7. The Good Thief

Develop a benevolent world view; look for the good in people and circumstances around you. Look for the good in every person and every situation. You'll almost always find it.

There is a story in the bible about a couple of thieves. These two thieves were crucified on two crosses on either side of Jesus. One of these thieves mocked Jesus along with the Roman guards. The other thief believed in Jesus and asked Jesus to take him with him that day to paradise. The Catholic church has declared this thief, "The Good Thief", a saint. Saint Dismas is his name and fittingly, he is the patron saint of prisoners. A reminder to all of us that no matter what your sins, it's never too late to turn from your sinful ways and accept the Lord as your personal Savior and be accepted into heaven.

It was that thinking I had in my head when I decided to look up Todd's arrest record. I put my computer skills to work and did a little research. I wanted to see for myself, what kind of person this guy was. Arrest records are public knowledge, so it wasn't too hard.

Again I went to the Polk County Sheriff's website. I clicked on jail information and then again to the name of Leslie Todd Jones. It wasn't just one arrest as I had hoped. He had been arrested several times. I clicked each case number, starting from the oldest and worked my way up. Each record listed what he was charged with, how long he had been held in jail, how and when he was released each time and a mug shot. I read each one carefully. Domestic violence, possession of a controlled substance, carrying a concealed weapon, burglary, grand theft auto, fleeing to elude a police officer and driving while license suspended. I wrote back to him.

(excerpts from the original letter dated 10/20/06)

......I read your arrest record tonight. Kind of lengthy. If I could give you any advice it would be that you may want to think about relocating. LoL You probably can't walk down the street without getting picked up and harassed about something.

I had some experience with police officers. I had dated a couple over the years. I knew how they thought. When someone is marked as a troublemaker they automatically assume that person is up to no good when they see that person out. On November 2, he wrote back:

Ah....my record. Many explanations. First a little background. Born and raised in the Hamptons, as I mentioned in my last letter. No stranger to speaking out against authority. (If you found some articles on the internet about me). Night club security for the rich and famous through the 80's and 90's and all that comes with it. Rosie O'Donnel, Andrew Dice Clay, Charlie Sheen, Bianca Jagger, Billy Joel, Rob Lowe, Russell Simmons (CEO of Def Jam Records) and many, many more. No bull. Parents and family loaded. Me - only son and very black sheep. Family is pretty ticked off at me this moment.

I never adjusted to Florida. Check out my "record". The domestic violence and drug charge were both dismissed. They were from me punching out my brother-in-law for losing the deposit on our house we had wired to him, before moving here in May of '98. The cops went through my belongings and found my anabolic steroids. Anadrol, Clenbutoral, Sustenon, etc. I've always lifted weights and shot a little "juice" for the security work. I'm not a small man. 5'11" and 225 pounds. I bench press 425 pounds when in my best form. After the fight I became separated from my family for about a year. I lived in a hotel, became depressed and started to hang out with Mr. Jack Daniels again. Not a very good friend. One night coming home from the bar my car broke down, I needed pliers. Somewhat intoxicated , I walked into to a Wal-Mart and left with a $3 pair of pliers. It was my Wynonna Ryder train of thinking. As to the grand theft auto and those related charges, I did not steal that car. Someone left it in my driveway, a former friend. Turns out it was hot and when I took it out for a spin, LPD chased me in small un-marked cars - that's the fleeing to elude charge.

Again, all this after the mother of my children was diagnosed with breast cancer and my dad. He passed away on 10/16/04. I lost it. And yes many people go through bad things and don't screw up. I realize this. I'm never ever coming back here again - promise. I'm truly ashamed for what I've done. I'm done with Jack Daniels and coke (not cola) for good. I've lived this life for a reason and thank God I'm still alive.

Send me a picture. That's a big no no but there is a way. Print out a picture on a computer paper, a little bit smaller than an address label. Get a large 9x12 manilla envelope and put the picture face down under the address label. When I peel off the address label I'll have your picture.

By the way, my connections in law enforcement have me working on another case. Seems a man in Lakeland shot a 21 year old girl in the back of the head with an AK-47. She had a six month old child. He's in the cell next to me. He's toast!

I didn't really believe all his explanations about the reasons he had been arrested. I am the kind of person who has to find out things for herself. I would, in time, and after months of my own research, be able to verify that everything he was telling me was true. I would also find out all kinds of things I would wished I had never known. Details about murderers and child molesters and gansters; and about truth and justice and the fallible court system. This letter would mark my first involvement in funneling information to authorities. It would also mark my introduction into the criminal world and the realization that there are good guys and there are bad guys both in the criminal world and the world of law enforcement.