News of Mike Lemay

Hi All!

I was thunderstruck at the severity of Mike's sentence and the unprofessional gloating of his judge.

If you have followed this story you will understand what I am about to quote in context.

Personally, I feel that Mike Lemay has been "done wrong" and the judge has turned two tragedies into two-and-a-half, at least.

Anyway, I guess netiquette might be crossed here, but I wish to quote a letter from Mike's family which was broadcast to their friends and supporters.

To get the prequel to this, you will have to mine the archives. But here goes:

"Thank you all for the concern shown to Mike and all
our family during this summer. This week we've been
notified that Mike will finally be transported to Glen
Mills Schools Facility in Pennsylvania so he can start
completing the terms of his sentence (12-18 months,
with no shorter than 12 months). The time he has
spent this summer at the JDC (Juvenile Detention
Center) in St. Paul will not apply to his sentence.
There also is no "good behavior" deduction of time in
the juvenile system, so we are hopeful he can complete
the program there in 12 months and still stay on track
to start college next year. This has been a difficult
summer for him with most of his day spent in solitary
confinement with only 4 books allowed to him--that's
it, just 4 books...kleenex boxes are considered
"dangerous", so no pencils, paper, music, TV, and
lights out at 9:30 to listen to the hoot 'n hollering
of the adjoining inmates making a racket. He's
learned to tune that out a bit, but has not been able
to get past the frequent flashlight checks the guards
do every hour. Sleep deprivation is very wearing on a
person. He has completed over 200 hours of summer
school so that should complete a few credits on his
list with only about 5 more credits to earn his
diploma--which he will be able to receive from Glen
Mills, not a GED, but a HS diploma. Very important.
During his summer school program he has seen over 400
kids go in/out of the system. He has been by far the
longest kid there, with being there over 70 days in a
facility that is really set up for much shorter. So
please pray hard for Mike's transition to this new
place. He'll be delighted in the gained freedoms but
he still will be around a lot of tough stuff, on his
own. As soon as we know his Unit we'll let you know
where letters can be sent. He would really appreciate
the contact. His words to his friends is full of
caution to their lifestyle, especially as so many are
turning 18 years old: "You don't want to end up in
Adult facilities. Though, a week at JDC probably
would be very good for a lot of his friends. He does
not wish 70 + days on anyone..." A sincere thank-you
to all have been taking care of our family. We are
grateful for such caring people in our lives. Best
regards, "