04/29/2026
A fellow Ram Alum needs our help!
I never thought I would have to write something like this.
For more than 20 years, I was a teacher, coach, father, minister, and mandated reporter. I taught students about doing the right thing, standing up for the vulnerable, and believing that the Constitution protects ordinary people from abuse of power.
Then I reported suspected abuse and exploitation involving my intellectually disabled niece.
Six days later, I was arrested.
I was charged with first-degree felony witness tampering, a charge that can carry up to 99 years in prison. My elderly disabled father, a retired United States Army veteran who served for more than 20 years, was also arrested. He is wheelchair-bound, can barely speak, and spends most days confined to bed. Yet he was still placed in handcuffs and accused of a first-degree felony.
The vulnerable person I was trying to protect never accused me of tampering with her. The accusation came from a man living more than 700 miles away who was openly supporting the stepfather I had reported—the same man DNA confirmed had impregnated my intellectually disabled niece. I never threatened her, bribed her, told her to lie, or tried to hide her from anyone. I was trying to help her be heard.
The charge against me was later rejected, but the damage did not disappear. I lost my teaching career, my income, my reputation, and my ability to provide for my wife and children the way I always have. My background checks still carry the weight of an accusation that has nearly destroyed my life. It has been over a year, and with every job I apply for, the first thing HR sees is “First-Degree Felony Family Violence.” Most never look past those words, and my 20-year teaching career is treated as if it never existed.
I am now fighting back through a federal civil-rights lawsuit.
This is not just about me. If a teacher can report suspected abuse involving a disabled loved one and then be arrested for speaking up, it can happen to anyone. If advocates are silenced, vulnerable people are left alone.
I am asking for help to hire an experienced civil-rights attorney and bring national attention to what happened. I do not want revenge. I want truth, accountability, and protection for the next teacher, parent, minister, coach, or family member who reports abuse.
My wife and children are my strength. I will not give up.
Please donate if you can. If you cannot donate, please share. Sharing may help this reach the right lawyer, journalist, advocate, teacher, veteran, or person who believes that reporting abuse should never become a crime.
Report abuse. Protect the vulnerable. Defend the truth.
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” — Proverbs 31:8
Report Abuse, Get Arrested? Help a Teacher Fight for Justice … James Roden needs your support for Help a Teacher Defend Constitution & Disabled Victim Rights
