors told her she was sterile. She and Nikolas HAD talked about adoption. But with Nikolas gone, family was no longer an option. Nor desire. She needed a steady job. Was it karma that the only job she found was working for the government in the ‘Youth Rehabilitation Services’? Freya considers any troublesome kid low-life. One day she may be caught how she treats the detention kids. Until then, the little shits are going to pay.
NEXT SESSION: https://rigglewdf.blogspot.com/2020/10/df-s2-who-you-calling-crazy.html
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