Justice not served

December 19, 2013 I witnessed a grave injustice. It was the type of injustice that made me not only deeply saddened, but acutely aware of a weakness in our judicial system, and in society as a whole. That weakness, coupled with an overall lack of understanding, (or caring), surrounding traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) provided for the issuance of a sentencing in Charlotte County Court that amounted to seven times the normal sentence according to Virginia statute and Sentencing Guidelines. I know within my heart and soul TJ Long didn’t start this fire with malicious intent. When Judge Kim White gave T. J. Long his sentence of 25 years with 15 years suspended, plus 5 years of supervised probation saying he couldn’t even live alone and a restitution amount of $178,709.00 both the Commonwealth attorney and TJ’s attorney were just as surprised as the rest of the court room. I felt that even the officers in the court room were confused or maybe just shocked. The Judge seemed to me to be only worried about what things had been lost in the fire. She read off the list that TJ’s wife had sent to the courts. Not what an insurance company had given to the courts. When TJ was allowed to talk to the Judge he asked her what about taking his children’s father away from them. He loved his children and they loved him! He admitted to being confused and having PTSD and a TBI. It makes me wonder what was this Judge’s intentions were. To me the most important thing they lost was a loving father that had several medical problems that weren’t being treated or properly addressed. He needed help after the murders in Farmville, but never received it. The same Judge Kim White also presided over T.J. Long Jr. case that was held on Dec. 20, 2013 the following day for his other offences in Prince Edward County Circuit Court.

T.J. Long Jr. was not only a Farmville Police officer, but a hero, wonderful father, husband, good provider for his family and a great friend to all that know him. T. J. at an early age while at a beach one day saw a bunch of people drowning and he didn’t even give a second thought about what could happen to himself if he were to get caught in a riptide. He ran into the water and started to swim out to those in need and he brought them back to safety. Without him those people could have drowned and he also saved a man from a burning car wreck. He was written up as Hero of the Month in the Reader Digest. He joined the Farmville Police 12 years ago and was one of those police officers that did everything he could above and beyond the call of duty. He worked overtime as much as he could and helped his fellow officers whenever they needed it. He was the first responder to the quadruple homicide that was committed in Farmville, Virginia in 2009. He stayed with the bodies and because of the horrible conditions of them he developed PTSD. He never complained to anyone about his nightmares, his sleepless nights and the smell that he couldn’t get out of his head. During all of this he was having problems at home, his mother was very ill and he had just lost an aunt. According to the mental health guide PTSD can affect those who personally experience the catastrophe, those who witness it, and those who pick up the pieces afterwards, including emergency workers and law enforcement officers. There are other events that can also lead to PTSD – war, natural disasters, car or plane crashes, terrorist attacks, sudden death of a loved one, and so on. It develops differently from person to person. PTSD can sometimes take weeks, months, or even years before it appears. With PTSD you can experience feeling normal to frightened, sad, anxious, and disconnected and when I would see TJ he was disconnected. He came to my home the Friday just before all of this happened and he just wasn’t the same young police officer I knew.TJ never got over any of this; he told me he missed his mother and that he loved her, she was his best friend. He never talked to anyone about it but one person that I know of. He was having family problems that were leading to a divorce and at the same time his beloved mother was dying, he wrecked his truck, broke his neck, had several fractured ribs and received a TBI also. So he at the time of the arson of his own home he had already been on several different medications for depression. He couldn’t afford to go to the doctors as he wasn’t working and he had lost his job as a police officer which to me was a great lost to Farmville Police Department and the community as he had started a Christmas program for underprivileged children. One of the drugs (Ambien) he was given by the doctor was known to worsen the symptoms such as depression, anxiety, aggression, agitation, confusion, unusual thoughts, hallucination, memory problems, changes in personality, risk-taking behavior, decreased inhibitions, no fear of danger, or thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself. This information was taken off of the PDR that doctor’s use. The other one was (Klonopin) which also states that it may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior, symptoms of depression, unusual changes in moods, impaired judgment, thinking or motor skills. Withdrawal effects are possible if the medication is stopped suddenly after long-term use or after high-dose treatment. His doctor had stopped this medication and put him on something else. I believe that on Feb. 9, 2013 TJ wasn’t thinking about anything or anyone but he wanted to take his own life, like his biological father had done when he was a baby. I believe he wanted to have the police take it for him. This is called suicide by police officers. Yes, he did catch his house on fire but no one was at home. He never shot at one of the police officers. Yet, they wanted to charge him with four counts of attempted capital murder on police officers. Today, Dec. 20, 2013, at 9:30 a.m. he was sentenced again. This time the Judge Kim White reduced the charges to four counts of aggravated assault on police officers. He got five years on each assault with four years suspended on each, giving him four years. On the gun charge they reduced it to misdemeanor, gave him 12 months and suspended the 12 months. Again he got five years of supervised probation. That makes 10 years of supervised probation that he can’t live alone.

My questions are: How did TJ’s conditions slip through the cracks? Why were they ignored during his case? Will this happen again, perhaps to a veteran or soldier? Has justice really been served in the case of TJ Long? I would like to ask Judge Kim White why did she want these cases? What was her motive?

Wendy Lee Oliver

To the Editor:

Prince Edward County Schools continue to hire the wrong people. I am a concerned citizen and a graduate of Prince Edward County High School. I do not believe that any consideration is ever given to the needs of the students when people are hired to teach or coach there. People should look at the outcome every year when it comes to academics and athletics. Prince Edward has overlooked graduates from its own school who really had the potential to be excellent role models for the students. Not only great teachers, but also great coaches, one of which had great success as a player and is now a very successful coach in this area. If our student athletes are to reach their full potential, they must have coaches who played the game, who can teach game skills and who are concerned enough to want our students to be successful in the classroom as well as on the field or court. The three major sports are football, basketball and baseball. When was the last time the football team had a winning season? The boy’s basketball team has been successful because they have had a good coach who s concerned about the students and the program. The girl’s basketball team won a state championship and look at the shape the program is in now. Our young athletes should not have to be embarrassed because no one is teaching them life’s lessons and how to compete. Hire people who know what to do. Plenty have been applying. The school used to have the best cheerleaders in the district, but not any more. Now they seem disorganized, unprepared and seem not to have any pride in what they represent. Bring back the up tempo style and get the crowd involved again.

Leadership starts at the top. If you are a coach or have a high ranking position and this article is stepping on your toes, look in the mirror and really think about whether the person looking back deserves a paycheck by doing what’s best for the students or if the buddy system is at work when it comes to hiring regardless of what’s best for our children. Parents need to wake up and demand better teachers and coaches. Don’t allow our school to be a joke that people laugh at. We used to be strong and we could be strong again with the right leadership. Good teachers, principals and coaches are always looking to protect their children from unnecessary embarrassment and they make sure that they are prepared for whatever they may face.

Pride starts at the top and the rest will follow. We need a superintendent who cares.

Sincerely, Lonnie Johnson, Farmville, Virginia