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Sentencing December 29, Part 3

Michael Travesser / Wayne Bent at sunset

Third section of sentencing hearing - Continued.

Judge Baca: So, who do you wish to call first?

Ms. Montoya: Well, your Honor, there are numerous individuals and I’m just gonna ask them to step forward and speak, whoever wants to speak. And they can...

Judge Baca: Alright.

Ms. Montoya: ...announce their name as they approach the podium.

Judge Baca: Well, let’s start right here in this first row here and see if there’s anybody that wishes to speak on behalf of Mr. Bent. And when you come up, please, speak loudly and introduce yourself.

Jeff Bent: Good morning sir, my name is Jeff Bent. I’m the son of Wayne Bent. I respect the District Attorney’s opinions or his right to have an opinion, but knowing my father as I have for forty-five years, I can say; he’s not an arrogant man. He’s just not a politician. He speaks directly to people and he does have a following of what I would call haters, because of his manner of just speaking plainly and directly to the issues without flattering. And this has offended some people. But others, he’s, as you can see here, people that have also attended his trial, love him very much, because of his truth telling.

I’m forty-five years of age and have been closely associated with my father for the last twenty years of my adult life. If he were a child molester, I would know it by now. I was raised with two younger sisters and I’ve never witnessed even the slightest inclination towards any impropriety on my father’s part. It simply isn’t part of his character or family history.

I was four years old when my father was converted to Christ in nineteen sixty-seven (1967.) From those early years, until this day, I have always known my father to be a man of strict integrity and the highest moral principles. I’ve never known him to lie or to manipulate the people around him for the sake of his own self interest. He has never had an affair or manifested any propensity towards the kinds of illicit sexual gratifications that are so prevalent in our society today. Indeed, sexual immorality of any kind has always repulsed him and he spared no effort to steer his children away from sexual influences. To know my dad is to know that a sex offender is something he definitely is not. To see him branded with a scarlet letter only dispels any notion that our legal system operates by enlighten principles. This is an injustice. Many people have been hurt by this criminal proceeding and no one has been helped.

Shortly after my father was converted to Christ, in nineteen sixty-seven, we moved so he could attend college to prepare for the Seventh Day Adventist Ministry. He studied full time and worked nights at a bakery. He was still a young man with many responsibilities, who still found time to spend with his growing family. My early memories of my father are sweet and I remember loving him intensely when I was a young boy. He was kind and affectionate and never punished me in anger. My mom and dad raised me, along with two younger sisters, and our home was as wholesome and nurturing as one can expect in the world today.

My dad was physically affectionate with us kids. At bedtime, he would often come to our rooms and pray with us and give us a hug and a kiss goodnight. My sisters and I, both, never experienced a touch that was not perfectly wholesome, natural and appropriate from our father. Not once in my entire childhood did my father ever manifest a tendency towards inappropriate behavior towards his kids or anyone else’s for that matter. Such things were unknown in our childhood. To know my father’s character is to know how strange and alien such a thing would be to him. Our trust in our daddy was implicit and he was always pure and truly loving as every father should be. And he has never betrayed our trust even once.

In nineteen seventy (1970), my father was assigned as an intern pastor to a small church in southern California, a church that tripled in size during the four years he worked there. I noticed, from those early days forward, that there was usually a faction of people within his church who hated him and worked against him in any way that he could, that they could. As I grew older, I began to understand the issues. I could trace those offenses back to times when my father told the unvarnished truth from the pulpit. He never... he would never expose a person’s faults publicly, but he would simple make clear the requirements for entrance to Heaven. Some who loved their sins would take offense at this, for they saw they were unsaved. It is from this class of offended individuals, the State has largely built this distorted case against my father. The State has taken sides in a religious conflict, taking on the role of persecutor. If there is one thing my father taught me from early childhood forward, it is to tell the truth, always, beginning with one self. This is what he’s faithfully done in love. Even when it cost him friends, he has always spoken the truth, even when it was to his earthly benefit to remain silent. This is what has endeared him to some and caused him to be hated by others.

Another basic example of my father’s, another basic principle my father has taught in word and by example, is always be true to your heart. I first observed him practice this when I was a teenager and decided I didn’t want to go to church or be a Christian anymore. Even though I sensed the sadness in him about it, he fully supported me and being true to my heart and I didn’t feel any less loved because of my decision. In fact, he encouraged me to be honest about my desires. This enlightened approach created a bond that drew me back to him later in adulthood.

Your Honor, these Godlike traits, the world cannot know or appreciate that, have bonded our church, our small church to him more strongly through these bitter present circumstances. The media and the State have inferred mind control and manipulation, because they do not know Wayne Bent, the man. My father has always told us to follow our hearts and has always taught us by word and example that the conscience of each individual is sacred ground. He has refused to be a dictator over the hearts and minds of other people. He has practiced these principles, even at the cost of his own life. Thank you for your time.

Judge Baca: Thank you sir. Alright, who else? The second row? Alright you may approach. Again, please state your name.

Hanifa Travesser: My name is Hanifa Travesser.

Judge Baca: Alright.

Hanifa Travesser: Your Honor, members of the court, I’m here today to tell you that if I had any friend at all in the world it is Wayne Bent. From the first time I met him twenty years ago, initially by way of his writings, I experienced a connection between us that has continued to this day. Mr. Gallegos spoke of John and Elsa being young parents and having young children and raising them in the church and when I came into this church I was a young woman and I had young children. I was a married woman with three young children. When I gave my life over to God, my earthly husband excused me and my three little ones from his life. I had nowhere to go and no way to support myself. During this very difficult period of my life, Wayne would write to me or call me sometimes and encourage me in the spirit. His simple explanations of life principles, as well as his unwavering honesty kept me on course and caused me to depend solely on God for the care of my children. We never lacked a thing. And our lives were full and abundant. There were times when, out of his own pocket, Wayne would provide us with a little something to help us along. But mostly, the wealth and provision that I received from him was his living example of integrity, his unflinching honesty and a life that fully exemplified a Christian walk. Raising children as a single parent is never an easy task. But mine was made the more fluid because of my friend, Wayne Bent.

My own childhood had been filled with the nightmares of alcoholism and family abuse, and because of that, I felt ill-equipped to raise my children in the ways of the Lord. But Wayne’s faithfulness to the word of God, as well as his practical example of that word, lived out in his own personal life, provided me a light house that illuminated the way through single parent uncharted waters. Wayne counseled with the children, both publicly and privately, always treating them with the upmost respect and with a genuine paternal kindness, but caused them... excuse me, (very emotional with crying here) with a genuine paternal kindness that taught them by example, how their Heavenly Father is. Wayne’s teachings and his personal interactions are directly responsible for the reason why my two daughters are the Godly women that they are today. And they sit right there in this courtroom, these two young women over here.

The scriptures say, “Greater love hath no man than this, than he lay down his life for his friend.” Wayne laid down his life for me and for my children and for all men, by always being faithful to everything that God ever put on his heart. By his example, my children and I and many others have come to know God in a personal way. Without Wayne’s shepherding guidance, without his individual friendship and care, it is very likely that this would never have been the case. Wayne is and has been, for as long as I’ve known him, a faithful shepherd and the truest friend. And I tell you now in this court of law, and in all honesty, “well done, good and faithful servant.” Thank you, your Honor.

Judge Baca: Alright. Thank you. Alright, next. And what is your name?

Israela: My name is Carol Brimhaw and I’m also known as Israela. And I live... I’m sixty-six years old and I first met Wayne sixteen years ago. And the main thing about him that stood out to me right away was that I could talk to him about anything and he would understand. I felt instinctively that I could trust him, and all my experience with him, this has proven to be true. I was born and raised in the Catholic Church and there I was taught that God was a cold austere judge who demands perfect behavior from me before he would love or accept me. These gloomy views instilled deep insecurities in me that tortured my soul for many years. But Wayne had a different view of God. And His relationship with him, with Him, taught me that God is my best and dearest friend and a tender loving Heavenly Father. God isn’t looking down on me from Heaven, where he keeps a list, checking it twice to see whether I’m naughty or nice, as the song words go. No, Wayne showed me that God has loved me with an everlasting love. Because of Wayne I gained a true understanding of God, that melted my heart with grateful love.

Another impact Wayne has had on me is his consistent regard and respect for me throughout all the years I’ve known him. No matter what I did or how I felt, I invariably experienced the sweetness of divine love flowing out from his very presence, calming my fears and making me whole. Wayne is not an authority over me, but always supports me in whatever God tells me to do. I’ve been helped and blessed beyond measure in coming to know Wayne. He reached into my heart and took my hand, the hand of faith, and lifted me from a life of ruin and despair. He’s the key that opened a door to a new world of heavenly peace and joy that’s in my heart, my own heart.

He’s been a very precious friend and he still is. And I’m grateful for every time and way that he’s helped me. Thank you.

Judge Baca: Thank you, ma’am. Is there anyone else?

Judy Halstead: My name is Judy Halstead. And I wouldn’t be here today if Wayne hadn’t always lived and walked and talked his faith. In the twenty years that I have known him, he’s always lived in accordance with what he believed and how he perceived a real and fulfilling life to be. He has shown me what an obedient life is and, because he has always been obedient to God, he has, through his example, inspired the same experience in me. Wayne has walked me through many difficult and life’s hard lessons, always patient with me and always had time to listen to me. And he never pushed himself on me. He just left the door open, so that I could come and talk to him. He helped me understand what believing someone and trusting someone really is. Wayne always spoke the truth. I cannot remember anything he’s ever said or written that has changed from the first time that I ever heard him spoke or in all the twenty years that I knew him. He would say, many times, that God told him to always tell the truth.

I remember an incident that spoke loud and clear of Wayne’s love and care from my heart and future. Because of Wayne’s deep concern for the welfare of everyone in the land, a way was made to help everyone and I wanted to be a part of that. The way to help came in the form of everyone sharing everything, so that all of us were equally benefited and received everything we needed. It provided the rest from working off the land that I needed too. Wayne encouraged me in the right direction by questioning me so that I could see what was really in my heart. Wayne always encouraged me to do what was in my heart and to follow Father’s instructions, God’s instructions. I have had the opportunity to move off the land and to live with my sisters or my children, but I don’t want to live in that world that I used to live in. I live in a real and different world, one without murder and rape and lying and all of those things. I wouldn’t know about my new world if Wayne hadn’t shown it to me.

I am so thankful for all that Wayne has taught me, and that has caused me to live and my integrity and honesty all the time. His whole life has been about healing our souls and giving us a real example of being united with God in every part of our life, and it hasn’t been in vain.

Judge Baca: Alright, thank you.

Judy Halstead: Thank you.

Frank Seaman: My name is Frank Seaman. I was born and raised in prison, not a prison of cold steel bars and barbed wired walls, but a prison of cold hearts and impenetrable walls of human wills locked in mortal combat. My father was a violent man. He abused my mother and my older sister. And that genetic inheritance and family environment were the foundations of that prison that I was raised in for forty-nine... that I was locked in, for forty-nine years. And it was in that forty-ninth year of my life in nineteen ninety-two (1992) that I first met Wayne Bent. I didn’t meet him in person at first, but other members of the church shared his writings with me. And I was immediately impressed that the truths that he had shared in his writings were the same that I had been learning on my own personal studies and my own experience. Over the next eight years and my fellowship with Wayne, he proved to be a man who had compassion for all with whom he came in contact. He treated all men and women alike, with respect and fatherly care. He interacted with children with the same benevolence, without ever showing any hint of favoritism. Even those that perceived him as their enemy were treated with the same regard.

When we came to New Mexico in two thousand (2000), one day I was walking past Wayne’s home and unexpectedly said to myself, “there is a man who knows everything about me, but still loves me.” In the next few months, I came to know Wayne in a more personal way than I had in the years preceding. And that began a healing in me from the scars of my childhood. His warm heart and personal care, even when I made mistakes, continued the process of healing those wounds. I have never known Wayne to make a decision based on his own self interest. His only motivation has been for the good of the church, both spiritually and physically. He has never used any type of manipulation to get things to go the way he thinks that they should go, but has, instead, given up his own preferences for the desires of others. He often asks, “What is on your heart?” And then facilitates that desire to come to pass.

But the thing that’s made the greatest impression in my life is Wayne’s faithfulness to his work, as it has been given to him by God. He has never wavered, even at the threat of personal harm. And that faithfulness was revealed again last month when he was incarcerated in Clayton. At that time, his communication with the church was focused on the people on the land and the effects that his bondage had on us, not on his own personal suffering.

So, to put it succinctly, Wayne Bent has done everything possible to deliver me from my... from the stigma of my childhood. He has, by example, personal contact and counsel, caused me to be restored to the fullness of life. Wayne Bent has helped me to see that I’m free of being a victim of life’s circumstances. Instead, he has caused me to be the receiver of God’s incomprehensible love. Wayne has been a father and a brother to me that I never had in the world. And I have nothing but appreciation for his character and his life.

Judge Baca: Thank you.

Mesha Travesser: My name is Mesha Travesser and I’m fifty-four years old. I would like to relate to you some experiences that I’ve had regarding my association with Wayne Bent. In September, nineteen ninety-two, boils suddenly developed over my body. This was a condition I had never experienced before. I changed my diet and tried numerous remedies, but nothing worked. Approximately seven months later, I called Wayne regarding a very personal matter that had been troubling me for years. Though I didn’t know him well at the time, I had observed him in various situations. His demeanor was always so calm, sane and even-keeled. He never seemed out of control or overreacted to anything he encountered. He was like a wise father and was the only one I felt that could really help me in my distressed state or who could be trusted with this very sensitive matter. Wayne explained and clarified some biblical scripture and principles to me that I had misinterpreted and misunderstood. As we talked, I felt a release of internal tension and though our conversation was seemingly unrelated to my physical symptoms, after we hung up, I felt something else had changed. I had a sense a knowing inside that I was healed. And without any further treatment, the boils rapidly disappeared and never reoccurred. Wayne did not know of my physical malady, but his counsel to me resulted in my healing both physically and emotionally.

Wayne has never taken advantage of me, but only offered me a better life than I have ever known. Physically, emotionally and spiritually, the internal and external peace, quietness and harmony, we enjoy in the land as a family, can only be attributed to Wayne’s Godly character and example and the principles of right living he has consistently and tirelessly shared with us over the years. He has never taken anything from me or anyone, but has only given a hundred percent of himself to us, emotionally, physically, financially and spiritually. He has withheld nothing from us. And he is the only one I have ever known to attain such a high standard of living.

Wayne’s recent confinement to a jail cell had a huge impact on me and was a life altering experience for me. After hearing a phone conversation between Wayne and his son, I started to realize that the suffering he was experiencing in jail was all for me. Wayne’s broken heart and passing through that trial was the cross he was bearing for my soul to be free. And that is exactly what his suffering did for me. It has given me the assurance that I am greatly loved. For I know that if I were the only one that his pain and humiliation would benefit, that he would have been willing to go through the whole horrendous ordeal just for me. The cross of Wayne’s current experience, however, is far more real to me than someone actually dying on a cross, as I cannot really personally relate with that example. But this, this was very real to me. Hearing his pain and knowing the adverse conditions he was enduring for my sake cut to the core of my soul. I now no longer fear the unknown and have also received the assurance in this experience in my heart that God really is in control of everything that happens and that all is well and exactly as God has ordained it to be, whatever the outcome. And I’m very grateful to you Wayne, thank you. Thank you.

Judge Baca: Thank you.

Grace Travesser: My name is Grace Travesser.

Judge Baca: Grace, you said?

Grace Travesser: Grace Travesser.

Judge Baca: Ok. Thank you.

Grace Travesser: Your Honor, I’ve had the privilege of knowing Wayne Bent for twenty-nine years. When I met him, he was quiet, not overly warm or friendly, but he had a peace and an undeniable integrity in every situation I saw him in, regardless of the circumstances. And I wanted and needed these same attributes in my own character, that I knew I did not have, after meeting him. Some years later, at my conversion, having answered an altar call and while praying out loud, I was going to ask God to come into my life, but I could not find the words to say that and couldn’t finish my prayer. It was as if all life completely stopped at that moment. And I felt no way out of the awkward situation. That was a very difficult circumstance for me. In what seemed like a short moment, however, Wayne came to my rescue. He put words on what I was feeling and yet was unable to express and finished my prayer for me.

That incident melded me to him forever. For at that moment, something in me connected with something in him. Words failed to describe this experience. It was one of those moments in life that is supernatural and when you know you were rescued by the unseen hand of God through his messenger. When Wayne was given instructions by God, I saw that he would always put himself on the line for what he believed in. It did not matter what it cost him personally, he would follow God and uphold the truth regardless of the consequences to himself.

Wayne’s faithful love for God drew me out of my selfish self-centeredness. Over the years, it was very apparent the power and spirit of God was upon and with Wayne. I saw God answered his prayers. Because of this it gave me hope and courage to ask God to give me success over several habits that I had formed early in life that I didn’t want anymore. Consequently the successes that I asked for were brought to pass by God. Whenever I’ve gone to Wayne for counsel it has never failed to prove itself true. I’ve never known him to lie, use people, be morally loose or patronize anyone for his own gain. Wayne always treated each of us with respect and has manifested a self denying love for each person and dealt with them as if they were the only one that existed. I have never seen him use force, be demanding, overbearing, manipulative or controlling. These self centered attributes are completely absent from who Wayne Bent is as a person. I’ve never been emotionally harmed or damaged by him but only set free and healed. He has never given any indication that he put himself above his congregation but was instead our servant, brother and friend. His focus has always been about helping people and delivering them from their personal hell and sorrows.

Your Honor I have seen him patiently bear the faults and destructive traits of character manifested by his church members in the past, such as hatred, pride, quarreling, selfishness, prejudice, and the use of force and control between husband and wife, parents and children, those character traits that kept them fighting with each other, dysfunctional, and downtrodden. He was ever looking to help them have complete peace and harmony in their relationships and be free of their insecurities and secure in God as their only friend, helper and guide. He’s always said, ”Tell the truth, hear God and follow his instructions. Do what is on your heart. Ask God if what I have told you is so.”

Wayne’s self-denying life cannot be captured in words, your honor, and I’m at a loss to convey the depth of his impact on me. But I can say that he has been, and continues to be, my only true and faithful friend. He’s my heart, my redeemer, my Messiah, my soul husband and the lover of my soul. Thank you.

Judge Baca: Thank you.

Grace Travesser: If it please your Honor.

Judge Baca: Yes, ma’am.

Grace Travesser: Ms. Montoya asked me to tell you, I’m fifty-seven years old and I am, I was, a nurse for over twenty-five years and I’m also the ranch manager.

Judge Baca: Alright. Thank you. Alright, next.

Kerry Davis: Good morning sir.

Judge Baca: Good morning.

Kerry Davis: My name is Kerry Davis.

Judge Baca: Alright.

Kerry Davis: I’m fifty-nine years old. And for more than twenty-seven years, I have called Wayne Bent, also known now as Michael Travesser, my friend. I knew him long before there was a Lord Our Righteousness Church and I knew him years before Strong City ever came into existence. No other person has had a greater impact on my life than Wayne Bent has had.

Wayne is the personification of the attributes of character that I hold paramount for all mankind to live by. And yet of which, sadly, I find generally lacking in society as a whole. Wayne has been my inspiration and my confidence that it is possible for anyone, including myself, to live an exemplary life, even with the temptations and the adversities that come with living in this present world.

Wayne and his teenage daughter were our neighbors in Sand Point, Idaho in the early eighties. I have had plenty of opportunities through the almost three decades since our first introduction, under every kind of circumstance imaginable, to observe Wayne’s interactions, not only with our children, but with his children, other folks in the community at large, with business dealings, personal situations, and the events of just everyday living as well. I have closely watched how Wayne would handle various situations that would arise, covering every kind of human issue conceivable, from relationships, business affairs, to spiritual and moral issues. It was always with the same keen sense of right and wrong that he dealt with every case as it just came from his core being. He never showed any partiality, but invariably judged fair and square, in spite of accusations to the contrary. Wayne could never be quarried by personal opinions, moved by public perceptions, or bought off by any intimidating force from following the convictions of his conscience. He has valued honesty and truth above everything, having no fear of the reprisals or any consequences to his reputation, which literally means nothing to him, or even to his very life.

The only thing that has ever mattered to him is his freedom to live according to the dictates of his conscience, knowing he is accountable to the God of Heaven only for every word and deed.

This is what Wayne has given to me too, the principles to live according to my own conscience and to follow my heart in everything, no matter what the popular opinion is or what the majority are doing. In this way, I am being true to myself and to my God. And my conscience is clear when I lay my head on my pillow at night. Wayne’s consistent inherence to these principles have made such a deep impression on me, which only grows deeper over time. As I still continue to watch how he deals with his current situation that I may learn to do the same. He has never wavered one fraction from his convictions in all the years that I have known him. And I know that he never will. He cannot, for this is simply his character, which has been established in him over a lifetime of unbroken integrity.

This is the man that I know. This is the man who has never failed me in any way through all the years that I have known him. His heart, his compassion, and love exemplified, truth personified. I have been so privileged to have known such a man as Wayne Bent. And I am forever grateful for the journey we have traversed together. Thank you.

Judge Baca: Thank you ma’am. Let me just remind everybody that we are due to finish this hearing at ten thirty. So if you can, I know there may be a lot of people who still wish to talk, if you could limit your time maybe to about a minute so that everybody will have a chance. Alright. Thank you. You may go ahead.

Ashley Pickle: My name is Ashley Pickle. Wayne Bent is known to me as Michael. I have come to know him very well over the past several years. And it is my desire today to share a piece of my heart about how he has impacted my life.

I have personally known Michael for several years now. And I have found in him a friend, a friend who would always tell me the truth about life and point my heart in the right direction. He has lived in this world for sixty-seven years, giving him much more experience in life than I have ever had. He has gone through life, experiencing the normal life as people call it. He has fathered a family, gone to college, worked jobs, pastored churches, et cetera. Michael has shared many of his life experiences with me and how he found only a deep emptiness and lack of comfort in this world. He shared how the only comfort and fulfillment in life comes from finding the heart of God, as he had come to find. I found his words to be an anchor to my heart and an answer to something my heart desired. In all of my life experiences, I have seen the same emptiness that he has spoken of. That life of emptiness is what Michael has saved me from.

I have lived the past several years close to Michael. As I went through my teenage years, I had many struggles, perplexities and heartaches. But I could always go talk with Michael and he would be there to help me through. He was there to see my tears and he would wipe them dry. He was there to hear my heartaches and speak encouraging words. And his words were like giving my heart wings to fly again. He has been to me like a lighthouse, always shining on, even in the blackest fiercest storm.

I have been with Michael through this recent case that the State on New Mexico has brought against him. And this has opened my eyes wider to the immorality and injustice that permeates the whole world now. As I have been watching this whole case unfold, I realize in a greater sense what a great blessing I have been given to know Michael. In contrast to the life Michael has taught me, to live one full of honesty and always following my heart’s convictions, I see a world full of injustice and lies and I have been spared being entangled in this kind of lifestyle.

Michael was convicted for following his religious beliefs and not because he molested anyone. I know Michael very well and he has never had even the slightest inclination to molest anyone. And yet he is convicted as one guilty should be. I have never known him to walk a single step out of his integrity or to break any laws the State has erected. Yet, the State accused him of doing so. This whole experience of watching the one my heart loves very much be accused falsely has crushed my heart out. Michael is very dear to my heart and I wish I could give him a gift in exchange for what he has given to me. If it were possible, I would take his sentencing today so that he could walk free. This is my heart.

Judge Baca: Thank you.

Terry Czapski: Good morning.

Judge Baca: Good morning sir.

Terry Czapski: I’m Terry Czapski and I’m forty-nine years of age.

Judge Baca: Alright, you may proceed.

Terry Czapski: The way that Wayne Bent has influenced me the most was his regular insistence that a person should be honest with all man and under all circumstances. Most people lie from time to time. And even pastors often condone some types of lying, but Wayne was adamant that for a person to have any integrity whatsoever, he must be honest with both himself and with others. This aspect of his life affects me daily as I go about my duties. I’m always purposed to tell the truth. This truth telling is one of the areas that Wayne’s own integrity would show up and these twenty years that I’ve known Wayne I have never observed him telling a lie.

Another area, which has had a strong impact on me, was Wayne’s ability to interact with people and give an admonition to someone when necessary, by accomplishing this task with perfect love without human passion or condemnation. I’ve watched this happen on seemingly hundreds of occasions in which Wayne was able to communicate this passionately with a person, often under the hardest conditions, and yet do it in such a manner that the person knew they were being loved and not mistreated.

In my twenty years of associating with Wayne, I have never seen him abuse anyone physically, verbally or emotionally, either publicly or more private settings. To the contrary, I have seen him, on numerous occasions, both publicly and privately, go beyond the call of duty and not exposing someone’s faults or errors unnecessarily, thus saving the individual from embarrassment or ridicule.

In my private visitations with Wayne, I have noticed that he would never tell me what to do on those occasions when I had sought out his counsel on a particular matter. He would always point out the different options for me, but would leave the decision making process for me to do based on what my heart was telling me.

All these... I’ve skipped half of it to shorten the time...

Judge Baca: (breaks in) thank you...

Terry Czapski: All these attributes have made a strong impression on me, have shaped my character, and the way in which I view and interact with others.

Judge Baca: Alright. Thank you sir.


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