~~~Brother’s Keeper~~~The jury was back in 90 minutes. Jack knew it wasn’t good. He watched them file back to the jury box. No one would make eye contact with him. So it was no surprise when the judge read the decision. One word hung in the air, “Guilty.”
Jack was facing a sentence of five years in the state penitentiary. He would be labeled a sexual predator. His life was ruined. His defense attorney had tried to get Jack to make a plea-bargain. “Jack,” Ron Hamilton pleaded, “You’ll get probation and community service probably. Think of your wife. Is this worth going to jail over?’’ But Jack was not going to admit to something he didn’t do.
Jack Conner had coached youth soccer for the past five years. Jack and his wife Sharon had not been able to have children, so these kids filled an empty spot in his heart. Every summer, Jack had the team over for a pool party and a sleep over. Sharon was a nurse at the community hospital and she worked second shift. Ray Bellard his best friend and assistant coach, was supposed to help him supervise the boys that night, but Ray’s wife Linda got sick and Ray had to stay home with his own brood of four little ones.
The pool party went fine. Jack grilled hotdogs and the boys horsed around until dark. They set up sleeping bags in the living room and settled in for the night. Jack headed to his room to get a little sleep. He climbed in bed still in his shorts. He could hear the boys talking as he drifted off. He woke up a couple hours later to the sound of a cry (he thought). Still groggy he stumbled down the hall to the bathroom and pushed open the door. The Cooper brothers, Jim and Billy were in the bathroom. “What’s the matter boys?” Jack asked. “Nothin!” Jim, the older one, replied quickly, “We’re just using the bathroom for cryin’ out loud.” “OK boys,” Jack had said, “just let me know if you need something.”
The Cooper boys were a little rough around the edges. They got into fights a lot and once Jack had to bench them for fighting. Jack rarely saw their mother at the games, and apparently their father was not around. Jack thought they were just the kind of kids that needed a program like youth soccer. He enjoyed working with the all the boys; he thought he was making a difference.
But then it all changed. Two days later, the sheriff was at his door. Jim and Billy went home the next day and told their mother that Jack had molested Billy in the bathroom. There was an investigation. The medical reports showed that Billy had “numerous bruises and indications of forceful penetration.” There was no DNA found, but that did not stop the jury from making up their minds quickly. The boys had testified by deposition. Who could dispute these poor boys? Jack was painted as a monster by the prosecutor.
Now he found himself standing before the judge, still in shock. “This can’t be happening,” he thought, “not to me.” Jack would be sent immediately to the county jail to await sentencing. Ron Hamilton leaned over and whispered to him, “I hate to give you more bad news Jack, but the mother’s filing a civil suit too.” Jack felt like he was in a daze. The sheriff’s deputy turned him around to put the handcuffs on. Jack watched people leaving the courtroom. His wife was so distraught she hadn’t attended. In the back of the courtroom he saw Brenda Cooper and her two sons. He hadn’t realized they were there. Billy looked at him quickly and then turned away. Just then, Jack saw the other boy Jim silently mouth a word at him. “Sucker.”
The deputy led Jack away.
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