OMFG why is this my problem?
So, at 4:45 am last Monday I got a call from my baby brother saying "you'll never believe this, but I'm in jail". Well, actually I totally believe it. He's been driving without insurance or registration/tag for more than a year, probably much longer. I told him to be careful, I told him to get it taken care of. Oh but no....laws don't apply to him. He even told me he knew he'd be arrested if he was pulled over. Seems like he knew what was coming so you'd think he'd be ok with the consequences, right?
Nope, he calls me again and again until I arrange to take his collect calls through a prepaid, $50 minimum billing system. By this time it's been two days. I, feeling guilty because I haven't gotten to talk to him drive to Dawson county (45 mins away) to see him during his first visiting hours Thursday night. When I finally am able to see him, what's the first thing he says? "When are you getting me out?" Wait, lets back up a second....who drove that car illegally? I don't recall being behind the wheel. So anyway, like a loving sister I spend hours calling around to find out why he's been arrested and how much his bail would be should I decide to help him. Turns out he got pulled over the night of my wedding (which I knew, but was told he was let go by my friend who is a cop in Decatur) and was written two tickets for no tag and no seatbelt. He was given a courtdate. On said courtdate he didn't plan ahead (surprise!) and was late to his hearing - he actually tired to tell me it wasn't his fault he was late...it was the Atlanta traffic. He was not let in and was told he was in contempt of court but let go. He says that he was not given another courtdate (which I know is BS). Oh and they suspended his liscense for good measure. Serves him right, the dumbass.
So, the reason he was arrested was for a failure to appear, which generated a bench warrant. Total cost in Decatur - $255. Ok. Fine.
However, he also now has two tickets in Dawson county, where he was picked up. They say that he has to post bail or wait for a courtdate, regardless of whether or not his fines in Decatur are paid. (If we don't pay them, he'll be released directly to Decatur once he's done in Dawson. What fun.) Dawson county bail is...$461.00 plus a $13 jail fee (whatever the hell that is!). Also, Dawson tells me this past Friday that they only hold probate court once a month and so he'll have to be in jail unil JUNE 26th (!!!!) because he's not on the docket for the May 30th date. Ok, now here is where I say WTF. Seriously??? This is a miscarriage of justice. Its two TRAFFIC tickets. Anyway...
So, I spend from last Monday to Friday in a series of emotional panics because I have vowed not to bail him out of Dawson because he knew damn well he was going to be in trouble the next time he got caught driving. So, in my opinion, he earned the time in there. However, I don't want him to be there until June as that's overkill, and I also don't want him transfered to Decatur (which will put him in the DeKalb county jail - now THATS a scary thought). I finally decided to cut him a small break and I went and paid his fees in Decatur on Friday so that at least he wouldn't have to deal with another prison (especially one known for overcrowding and for a high population of violent offenders). I also managed to find the ONE competent and kind person in Dawson county who happended to be the clerk of courts - she helped me get him on the May 30th courtdate since she agreed it would be stupid to hold him until June for traffic violations.
I have gone WAY above and beyond what a sister should do for a brother who has more than a few times, gotten himself in some sort of predicament which required either me or his mother to "bail him out" so to speak. He owes my mom at least $6000 in fees and fines and bills that she's paid for him over the last few years. And now he owes me too.
So what did all of this get me? An entire week or heartache and anxiety and daily phonecalls from my brother as he tried to guilt trip me into paying his bail in Dawson county too. The creme of the calls came Saturday when I told him that I would work on getting his court date moved but I couldn't promise him anything. He then told me that he needed me to assure him that if he didn't get the early date, I would bail him out. I told him I wouldn't promise that, that I would see how things went with the probate court and we'd discuss it when we got there. He then proclaimed that he wouldn't stay in jail until June - that he'd hang himself in his cell if we didn't bail him out. FANFUCKINGTASTIC YOU COWARD. YOU MADE THIS MESS, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES. I responded with "That's just great- threaten to kill yourself over a mess you got yourself into...". He hung up on me and I haven't talked to him since. What an ASSHOLE.
So, he's going to be out tomorrow and won't have to go to a second jail thanks to me. I've had enough of him though. I've told my mother that he's to pay back the money I've expended on him within 6-8 months, after he's paid his Dawson fines of course. Also, I will not speak to him until he's ready to apologize for pulling the suicide threat. No matter what circumstance you're in, threatening your family with being responsible for your suicide is completely inappropriate. Especially after they've been working their ass off for you, without even as much as one single "thanks" from you. His apology better be good.
So, how was everyone else's weekend? *eyeroll*