I was working away in my CPA office one May morning about 9 AM when I received a phone call from one of the tribal liaisons (People appointed by their tribes to be liaisons with the Dept. of Corrections). She asked me if I could possibly go to the prison to pick up one of her young tribal members who had just been released, take him to the bus station, and buy him a ticket home. She said the tribe would reimburse me and that Stan was getting a bit frantic since he had already been waiting in the lobby for an hour and his ride had not shown up.
That seemed like a request I could easily do so I agreed and headed to the prison. Stan was very happy to see me. I took him to a nearby café for breakfast and checked out the bus schedule while he ate. The last bus going towards his home had left an hour earlier. I thought, no problem, I will get him a bed in one of the homeless shelters and put him on the bus the next morning. He told me he needed to talk to his parole agent first since he was supposed to report to him within hours.
I took Stan to the Family Connection Hospitality House which was nearby to call his parole officer. At the time I was on the board of directors there. His parole officer asked to speak to me. He told me if Stan wasn’t at the treatment center on his reservation by 4 PM, he would lose the bed reserved for him there. He told me to have Stan call everyone in his phone book to get a ride.
Stan started making calls. Out of the 30 or so people he called, 29 numbers were no longer in service or no one answered. The one person he was able to reach lived in northern Minnesota and could not possibly come in time. I called his tribal liaison again and explained the situation. She asked if I could possibly give him a ride part way and someone from the treatment center would come for him. I agreed to do that.
We stopped by a convenience store so he could get his gate money check of $50 cashed and then started off. During the next two hours in the car, he told me about his life and his hopes for the future. He told me he would need to stay away from his family because all of them drank.
We reached the town where his parole agent was stationed so I took him to the parole office and waited in the car while they talked. Next we went to a truck stop where he was supposed to be picked up by the treatment center. When I called the tribal liaison again, she told me no one could pick him up for two or three hours. I didn’t think it was good to have an alcoholic waiting that long at a place that sold liquor while he had money in his pocket and was craving a drink. I told him I would take him the rest of the way to the treatment center, another 1 ½ hour drive.
Stan went inside and came out with a pack of cigarettes and a can of air spray. He explained to me that he needed a smoke and knew I didn’t have anyone smoking in my car so after he finished his cigarette, he sprayed himself with air spray. We then continued on our way.
We reached the treatment center in pouring rain and my car was splattered with mud since the driveway wasn’t paved. I let him out and wished him well. He was so determined to succeed I was sure I would never see him again.
In mid- July I happened to glance out the window in one of the chapel offices and saw Stan in the rec yard. I went out there to talk to him. He told me he had completed treatment and was doing well until his mother asked him to join the family for a 4th of July celebration. He wanted to see them very much so he went. Pretty soon everyone was drinking and the police were called. Since he had violated his parole by drinking, he was sent back to prison.
The next time Stan was released he decided to stay in Sioux Falls. He found a job in a fast food place and called me to see if I could possibly get him some non-skid shoes required for work. I took him shopping, he told me where he was living, and that was the last time I talked to him.
I hope that somewhere out in wide world he is living a good life. I’m glad he hasn’t returned to prison again.
Mary Montoya
