An Innocent Man

There was a loud knock at my door.  I looked at the clock on my bedside table.  The clock displayed 3:09 a.m.  I had no intention of leaving my bed at such an ungodly hour of the night and rolled back under the covers.  It was a saturday night and no shortage of drunks roaming the streets.

"Go away, whoever you are."  "There's no money or jewels in this rat hole.  You're wasting your time."

The knocking got louder,  and it was followed by a deep Irish voice.  "Open up, this is the San Francisco Police department.  We have a warrant for your arrest.  Now open this door or we will break it down."

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," I shouted back.

I threw the blanket off me and grabbed the pants that were strewn across the bed.  I opened the door to see two local police officers, ready to draw their guns at any moment.

We are looking for a Terry Bradshaw.  "Is that you," asked the officer in an angry tone.

"Yes, my name is Terrance Bradshaw, but I have done nothing against the law.   I'm afraid you have me mistaken with someone else."  "Now please leave and let me get back to sleep!"

"Do you have any proof to show who you really are?

"Of course I do (you bumbling idiots is what I thought to myself ) let me reach for my wallet and I'll prove it to you."  The officer looked at his partner and gave him a questioning nod of his head.  Then he turned back to me and said "alright, but don't make any false moves."

I took my wallet out of my pants pocket and held out the license for his inspection.  The picture on the license showed  my face, name and address.

"Does that satisfy you now?*

"Yes sir." "Where were you at 10:15 last evening?"

"I was out walking in Pandora Park by the water."  It was a warm night and I had a grueling day.  I am in sales, a job that can rattle even the best sales agents."

Can anyone vouch for your whereabouts?"

"No, I am not in the habit of taking to anyone while I am out walking.  I was alone with my thoughts.  I walked about half an hour an hour and then returned home.

A manager at the Swan Club on Eagle Drive called us with a complaint against you.  He gave us a description of you and your address.  He says you frequent that bar a lot."

"First of all, I have never been to any bar on Eagle Drive, nor do I drink.  As I said before, you must have me confused with someone else?"

"A robbery was committed inside the bar, and we have at least ten patrons who can identify you as being the perpetrator." $3000 was taken from the bar register, the bartender was assaulted and furniture was broken." 

"Well, we can easily clear this up, if you are willing to follow us down to the pecinct," he said in a softer tone.  It shouldn't take too long."

"My heart started racing as I slipped back into the seat of the squad car.  I glanced at the door and noted the lack of a car door handle.  I suddenly became quite claustrophobic and unconsciously placed my fingers around my throat.

We sat down in an interrogation room.  I was offered coffee and sat there stirring it absent-mindedly while the two officers left the room.  I knew about interrogations and how the police could sit there and question a suspect for hours until they got what they wanted to hear.  I was a crime drama TV buff, watching Law and Order, Matlock or Cagney & Lacey.  But this was no TV show, this was real drama that was happening to me.  It was real.

I waited almost an hour before two new detectives entered the room.  They introduced themselves to me and apologized for taking so long to get back to me but they were interviewing some of the customers in the bar.

We believe that you are probably innocent of all charges, but we would like you to volunteer for a line up.  This is just to rule you out.  "Would you be willing to do that for us?"

By this time, I was exhausted and hungry.  I just wanted to leave and get over this nightmare.  So I willingly agreed and followed them into a holding room with five other men who had similar features as me.  

I was given a sign with the number 5 in large bold prinf and after about ten minutes later the door to the right opened.  An officer led us into an adjoining room with bright lites shining from the ceiling.

The officer had us stand against the wall and then called each one to stand forward.  Then we were told to turn in different directions.  As I stood there, I wondered who was on the other side of the glass.  Or was this all an exercise in humility?

As I came out of the line up room, the detective lead me back to the interrogation room and sat me down.  

"I am sorry to inform you that you have been identified as the suspect in this case.  At this point you will be charged with grand larceny, assault and destruction.  You will stand before a judge tomorrow morning and receive your punishment."

I stood there in absolute shock.  How could this possibly be happening to me….?

☆☆☆☆☆☆

On February 20th of 1980 a woman gave birth to a pair of identical twins.  The mother was single and only 20 years old.  She thought to herself that she would not be able to handle two boys alone.  She selflessly decided to give up on of the boys to a good family and kept the younger twin to be with her.

The mother never spoke of the son that she gave away, but she kept in touch with the family to make sure her son was okay.  

She tragically learned that the boy she had given away had a mean streak and when he got angry, he had difficulty keeping his anger in check.

One night he entered a bar on Eagle street.  It was a bar that he often went to and everyone knew who he was.  He had just learned from his mother that day, that he was adopted and that he had an identical twin brother who lived just a few block from where he lived.  

So when he started going to the Swan club on a weekly basis he introduced himself as Terrance Bradshaw; Terry to his friends.

He got very angry when the bartender refused to serve him any more liquor.  He beat the bartender to a pulp and grabbed the money that was in the register.  He slipped the cash in his hip pocket and walked out of the bar.  Nobody ever saw him again.  Nobody cared because the real Terry Bradshaw was identified in a line-up and was sentenced to ten years in jail.