John was headed for ‘death or penitentiary.’ Then he got the opportunity

John was headed for ‘death or penitentiary.’ Then he got the opportunity he needed

WATCH – AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT –

July 16, 2021 –

Lifestyle leading to ‘death or penitentiary’

At home growing up, it was just Asher and his dad, who was addicted to drugs — his mother and brother lived out of state and weren’t in the picture. By the time he was a teenager, Asher found himself falling into the same habits as his father.

Asher married and had two children, a girl and a boy, but his addictions persisted, driving a wedge between him and his family. He separated from his wife, and for a span of four or five years, Asher said he “made it a point” not to visit his children. He didn’t want them to see him in the throes of addiction.

“I was never their dad,” Asher said. “I brought them into the world and essentially abandoned them.”

He started dealing meth as a way to stay high and get his drugs for free, Asher said. He felt like he had already lost his wife, children and parents, and there was nothing left to fight for, he said. Eventually, though, that lifestyle got old. When he was 41, he got caught selling drugs to an undercover cop.

“I used to say ‘I wish there was a way out,’ “ Asher said. “Well, I got my way out: I went to prison. I ran with it and never looked back.”

He was sentenced to 10 years, four of which would be probation. But less than a year after his sentencing, Asher petitioned for the remainder of his time to be served as probation. To his surprise, Asher said the judge granted his request.