by Patrick H. Moore
We all know things get downright weird in Florida. The infinite variety of outrageous crime that occurs in the Gunshine State is strangely intriguing. In my least stable moments, I find myself wishing I was riding shotgun with Florida law enforcement just to witness some of the craziness. While things are kind of quiet in L.A., there is never a dull moment in Okeechobee County. Okeechobee County is a bit north of the Everglades and it boasts the seventh biggest freshwater lake in the U.S.
It’s also home ground to Bryan Adams (not the singer) but sometimes home ground can have distinct disadvantages especially when you get too far into the meth. Too far into the meth? Bryan is one of 1.5 million regular American meth users. That’s a lot of tweakers. According to the statistics, 12 million have tried it.
Now I’m not a guy to cramp your style or wax moralistically should you make the foolish decision to experiment with with a little glass. But you’ve got to admit you’ve gone too far when it dawns on you that your son has turned into a demon and your parental duty is to to take him out into the woods to perform an exorcism. When the demons start dancing, you’ve got to banish them even if they are inhabiting those you love the most. And most importantly, you’ve got to get properly amped before you lead your bewitched offspring off into the trees.
Although the reported “facts” of this case need further verification, Adams’s estranged wife reported that on Wednesday Jan 15, he showed up unannounced at her workplace demanding her car keys and claiming he’d been seeing demons. (This is a true “Make My Day” moment.) Adams’s wife reported that he wanted to take custody of their children, which she was clearly dead set against. Unsurprisingly, the woman told the police they’d been separated due to Adams’ ongoing drug problems.
It is unclear what Adams did for the rest of the day but at some point he did some meth in preparation and stayed up into the wee hours biding his time just after 3am when he showed up at his estranged wife’s house, snatched his son from his own bed, and spirited him away out into the low-lying woods still in his pyjamas.
We can only guess at the terror the boy may have experienced. We can also only surmise about what dark and fearful thoughts riveted the methalyzed father as he led his youthful charge out into the woods, his overtaxed neurotransmitters shrieking in the tongues of drug-induced paranoia.
In what appears to be excellent emergency police work, Deputies tracked Adams to a wooded area where they attempted to arrest him. Adams bolted into the soggy underbrush. then when trapped, resisted violently, showing “abnormal strength”.
The police secured the boy who was fortunately unharmed except for minor injuries. Then they went after Adams. He apparently hadn’t gotten far and the officers got to him quickly. Then the fun began. Trapped, Adams proved a worthy adversary.
Deputy Leland Schoonmaker provided a perhaps plausible account of the altercation. ‘I then observed Bryan getting up off the ground and lunging at Deputy Hazy. Bryan then turned around and began punching me in the chest with both hands. One wrist did have a handcuff on it and he was swinging it around as he was punching me.’
During the confrontation, Adams, showing a commendable logic, allegedly kept shouting: ‘I have to stop the demons. I have to do it.’
The police ultimately used both a Taser and a K-9 unit to subdue him but Adams reportedly did not appear to feel any pain. Fighting maniacally, the Unsuccessful Exorcist began to flail at the K-9 unit even as he was being tased.
Given the circumstances, the police appear to have exercised considerable restraint but eventually they lost patience:
He was finally restrained after Deputy Mark Margerum retaliated against the crazed man’s onslaught and ‘… punched Bryan in the face approximately five times with [his] right hand.’
Adams is being held at the Okeechobee County jail on $170,000 bond.
The charges against Adams include child abuse, resisting arrest and aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer.
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A crystal meth addict doesn’t like to be too far from his stash, and following his arrest, Adams told police he had used methamphetamine shortly before deputies arrived. Miraculously, the boy, clad only in his pajamas, was unharmed other than a minor injury to his heel.
This was a very close call. If it hadn’t been for the mother quickly notifying the authorities and the skillful police work, god only know what might have happened to the boy.
And if I were the mother, I would not feel comfortable unless Adams’s charges in aggregate put him away for a considerable period of time.