God’s Justice
By Mark Riddering
Trying to be a good police officer is a study of the criminal mind. Trying to grasp how a criminal thinks gives you a good start at appending the wrong doer. For example ……A local judge asked my friend Howard Coolidge and me to contact as many drug addicts as possible and ask if they were offered a drug rehab what type do they think would be the most effective. My thought was these addicts perished from ignorance. However about 90% of the addicts we spoke to said, to really change addiction it had to do with God and a change of heart. Wow, it took me back. Reminded me of Romans 1 where it is described every man has evidence of God in their hearts, but some substitute the truth with their own ways to live.
Well one day a few of us went to look for a wanted parolee of a well-known drug family. As we passed by the wanted mans home we saw him exiting the front door. We all jumped from our car and the chase was on. The man returned to his house. A couple of us went to the back door and a couple ran to the front door. The front door had a heavy metal door. I picked up a brick and was about to hurl it through a large front window. A girl, the man’s sister, quickly opened the door to avoid the damage. Well, we found drug scales and drug selling items but no drugs. The suspect was found in a bathroom. No drugs were found in the house.
We huddled briefly and our partner Louie said the suspect had some slimy stuff on his back. We took the man to the police station to perform a strip type search. Our suspect became nervous and refused to let us check his rectum. We obtained a search warrant and took the man to the ER. A new ER Doctor performed an exam, but got upset saying, “There’s something in this mans rectum and it isn’t stool”. So to x-ray we went. The x-ray revealed a hypodermic syringe and drugs. The man volunteered to remove the items. A very large amount of heroin was secured with a syringe. The man explained the drugs were not his but his girlfriend’s. He said we rushed him so fast his girl hid the drugs in his rectum. Gotta love these stories. He was a 3rd striker and looking at 25 years to life.
Interestingly the man’s girlfriend came to the police department claiming the drugs we found were hers. She went to prison too.
If God wants wrong doing revealed nothing will thwart ….if its to remain hidden it will. Justice is the Lords.
Just a thought ….we who know Gods way…..let us not compromise and love worldly things but boldly live like our Savior. It’s war.
Mark you are exactly right on this.
Twice in the last few months I have asked God for guidance during search warrant executions. Each time I was just not comfortable with all that was happening.
The first case began as we were enroute to make entry. I prayed to God enroute to the location. I asked for his guidance. I asked if this was the day that these people were to be identified to lead us in that endeavor. Upon entry we found upset children being cared for by their grandmother. Their mother arrived from work. Well dresses in buisness attire. They were upset at the situation. A search of the home found a small amount of marijuana. A search of the garage found some use items. For some reason Detective Tanore entered the garage. He was led to open a three person tent that was packaged in the garage. He unfolded the tent and recovered several ounces of methamphetamine and cocaine.
On the second case the heroin dealers were like clockwork. Surveillance found them delivering the same way each day in the same vehicle. On raid day everything changed. No activity. The vehicle not moving. The suspect not leaving. Different subjects leaving the home. I prayed that if this was the day for their dealing to stop to guide us. But if it was not give us the knowledge to back away and try again. After a couple of hours the suspect left the home. He was stopped in his vehicle, but no heroin found. The home was entered. Women and children inside with a male. The male volunteered where his heroin was. A decent amount packaged for sale. The initial suspect volunteers a hiding place in the vehicle that police had not found. More heroin packaged for sales. While in the home a voice outside. A person arriving from Los Angeles. His car parked a block away. K-9 alerts and several ounces of heroin that was being delivered was found. A very good day. Some say luck. Some say good police work. I say good police work with the guidance of God directing us so we wont fail
I love you Mark
Keep fighting the fight
Howard
Marky Mark, God has blessed us again in our endevor to find the wanted. I’m sure you’ll remember in October 2003, five of our local gang members carjacked, beat, gaged, bound and kidnapped two other subjects during an apparent dope rip- off. The two victims were taken to the Bakersfield area and both shot execution style. One victim died and the other survived and was able to identify those involved. Two suspects were arrested witin 1 1/2 years one serving 23 years to life and the second 45 years to life. The other three still out standing. The search for the three was relentless however we kept missing and leads regarding their whereabouts had ended. Numerous search warrants had been written on family members, their phones and residences hoping to find their location, with no luck.
Here is where the good Lord helps out. My family and I have never been to Florida and by GODS good grace we were able to plan a trip and where going to be en-route for the first time for a little vacation. Three days prior to us leaving I received information that one of the outstanding suspects was in an unknown city in Florida, of all places in the world. The person who gave the information was also able to provide a phone number for one of the suspects girlfriends whom was in Florida with the suspect. Another search warrant was issued and the phone was being used in Fort Walton Beach Fl. I informed SMPD of the information and requested when my vacation is over, if we (the Police) can show the suspect is in Florida if we, Marisa and I could fly to the suspect location meet up with local authorities and hopefully find the suspect. Again GOD shined and we were given permission to travel if needed.
After a lot of hard work from GST Detective’s and local FBI we obtained enough informtaion and after our vacation Marisa and I were off to Fort Walton. We met up with ther local FBI and during the first day with GODS grace we were able to locate the suspects residence, work place and the girlfriends car in front of their home. We learned the suspects called in sick at work, at first we thought, great just our luck he isn’t here and someone will tip him off we are looking for him and he’ll be gone again. GODS grace was working again and we did not know it. Because he called in sick we were able to locate him at home and set up surveillance. Just like we thought as he left the residence with his girlfriend driving their car Marisa received a call from the suspects foreman stating he knew we were looking for him and needed to met his foreman after work. Now we knew we had to act, however it took time for us to get an arrest team in place and by this time the suspect had done some counter driving and was out of the vehicle somewhere in a small neighborhood and his girlfreind left in the car. I figured for sure we had been made and our suspect was gone, again GOD was looking out for us, however we were unaware. Because he knew we were looking for him, it caused him to move, apparently he did not know we were following him and once he knew the gig was up he had his girlfriend drive him to a second suspects residence, both wanted in the above-mentioned murder, to let him know what was up. Because of this both suspects were subsequently arrested for the murder and are waiting extradition back to California. It was everyones belief the good Lord was watching over us and lead us to the suspects. So many things happen out of our control that we thought was going to be detramental to our case however made it better. The Lord must have felt enough is enough, they have ran long enough and it’s time to go to jail.
The Lord has helped me in my career on countless ocassions but this time it really stands out he took us over 3000 miles away, led us to the suspects and for an officers satisfaction I was able to place the cuffs on myself and look at their face in disbelief that I was there all the way from Santa Maria.
God guided us the right way again, if we believe we will not fail.
I Love you Mark, Your Brother for Life
Louie Calouie
I was once of the people you spoke of once upon a time, but thank god I decided to grow up and become a better person. I have been clean and sober for three years now. Just want everyone to know that Howard Coolidge is a good man, and a better cop. He was always niceto me, no matter how many times he had to pick me up. And he always told me I was better than that.