SO NOW THE POLICE FINALLY HAD SOMETHING TO GO ON. THIS WAS ONLY BECAUSE MY SON HAD A CONSCIOUS, NOT GOOD OLD FASHIONED POLICE WORK.

I WAS TOLD THE NEXT DAY ABOUT CHARLES LINTON'S (A.K.A. DUFFY). INVOLVEMENT IN THE SHOOTING. MY MOTHER INFORMED ME THAT RONALD AND MY NIECE NICHOLE, HAD TOLD HER THAT DUFFY WAS THE ONE THAT SHOT THE MAN AT THE EXXON. SHE TOLD ME THEY HAD ALREADY GONE INTO TALK TO THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE.

I IMMEDIATELY ASKED IF BRANDON WAS INVOLVED. DUFFY HAD JUST BEEN RELEASED FROM COUNTY LOCKUP A WEEK EARLIER AND HE CAME TO THE HOUSE LOOKING BRANDON, WHO WAS NOT AT HOME AT THE TIME.

ONLY A COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER DUFFY STOPPED BY BRANDON WAS SCHEDULED TO GO INTO REHAB, AND I WASN'T ABOUT TO TELL HIM THAT DUFFY WAS LOOKING FOR HIM.

BRANDON WAS ADDICTED TO CRACK, AND I GAVE HIM THE ULTIMATUM GO TO REHAB, OR GET OUT. HE WAS STEALING FROM ME AND MY MOTHER. WE HAD TO SLEEP WITH OUR KEYS AND MONEY. HE HAD ALREADY SOLD ANY JEWELRY, ETC. HE COULD GET HIS HANDS ON. MY MOTHER BOUGHT HIM VALUABLE ROOKIE CARDS OVER THE YEARS, AND HE SOLD THEM ALL FOR CRACK.

HE ONCE TRADED MY MOTHERS CAR FOR WHAT THEY REFER TO AS A DEUCE RIDE. I THINK IT 20 DOLLARS WORTH OF CRACK, BUT DON'T QUOTE ME. I DO KNOW IT ISN'T MUCH, NOT A 30,000 DOLLAR VEHICLE WORTH.

HIS ADDICTION WAS OUT OF CONTROL, AND WE WERE LIVING LIKE PRISONERS IN OUR OWN HOME.

IT WAS SO SAD. BRANDON WAS A SWEET KID. HE STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS AT SCHOOL IN THE EARLY 90'S. IT WAS DURING THE TIME WHEN KIDS WERE KILLING EACH OTHER FOR STARTER JACKETS, AND SNEAKERS, OR WHATEVER THE KIDS WANTED AT THE TIME. YOUNG GIRLS COULDN'T EVEN WEAR 14KT GOLD EARRINGS TO SCHOOL. THE KIDS WERE OUT OF CONTROL.

BRANDON WAS JUMPED BY THREE BOYS, AND DRAGGED INTO THE BATHROOM,WHERE THEY BEAT HIM SEVERELY FOR HIS LUNCH MONEY. I WAS CALLED TO THE SCHOOL, AND I DIDN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE HIM WHEN I SAW HIM. THIS FOR A LOUSY DOLLAR AND FIFTY CENTS.

HE REFUSED TO WEAR HIS COATS TO SCHOOL, FOR FEAR OF GETTING JUMPED, OR WORSE YET SHOT.

HE FINALLY DECIDED HE WASN'T GOING TO GO. HE STARED SKIPPING SCHOOL AND HANGING OUT WITH THE BOY WHO LIVED NEXT DOOR. HE WAS SIXTEEN, AND HIS MOTHER SIGNED HIM OUT OF SCHOOL.

BRANDON ON THE HAND WAS ONLY THIRTEEN, AND IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE THE TRUANT OFFICER CAME KNOCKING ON THE DOOR.

I HAD NO IDEA HE WASN'T GOING TO , I WAS WORKING EVERY DAY AND WE WOULD LEAVE THE HOUSE THE SAME TIME. BRANDON WOULD WALK TO HIS BUS STOP, OR SO I THOUGHT, AND I WOULD GET IN MY CAR AND DRIVE OFF TO WORK.

NEVER THE LESS BRANDON WASN'T GOING. WE HAD TO APPEAR IN COURT, AND CHESTER COUNTY CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES GOT INVOLVED. WHAT A JOKE.

I'M GOING TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT BY SAYING THEY TOOK MY SON, OUT OF MY HOME, AND PLACED HIM FIRST IN A SHELTER, THEN IN FOSTER CARE WHERE HE SLEPT ON THE FLOOR. FROM THERE THEY PLACED HIM INTO AN ADULT DETOX FACILITY WHERE THEY WANTED TO DRUG HIM WITH LITHIUM.

IT WAS INSANE, HE DIDN'T NEED DETOX. HE WAS GIVEN SEVERAL RANDOM DRUG TESTS BEFORE BEING REMOVED FROM MY HOME. THEY WERE ALL NEGATIVE. I TOOK MATTERS INTO MY OWN HANDS. I TOOK HIM OUT OF THE FACILITY AGAINST COURT ORDER, AND WENT INTO HIDING, UNTIL THE COURTS AGREED NOT TO DRUG HIM. I MADE THE FRONT PAGE HEADLINES AS MOM ON THE RUN FOR THREE WEEKS. IT WAS ONLY BECAUSE OF THIS MEDIA ATTENTION THAT THE COURTS ( JUDGE CHARLES B. SMITH) RULED IN MY FAVOR.

IN MY OPINION HE SHOULD HAVE NEVER PRESIDED OVER JUVENILE, OR FAMILY COURT.

KEEP IN MIND THIS WAS BECAUSE MY SON SKIPPED SCHOOL, NOTHING MORE.

BRANDON NEVER THE LESS WAS STILL REMOVED FROM MY CUSTODY, UNTIL I WENT TO THE COURTS AND ASKED TO HAVE HIM ADJUDICATED DELINQUENT, IN ORDER TO GET HIM OUT OF C.Y.S. CUSTODY.

CHESTER COUNTY CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES NEVER DID ANYTHING FOR HIM. HE RECEIVED ABSOLUTELY NO EDUCATION FOR THE THREE YEARS HE WAS IN THEIR CUSTODY. THEY WERE PAID WELL OVER TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM HEALTH COVERAGE MY MOTHER HAD ON MY SON FROM WYETH LABS.

THEY RUINED MY SON'S LIFE JUST MOVING HIM FROM FOSTER CARE TO SHELTER TO REHAB, TO VISION QUEST.

THEY PUT HIM IN ALL THESE DIFFERENT TREATMENT PROGRAMS, BECAUSE HE WAS TRUANT, YET HE NEVER RECEIVED ANY EDUCATION.

I HAD TO HAVE MY SON ADJUDICATED DELINQUENT TO GET HIM AWAY FROM THESE PEOPLE WHO WERE IN FACT ENDANGERING HIS LIFE.

I HAD HEARD OF A GOOD PROGRAM, THE PROBLEM WAS UNLESS BRANDON WAS ADJUDICATED DELINQUENT, THEY WOULDN'T ACCEPT HIM. SO AS MUCH AS HATED TO DO THIS TO MY OWN SON, I FELT I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE.

I ONLY WISHED I WOULD HAVE DONE IT SOONER.

BRANDON FINALLY GOT AN EDUCATION. WITHIN A YEAR HE WAS TAKING HIS G.E.D. AND HE WAS DOING SO WELL. HE WAS COMPETING IN TRACK AND FIELD EVENTS, HE EXCELLED.

IT WAS BITTERSWEET. HE WAS DOING WELL, BUT THE YEARS SPENT IN C.Y.S. CUSTODY HAD CHANGED HIM SO MUCH. HE WAS SMOKING CIGARETTES A HABIT HE PICKED UP WHILE IN ADULT DETOX FACILITY. HE ALSO RECEIVED A JAILHOUSE TATTOO. HE NEVER RECEIVED AN EDUCATION, BUT HE HAD STREET SMARTS NOW. HE WASN'T THE SAME SCARED LITTLE BOY THAT WAS AFRAID TO GO TO SCHOOL.

BRANDON WASN'T RELEASED FORM THIS PROGRAM UNTIL HE WAS READY TO TURN 20. HE WAS THERE ABOUT THREE YEARS. THE PROGRAM WAS GOOD FOR HIM BUT HE COULDN'T WAIT TO COME HOME AND LOOK UP HIS OLD FRIENDS.

ONE OF THE COUNSELORS TRIED TO TALK HIM INTO MOVING IN WITH HIM AND GOING TO STEVEN'S TRADE SCHOOL IN LANCASTER, BUT BRANDON DID NOT WANT TO DO THIS RIGHT AWAY. HE HAD BEEN IN LOCK UP SINCE HE WAS THIRTEEN, AND HE WANTED TO COME HOME .

IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE HE WAS SMOKING CRACK. HE WAS ADDICTED IN NO TIME. HE COULDN'T CONTROL IT.

HE HADN'T EVEN BEEN HOME FOR A YEAR AND NOW HERE WE WERE LOOKING INTO REHAB.

BRANDON AGREED TO GO. HE WANTED TO GET OFF THE DRUGS BUT HE KNEW HE NEEDED HELP. HE COULDN'T DO IT ON HIS OWN.

MY MOM AND HIS GIRLFRIEND TAMMY DROVE HIM 3 HOURS TO THE FACILITY IN BLUE MOUNTAIN, BUT WHEN THEY GOT THERE HE CHANGED HIS MIND AND REFUSED TO STAY.

THERE WAS NOTHING ANYONE COULD DO. HE WAS THERE VOLUNTARILY AND WITHOUT A COURT ORDER NO ONE COULD FORCE HIM TO STAY.

HE FLAT OUT REFUSED. IT WAS TOO FAR FROM HOME, AND HE DID NOT LIKE THE MOUNTAINS. HE HAD SPENT ENOUGH TIME THERE WHILE IN LOCKUP. HE WOULDN'T EVEN GIVE IT A CHANCE. SO I TOLD HIM HE HAD TO GET OUT.

HE WAS ONLY GONE FOR THREE DAYS WHEN THE UNIDENTIFIED MANS BODY WAS DISCOVERED IN DOWNINGTOWN. MY BIGGEST FEAR WAS THAT IT WAS BRANDON.

I HADN'T HEARD ANYTHING FROM HIM OR EVEN TAMMY. I WAS WORRIED SICK. IT WAS THE COLDEST WEEK WE HAD HAD ALL WINTER WITH TEMPERATURES DIPPING BELOW ZERO. I IMAGINED THE WORST.

LATER IN THE DAY THEY GAVE AN APPROXIMATE AGE OF THE MAN, AND I QUICKLY REALIZED IT COULDN'T BE MY SON.

I WAS SO RELIEVED, BUT NOT FOR VERY LONG.