Editor, Times-Union: My name is Johnny Helton. I am a 40-year-old former meth addict. I have one child, who will be 2 in September. I was arrested for possession of meth five days after his first birthday. That was the worst and best day of my life.
It was the worst day of my life because I now have a felony drug charge on my record. I also disgraced my family to the point that my mother wanted to sell her home and move away.
It was the best day of my life because I was finally forced to realize that I had a problem. I was addicted to meth!
My recovery started that first night that I was in the county jail. I can’t say that I have been completely clean since I got arrested, I wish I could. It was a hard road, but I went from a 1.5 to 2 grams per day habit – to, if I remember right, I used two times in April, maybe three.
I went to court May 3, 2012, and was sentenced to one year in the Kosciusko County Jail. I was very lucky and was only in the county jail for seven days. I was lucky enough to get the laundry trustee position at the Kosciusko County Work Release Center.
I would like to thank every single person that had anything to do with me being sent here. Thank you for the chance to come work here! It feels so good to be trusted a little again. The only down side to being here is, because of my charge, I am not eligible to go to work. I will spend my entire sentence here as laundry trustee.
It hurts me to write that my son and his mother are living below poverty. If it was not for my mother, I really don't know what they would do or where they would be now. I wish I could have had the chance to work to help her and my son. I have a job waiting for me, but won't be able to start until the first week in November, if the boss does not fill the position by then. Five and a half months is a long time for him to wait, even being a friend of the family. If he can’t wait, then I will be lucky if I can find a job with a felony drug charge on my record.
I know I broke the law and I should be punished for my crime. I was honest with the probation department in a pre-sentencing investigation and told them when asked, I could not pass a drug test. If only I would not have messed up in April!
I think it is a mistake to just decide that no one with a meth charge of any kind can work through Kosciusko County Work Release. It should be on a case-by-case basis. Not everyone with a meth problem (or previous meth problem) is crazy or a danger to the public. I spent the first 20 years of my adult life as a very hard worker that was always there for my family and friends. I only want to work to help my girlfriend of nearly 22 years, raise my only son.
Everyone in this community is so scared of anything to do with meth. And, they should be! There is so much more that could be done to stop this problem. Treating everyone with a meth charge as a huge danger to the public, is not the way. I am no danger to any of you and I just want to work to help my family.
We need to figure out a process to evaluate people with meth charges. Inmates’ families should not have to suffer while a father or mother is in jail “if” they are found to be no danger to the public.
When I get out, intend to do whatever I can to help eliminate this meth problem around our community. I have lived that life. I no longer want to live that life or see anyone else do so. I want to apologize to my family, friends and the community. I'm sorry I turned into the person I have been over the last couple of years. The old John is back and won’t leave any of you ever again!
I look forward to helping rid our community of meth! I’m so sorry my son! I love and miss you! I will be able to help you soon. Please forgive me.
