Locked In with Ian Bick - How I Survived Oregon’s Most Notorious Prison | Robert Yarber

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Starting point is 00:00:24 Shop Wayfair's Memorial Day clearance now through May 25th. Robert, welcome to Lockton, man. Straight from Norway, our first official guest from Norway. Yes, abhor and bixtol in Norga. That means I live in Baite Stolen Norway. Are you good with the language over there? I could be better. But I'm good at work.

Starting point is 00:00:46 It's Norwegian, yeah. Okay. I'm a bartender, so like, I work, all Norwegian. That's, I'm still in disbelief here from Norway. That's so cool. It's crazy. I remember sitting at OSP, like looking out the window at a brick wall and thinking, I wish I could travel the world.

Starting point is 00:01:01 And I never had. And now I've been to 42 countries, 42. That's crazy. Yeah. I've only been to London. And I'm excited to do some more traveling. I got my passport. Everything's good to roll.

Starting point is 00:01:11 Once you got that, it's your ticket to the world. I mean, there are some places like Japan and Australia that might be a little weird, but. Yeah, I want to go to Australia. I'm actually pretty big in Australia. Like a lot of listeners from, that's our second country. Hey. Oh, it's U.S. Canada, Australia, or like, the United States. top 30, but not discriminating against the other countries that tune in too.

Starting point is 00:01:33 But it is cool how many people in Australia, because they're fascinated with, like, the crime world. Well, you know, Australia started out as a prison colony. That was all, did you know that? Mm-mm. Like, the whole Australia was where Britain sent all of its criminals. Wow. Like, when you got in trouble in Britain, they were like, we banished you to Australia.

Starting point is 00:01:49 And they probably have a nicer prison program over there, though. I don't know. All the foreign countries really have better system, except for Russia. Norway's prison system is, like, it's literally like, we're like, we're like, a hotel. Yeah. It's crazy. Like, there are people in America, like, lots of people that don't live as good as people

Starting point is 00:02:03 in prison in Norway. That's the one with, like, the viral photos. They have, like, PlayStation's. Oh, my God. Everything. They give you, like, kitchen utensil. Do you have knives? I saw a video do was cutting up, like, vegetables with, like, a knife.

Starting point is 00:02:15 I was like, oh, man. Wow. Someone's going to get stabbed in America. They get, like, you give me a knife. Stabbings happen. Yeah. Are there a lot of weapons? I mean, a lot of dangerous crimes out in Norway?

Starting point is 00:02:26 I mean, not really. But, and then they have a. maximum, like only 25 years. Like, no matter what you do, you get 25-year sentence. Yeah. And it's really based more on like being reformed. So the whole thing is like, this person is going to be our neighbor when he gets out. So let's try to help them, cognitive thinking skills, job skills, stuff like that. Because in America, they just throw away the key. I mean, I went to prison OSP. Open the gate. Five years later, open it back up. Yeah, I met this Irish girl and she was saying in Ireland, they don't even carry guns.

Starting point is 00:02:54 No, they don't in Norway either. Like, it's like a security model. Like an officer in the mall like, hey, what are you doing? I got my flashlight. Stop breaking the law. You know what I mean? And it's like, okay, you got me. That's how like London used to be and stuff. I mean, now they all carry guns.

Starting point is 00:03:09 But I mean, it's nice to be in a place where it is safe. Especially you come from like America, super traumatic. You're in Norway. And it's genuinely safe. You don't got to look over your shoulder at the ATM or the minibunk. Like, your kids are safe to play in the streets. I mean, it's so different. You don't realize how dangerous America is until you go around another place.

Starting point is 00:03:28 and you're like, yo, I'm like traumatized. Yeah. I was talking to my dad earlier yesterday. I was like, the violence is just so silly. Yeah. Like it's just unnecessary, you know? For what? Like, you know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:03:40 Or can we just live and let live? I don't know. Yeah. So before we get into a plug in your YouTube channel, what you got going on over there? Oh, yeah, yeah. Everything's Rob does it all. That's website.com, cash have memo.

Starting point is 00:03:53 That's Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube. Everything's Rob does it all. So follow me on all of them. And what are you doing with your YouTube channel? So I got a new show that I'm about to start called Rob Yarber's Friends Around the World, inspired by Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown, where I just travel around the world, hang out with my friends, have good food, and, you know, just chill, show people the world.

Starting point is 00:04:14 Because as I traveled around the world, I've met a lot of people in interesting places. So I'm like, I could go Phuket Thailand, could go to Australia, I got a friend of mine from Idaho who lives out there. So I just thought, you know, why not? I got to try to pivot into something. Like I'm bartending now, but I'm about to become a permanent resident of Norway. So then I'll have like a lot more freedom to do different jobs. Like right now, it's very strict bartending and that's it.

Starting point is 00:04:36 So I can't accept brand deals. I can't do nothing. So I'm just thinking like, what's the next move? I'm like, you know, why not? Hang out with my friends. Yeah, and you're telling me that they make you have a serious face on your ID. There's no smiles in Norway. Don't you even think about smile.

Starting point is 00:04:51 You take an ID picture or anything. You have to be. How long's the flight? It's crazy. Well, this one was like nine and a half hours. Okay. So it just depends, like, where you're coming from. I had a couple connecting flights.

Starting point is 00:05:04 What airline do you normally fly? It depends. It could be Scandinavian Airlines, Norwegian. This time was Air Canada. Canada, what's up? You get your TSA pre-check? No, I need to get it. I finally just got one.

Starting point is 00:05:18 I went to get it. I made a TikTok about it. I went viral. Like, I've been waiting for all these years. I've been counting down the days because you've got to wait five years after you get out of prison before you can even apply.

Starting point is 00:05:27 When did you go to prison? 2016 and 2019. So I just got like the five years clear. And then they made me sweat it out the full 60 days. It says normally it's approved like within your first week or whatever you hear back. And then they had me day 60. I get the text. Oh, my goodness.

Starting point is 00:05:44 I almost forgot about it. I kept looking every day and then I get a text year approved. Oh, man. So I have that with clear and it just, it's so much faster now. That's what I need. Like that's the next goal. It's like $100. I did it through clear.

Starting point is 00:05:57 It was like 70 bucks, but clear is good. Clear gets you both. Yeah, so with the clear and pre-check, you skip the pre-check line. Oh, yeah, I need that. Yeah. And sometimes Clear Regular is even faster than pre-check. I don't really care about taking the shoes off this and that. Yeah, yeah.

Starting point is 00:06:10 It's just more for speed when I'm going through it. But you got to be able to like, you know, that's when you know you reach the next level, you just maneuver and stuff. Yeah. When you travel enough that this is worth it to you. Because when you be in that line, especially go through customs. Oh, I'm done traveling for a while. Oh, my goodness.

Starting point is 00:06:24 I was just on the road for the last month in all these cities. I went to Austin, Arkansas, California, I think a couple, Phoenix, Arizona. I'm shot. I don't want to do it. I want to be here in the studio. It's more comfortable. Well, you've got a list to me. Yeah, the quality.

Starting point is 00:06:41 Dude, we pimp this out out there. I would never leave this. We got the video games. Do you also live here? Because you could. Yeah, well, we got the upstairs. But it's just, this is home base. You know, there's good food around.

Starting point is 00:06:51 The gym's down the road. I go the gym. The boxing club. Like, everything is so near here. just, it's perfect. And this is like home, and my parents are down the road. My dogs here. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:07:02 I want to move out of Danbury. I don't like Danbury. I hate Danbury. Oh, man. They are not good to me. These views are not shared with me. I have nothing but love for Danbury. No, no.

Starting point is 00:07:12 Me and Danbury have a lot of history. We're in Richfield. So I'm a big Richfield fan. Go out to eat in Richfield. Yeah. And I'm going to try to maybe get an apartment here in Richfield. What's wrong with Danbury? All my history is from Danbury.

Starting point is 00:07:26 and they can't get over it, you know, some of these people there. But it is what it is. But I like the studio. We're making it really cool and fun. We've got Nerf guns now. This place is crazy. I know I've seen that on some of your skits. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:07:41 I was like, what? And this is just all office space. Yeah, yeah. There's windows right here. There used to be windows. Yeah? This is, I mean, if you haven't been here, you got to come here because just come out and hang out with Ian because this is like a cool place to hang out.

Starting point is 00:07:54 I got video games out there. Yeah. I feel like it's a cool experience for the guests, too. They get their picture taken. They see everything. It's really cool. This is like, this is a real professional. This is like multiple cameras.

Starting point is 00:08:04 You got lights everywhere. You know what I mean? Look, you know, I was going to be like Jay Main, you know, and have my glasses on, you know. I was like, yo. But your mom said no. Maybe I should have some glasses, you know, but my momager, my manager and my mother,

Starting point is 00:08:16 she was like, no, pick those off. So were you raised in Oregon? No, I grew up in Northern Virginia. Okay, so you've been all over. Yeah, yeah, Fairfax. County, Herndon, Virginia. Yeah, that's where I grew up until I was, I lived there until the end of 10th grade, and then I moved to Corvallis, Oregon.

Starting point is 00:08:33 So I went, like, very different. Who'd you grow up with? I grew up with both my parents, so I was eighth grade. Then I lived with my mom for ninth and tenth, and then my dad for 11th and 12th. Okay, in Oregon. Yeah, yeah. That's why I moved because he had a job at Oregon State University. So you separated from your mom?

Starting point is 00:08:50 Yeah, but, you know, she just had a new baby, you know. I love you, Tarek, you know, and I was like 16. She had a brand new newborn and everything. So I was like, what, no diapers? Dad, Dad, you always talk to good things about you. Let's hang out. It's just the boys, you know what I mean? Did you have a good relationship with both parents?

Starting point is 00:09:05 Yeah, I mean, my parents are really both really cool, you know what I mean? And I think about some of my life choices and decisions and stuff. All my fault, never learned any of that stuff from my parents. I don't know where I went left wrong turn to Albert Kirkgy or whatever, but both my parents were really cool. What they do for work? Well, my dad when I was growing up, he had a sports store, two of them. One in Maryland, one in D.C. My mom had a few jobs, but she worked at the cable company, most of more than anything.

Starting point is 00:09:32 She had a job of Marriott. I remember that summer was late because I used to go into Marriott. I had my little Sega Genesis in the rooms when they didn't have guests in them. I just hang out, plugging my little system, have popcorn and stuff, go down to the front desk. I was just like running a muck out there. Some Kevin McCallis. Yes, it was like Home Alone every day. Herndon, Virginia.

Starting point is 00:09:51 It was on Elgin Street, man. It was amazing. Wow. To me, it was out of Oregon. No, that's fun as a kid. Cool. I think about that. I'm like,

Starting point is 00:09:58 yo, that was like my favorite job you ever have. How do you think your best friend from, you know, your younger years would describe you for you to see right now? Well, I got a group of friends I grew up with as Marcus, Dana, Chris, Greg. These are like my main, you know, Kevin. These are like my main five.

Starting point is 00:10:19 Like, if I got married, these guys would be my grooms, man. You know what I mean? And for them, it's just like, it's wild. Because, I mean, we grew up at Hernd, Virginia. Like, when I was growing up, I never knew anybody to have been to Europe unless they have, like, a relative, like, an active grandparent or something that lived in Europe. And then they were, like, sending for them in the summertime or something.

Starting point is 00:10:37 But, like, I didn't know anybody just, oh, just travel to Europe. Oh, what did you do summer? Just travel to Europe. You know what I mean? Oh, because, yeah, well, we went to Virginia Beach. That was cool. You know what I mean? So it was, like, small town type vibes?

Starting point is 00:10:50 Yeah, I mean, Fairfast County. it's not exactly small. Hernd is the biggest town, but, I mean, it is, it's not like a major city or nothing, you know what I mean? So, I mean, I loved it. It was cool growing up.

Starting point is 00:11:02 My friends today, they've been to Oregon to visit me. They say they're going to come to Norway. They never do, but they should, but... It's a big ask. I mean, I'm just saying,

Starting point is 00:11:12 you don't got a paper in the hotel or nothing. Like, what's so? We go snowboarding and we go, you know? Not tough stuff on. They say it's too cold, but it's not even cold in Norway. He's all rumors. Was it hard to leave in the middle of high school

Starting point is 00:11:21 to a new and entire high school? I mean, it was, but it wasn't. I went to four different high schools. Every year I was a new student but since I played sports and I was good at sports, that's like you're in. In high school, that's like, that's a cheat code. You know what I'm

Starting point is 00:11:36 saying? If you're good at sports, you're going to be good. Like even if people, they could be racist, they could be whatever. But if you're good at sports, all that goes away, you know what I mean? So as long as you good, you're straight. What sports? I played basketball and football. Okay. Six knee surgeries.

Starting point is 00:11:51 Six knee surgeries to prove it. So you're basically playing year-round because it went right from football where you would have spring off, I guess, right? Yeah, but then you play AAU basketball and stuff. Virginia. Bearcats, back-to-back, Virginia State Champions. We went out there, won a tournament in Hawaii. We was out there baller.

Starting point is 00:12:06 What did you like better, Virginia or Oregon? I mean, I got to say Virginia, because that's my home. Like, that's where I grew up. And it's weird thinking about it now because that's my hometown, but, like, I wouldn't want to move back there today. You know what I mean? Like, I couldn't imagine living there today, but that's where all my friends are. Like, I haven't really had a friend group since I left Virginia.

Starting point is 00:12:28 I've met, like, one real substantial friend, Kyle, and that's it. You know what I mean? So it's like I kind of been like on this journey to travel everywhere alone, you know what I mean? So that kind of sucks because I look at my friends on a Snapchat group. They all hanging out, barbecues and stuff together still. We've been friends in second grade, like 1992. You know what I'm sure you probably made a lot of friends where you were at now, right? Yeah, but you know, like the substantial, like, you know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:12:53 Like, you're a real core group. You're always going to know a lot of people. You know, have acquaintances and stuff like that. Like, I was bartending and teaching for European bartender school. So, like, I got people everywhere, but, you know, these are like, you know, they stayed tonight at my mom's house. My mom took him Kings Dominion, birthdays and stuff, you know what I mean? So. Did you get into any trouble in West Virginia or Virginia before you left?

Starting point is 00:13:13 Bro. West Virginia? Is that what we doing? I'm from Virginia. Virginia. West Virginia is not the same place. I switched it. That's like calling a Mexican in Puerto Rican or something like that, bro.

Starting point is 00:13:23 It's way different. Are the states right next to each other? Yeah, but that's, look, man, West Virginia is like the hills have eyes. I think of West Virginia. Yeah, because I was in prison with a lot of guys that were in West Virginia. So I always revert back. West Virginia University, that area is cool. But, like, it's a bunch of mountain people and don't get lost, wrong turn, movie type stuff happening out there.

Starting point is 00:13:45 I'm just from Virginia. Okay. No, not too much. I don't think. I think I had a normal, like, upbringing. I just normal hijinks. I was a child, I guess. Nothing too crazy. Like, definitely, like, nothing, like, nothing like that.

Starting point is 00:14:00 So all the trouble happens in Oregon? Yeah, oh my gosh, man. Oregon's one of them places. You come on vacation, you're going to leave our probation. You know what I mean? It is. It's one of them places. I don't know what it is.

Starting point is 00:14:10 Especially for, like, God people. You know how many people I'm mad at OSP? And they're like, yo, metifer, da, da, da, da, da, oh, I came from California, went to Oregon, then boom, prison. It's just like. I wonder how it's just like. people are taking vacations to Oregon. Man, I don't know, but if they do,

Starting point is 00:14:24 they're going to end up in a prison system. Don't recommend it. Like, that's for sure. Oregon is a beautiful place. Don't commit no crimes. You shouldn't commit no crimes. You should have committed no crimes. Go see waterfalls.

Starting point is 00:14:35 Just go, you know, just do the cool stuff because it's like they got the mandatory minimums. Measure 11. You've never been in trouble your whole life. You're doing 70 months, 90 months, day for day. With no good time, then it doesn't matter what you do. You could just, you know what I'm saying? like the DRs and stuff like that, they don't mean nothing.

Starting point is 00:14:51 We have no good time. Like, how does that benefit anybody? You know what I'm saying? Then you can just do anything. You don't get into no trouble. Did you graduate high school in Oregon's successfully? I did do that. Okay.

Starting point is 00:15:02 Go to college? I went to college, Santa Monica College. Where's that? Santa Monica, California? Oh, so it was California. Yeah, yeah. I played football there. I had more knee surgeries.

Starting point is 00:15:12 Stop playing football. So I started acting with the acting school. I did some, I got IMDB page, you know what I'm saying? Y'all were checking out. I got a couple things going on. Anything notable? I did a Stevie Wonder music video. And my first ever on-screen kiss was with Terica.

Starting point is 00:15:30 It was casing them. But now it's Carmardi. She got like a million kids with Antonio Carmardi, former All-Pro and NFL. They had a TV show and everything. She got like 100,000 followers. Wow. Yeah, she's pretty cool.

Starting point is 00:15:41 This is your claim to fame. Yeah, you know, I'm just late for the right moment. You know what I got a picture. This is the first time I've really said it anywhere because I got a picture that we took. Of you too, smooching on set? No, no, no, no, not smooching. Look, I want no problems, Mr. Carmari.

Starting point is 00:15:52 I'm just, you know, a regular guy. But, I mean, just a picture of us that I could post at some point and just be like, you know what I'm saying? I made it. Rob does it all. Been around, you know what I'm saying? First on-screen kiss. Look, it's crazy. I was in prison, and Terrica had a TV show on the E-Channel called Cherry Girls or Candy Girls.

Starting point is 00:16:09 There was some woman that had, like, an agency to put video girls in. And I was sitting there. I'm in a day room. This is one of the few times I was minimum. And I was looking at the E-Champ. came on E Channel. You know, we always watch the E. Channel.

Starting point is 00:16:20 It's where the girls were yet. And it was like, Candy Girls or whatever. And had this one girl. I'm from East St. Louis. That bitch, she better be, you know what? She's messing with my. Terica. I was like, Terrica.

Starting point is 00:16:30 I've only known one girl in my life named Terrika. She was also from East St. Louis. Is that her? And I was like, oh, shit. Yo, I was in a Stevie Wonder music video. I was making out with her. Yeah. Come on.

Starting point is 00:16:41 You lying, bro. Quit blind. I'm like, no. Man, I wish I could show you guys. Like, for real, her right there, Terica. They like, this prison, though. Like, come on, man, that can't be true. It's true, promise.

Starting point is 00:16:52 That's funny. Yeah, I was out there, man. Like, you watched a video for, so what the fuss? Stevie Wonder, you see me and her kissing. So once your sports injury kind of put you a kaput, did you switch majors? Did you do anything? No, I dropped out of school. I didn't know what I wanted to do, you know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:17:08 Like, I just played sports. So middle school, high school. Like, college was just the next level. I guess I just assumed I would go to the NFL or something like that. You know, so when school or when football stopped, I was just like, I mean, what am I in school for? I'm in school to play football if I'm not playing football. Yeah, I feel a lot of people put all their eggs in one basket. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:17:30 Especially in high school. That's all they know. They go crazy over. And the same thing is applied to like getting good grades and stuff. Like you obsess over it and then you don't go that route. Well, because it's just like sometimes I look back on it because I had a nice setup. My parents were helping pay for my rent and everything like that. all I had to do was go to school.

Starting point is 00:17:49 But when I wasn't playing football, I didn't know what I wanted to do. Like, I never thought about, like, life. I never thought about traveling. I never thought about careers, majors. I just play football. So when I was over, I didn't know. I don't even know what I liked. Like, what would I even study in school?

Starting point is 00:18:04 I would probably be like, business, economic? I have no idea. I was just like. So do you end up going back to Oregon after acting school and you live in California for a little bit? I lived in California for three years. I used to work at Blockbuster Video Throwback If you remember

Starting point is 00:18:19 There is one left in Oregon By the way There's one left And Bend Oregon A Blockbuster Video Oh, that's where the one is At that's where it's at the famous photos Yeah, yeah, yeah

Starting point is 00:18:27 I got a picture out there too But I used to work there It was pretty cool And then I moved to Seattle Because I remember My father was working At University of Washington And then once I left there

Starting point is 00:18:37 I went to Oregon I should have went to California When my mom was at Because she lived in another place In California Stopped in Oregon In my buddy's house stopped on vacation, ended up on probation.

Starting point is 00:18:50 So tell us what happened. Just a few months later. It was so random now. I got a book. I wrote a book called My Beautiful Nightmare from the bottom of prison to the top of the world. It's going to be published next year. Trying to think should be traditional or not

Starting point is 00:19:02 because I have a little bit of a following on social media. I might want to take the more percentage points. But I'm not sure. About like self-publishing versus... Yeah, you know what I mean? Because I have a literary agent, so I'm like... I would do it professionally. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:19:14 I'm glad I waited. now I have an agent. Yeah. I'm glad I went the distance and waited the whole time. Because that's when you get like the whole, you get like billboard, you get like the marketing, the book tour. Yeah, New York Times bestseller, you know what I'm saying? But like, I would wait.

Starting point is 00:19:29 10, 15% on your, on your return, man. It's not necessarily about the money and more the exposure. Like, they could give me no money for a book deal. And as long as they publish the book. I'm definitely not accepting no money. I just like you know. No, no, I get it. I mean, I'm giving all my book by address.

Starting point is 00:19:45 But like if, like whatever, I don't care about the money, it's, it's about the exposure. Yeah, yeah. Because it just opens it up to new listeners. Yeah. That's true. That's true. And, you know, I'm on my last draft now. Actually, I'm turning it in this week, my agents in Manhattan.

Starting point is 00:20:00 So I think that's what I wanted to because I want to be like, I think, I don't know. I never really wrote a book before. I think I could be New York Times bestseller, man. I don't know. I think I got a cool story. I think a bar set pretty low, too, for New York Times bestseller. You only have to sell like X about a book. It is actually.

Starting point is 00:20:15 really low. People don't know that. Did you see every book in New York Times bestseller? You're like, how? Some people just buy a bunch of copies out of Amazon to inflate it up to get it. I think it's because you only have to sell 5,000 copies in a week and all your pre-sells count as well. So if you have pre-sails for three months and then boom, you get all these different copies when it releases, all your pre-sails, boom, 10,000 pre-sales, your time's best seller. That's awesome.

Starting point is 00:20:40 I've got to be on there for one week and you can always call it in your time best seller. All right. So the store before the audience gets mad at me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What happens in Oregon. Okay, no, okay. So, anyway, the whole point was, I have gone into further detail about this in my book. So you have to buy the book when it comes out.

Starting point is 00:20:53 I'll just try to give you a quick rundown. So basically, me and my buddy, we went to a party. We got jumped at this party. It's weird because we got invited to the party, went, knocked on the door, somebody opened it. And then they, like, disappeared. I don't know, some people came in. Like, some people's, we were, like, 21, like some people's dad, like in their 40s. Yo, you guys need to leave.

Starting point is 00:21:15 Or we just got here, you know what I mean? But this is Oregon, too. Like, people got guns. If you're in somebody's house, they want you to leave, you should leave. So I was like, okay, go to turn around and leave. Tell my buddy Jeff, yo, I turn around. The dude, boom, sock Jeff. And, like, you know, where's, like, skinny 21-year-olds, you know,

Starting point is 00:21:33 maybe, like, weighing, like, 160, 150? This dude was, like, cocked diesel, brolic, boyhead. It looked like a pit bull, like from Tom and Jerry show. It was on top of Jeff, like, choking him. And I was like, dude, we were walking up. way. I don't understand. You know what I mean? So I looked. All these people came in from the backyard. It was like 20 people, man.

Starting point is 00:21:51 Ducking and weaving, like fighting, trying to like see what Jeff is at. Then I'm able to leave. I go to leave, right? And I'm running out the house. And I see Jeff and I can just feel like he's like, yo, you're leaving me? You know what I mean? But I ran to the car, popped the trunk, and I was like

Starting point is 00:22:07 I got cleats or basketball, golf club, no. Oh, baseball bats. Two baseball bats. We ran back inside, hit the guy on Jeff. Boom. Hit him. Jeff was like turning blue. You know what I mean? I was like, Jeff, get up.

Starting point is 00:22:20 I grabbed him. Here's the baseball bat. Hit everyone who's not me. Okay? Like everyone. They can all get it. I don't know what's happening in this house, but hit everybody, right? Do that.

Starting point is 00:22:30 Get away. Didn't call the police because, you know, black man in America. What I don't call a police for? And then we leave. Get back to our apartment. We were roommates. Jeff's got like choke marks on his neck. You know, black guy.

Starting point is 00:22:44 He's not very happy. having a knife, like poking in the wall. Do we got to get these guys, you know? And I'm like, okay, look, relax. Like, I wasn't, you know, how when I leave, man? I was floating like a butterfly thing like a bee. I look good. So I was like, nah, I mean, I'm chill.

Starting point is 00:22:58 But let's maybe not, let's put the knife away. You know what I'm saying? Okay, how about this? This is my 21-year-old mind's compromise. Instead of just not ever going back, I was like, we could go. We'll go to wherever they're at, we'll knock on the door, and we'll just say, whoever you're too tough. as people are, send them out here.

Starting point is 00:23:17 We're going to run the fade. You know what I'm saying? Like four extra off the bat. We go and run it and then it would be cool. No, there was none of that. We opened the door. They started rushing us. We ended up, you know, we had the bat just in case.

Starting point is 00:23:30 You know what I'm saying? Boom, hit some more people. Second time they called the cops on us. Yeah, we went to prison. So they arrested you right then and there that second time? Yeah, well, on the way back. Like, when we left the house because, you know, all this happened.

Starting point is 00:23:45 We left. I remember we were driving away. I saw a cop car coming the opposite direction at us as we were leaving. And then the car flipped to you on and stuff. I was like,

Starting point is 00:23:53 oh, no, got to get rid of these bats around the window. They never found the bats, but we were guilty anyway. But yeah. And they arrested you what they charge you with? It was.

Starting point is 00:24:04 Okay, so this is how the prison, this is how they'd be getting you and I didn't know this. All right. Now, they charged me with a Berg one, right? Because they say, I crossed the threshold

Starting point is 00:24:13 of their front door, which is not true. I was at their front door, the second time. I never went in the house. I was at the door, and they ran out. But it said there was like marks or whatever on the doors. They were like, that's a Berg one. I was like, Berkeley, I didn't steal nothing. What is that?

Starting point is 00:24:28 No, no, no, that's robbery. Burglaries entering the dwelling. I didn't even enter the dwelling. But or whatever. And they gave me an assault too, because it's with a weapon to wit a baseball bat, right? So it should be one Berg and one assault. but in the state of Oregon they got the measure 11

Starting point is 00:24:45 and both of those are measure 11 charges so they're like look if we hit you with that you're going to get 70 months day for day I'm 21 years old I'm not trying to go no 70 months so they're like well you know what we got we're going to help you out because we care about you how about this if you take Jeff's assault two

Starting point is 00:25:02 and he takes your assault two means you'll have a burg one and two assault twos now you got three felonies we'll take it out of measure 11 instead of giving you 70 months we'll give you 48 with good time. 70 months, no good time,

Starting point is 00:25:15 48 with good time. I'm like, so of course I say yes, but I don't realize that that's putting you up on the grid, on Oregon's grid for crime. So once you have,

Starting point is 00:25:26 like, no matter how many times you've ever been in trouble, one person to person crime makes you a C, two makes you a B and three makes you an A. So now I'm an A on the grid means I'm going to get

Starting point is 00:25:36 the maximum penalty for anything I do in Oregon, but I'm not thinking about. I didn't know that for one. I probably still would have accepted it because, you know, 48 months over 70. But I was just like, that's just how they get you, you know what I mean? So later on, because the second time I went, I was selling Coke,

Starting point is 00:25:51 I'm a guy I met in prison. And where I probably could have got probation for that, I ended up with, I was facing 36 months and got 18 months, got out in 14 months. Yeah. Yeah, for two controlled buys of like less than a quarter ounce. So do you think that if you just called the cops after that first attack, you never would have ended up in prison in general?

Starting point is 00:26:11 charged for that matter? I mean, for sure, because it was so random. Like, we got invited to this house. It was a party. We got invited by somebody who lived there. And it was like this whole, the further of the thing is that my girlfriend at the time, me and Jeff, we all lived together. She had cheated on me and she was hanging out with some dude. But I didn't know this dude. Like, I didn't know nothing about, I didn't know what it looked like. I didn't know anything. Randomly, he's at this house. I knew, me and Jeff knew someone else who had just moved into the house. It was like a whole different person we went to high school with. And that person invited us over.

Starting point is 00:26:43 And was like, yeah, I just moved into this house. There's like three people to live there. I only know one. The other two, I don't know. So she was like, they're having a party tonight. You should come over. So when we show up, this is how I found out later. When we show up, they look through the peephole and they like, oh, no.

Starting point is 00:26:57 Oh, shit. It's Rob. His girlfriend's here with the dude. But I'm just out on, oh, my God. There's like a hidden camera. I'm just out on the patio, like on the porch. I think it's going to be a fun party, man? Oh, yeah.

Starting point is 00:27:09 I don't know. hopefully maybe we'll know some people you know what I mean like I have no idea none of this is going on so when we show up that's where it all kicked off because they were like he's here for trouble he's got backup you know I mean but I didn't even know she was there like super random and I mean I would never call the cops though like I don't know I could get shot I just go to the hospital is that how are you raised like did your parents teach you that or you formed that on your own I mean I don't know it's just Such a thing like in America, you know, the police are supposed to protect and serve.

Starting point is 00:27:45 I don't think people have a lot of faith in them. I mean, the police as a whole obviously is good, but it just seems like things get so skewed in a way that I don't know. You could call the police as a black man for help and then you end up dead or somehow you're in trouble. I called you for help. You know what I mean? So like I just never thought of it. I was just like, I mean, I don't know. You got these baseball bats.

Starting point is 00:28:08 We go challenge him to a fight. It's a fair one, right? You know what I'm good to go? I'm calling cops on you. You're going to call the cops on me. We just, if that had happened in the state of Washington, they have mutual combat. Oh, they do? Yeah, they have a mutual combat law.

Starting point is 00:28:20 You could do that in front of the police station. You good? You're good. All right, that's it. Even with a weapon. Even with a weapon. Yeah, see, there's a catch-all-the-all-the-webent. But the second time, we was out there.

Starting point is 00:28:32 We was really ready for just a one-on-one-fade. Like, it's just like, it's wild to me because, you know, I'm 40 years old now. 21-year-old, in my mind, I never would want somebody to ever be like, you remember that time we got over and brought, like, we beat them up, whatever, he ran them out or whatever like that. Like, it's the ego. Like, I've been to therapy and all that. Everybody should go therapy. I've been in therapy.

Starting point is 00:28:56 That's good, right? Just to try to figure out. I did a year in therapy. Yeah, like, who am I? Why am I this way? You know what I mean? And it's just the ego. That's all it is because, you know, look, I'm 40 now.

Starting point is 00:29:08 if that moment is the biggest moment of those dudes lies, they're still sitting around talking about this thing from 2006, drinking beers at a fire, you remember that time, you know? Like, if that's all your life is amounted to, that's sad, you know what I mean? Because, like, you should be doing way bigger things than that, you know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:29:26 But, like, when I was 21, I just, I just couldn't, I just couldn't, you know what I mean? I was like, nah, like, you jump me with like 20 people. It's not even fair, you know what I mean? Just fight me 101 and see what I mean? So bring us through what happens after you get arrested? Got arrested that night. Went to Lane County Jail in Albany, Oregon.

Starting point is 00:29:48 This happened to Albany. Going to like the holdings or whatever. I was there for like two weeks before my parents bailed me out. Why so long? Yeah, I don't know. Where the money at? You know what's up, man? You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:30:02 Was that to hold up the money? Yeah, yeah. I think my bail was 5,000. You know, Pops came through with that. Appreciate Pops. Both of them came through what I mean. You think they made you sweat a little bit? I don't know what they did.

Starting point is 00:30:12 I was sweating. I was like, man, because Jeff got out like a week. I mean, Jeff was gone. I was like, oh, man, Jeff's gone. So I'm just here chilling. Which is still seems like a crazy long time. Man, you know, I don't know because, you know, they didn't live in Oregon. Like at the time, my mom lived in, oh, she lived in California.

Starting point is 00:30:32 And my dad lived in Washington. So it's kind of like, you know, you got to get your one phone call. Got to call them. I'm in jail, you know what I'm saying? They got to do all the different things, coordinate everything. You know, they're separate entities, so they got to coordinate with each other, figure out, you know, okay, how much you're paying, how much I'm paying, how do we get over there?

Starting point is 00:30:49 You know what I mean? You must have been, like, freaking out in there. Yeah, because, like, I had never really been in trouble, you know what I'm saying? So this is like, I mean, obviously the mind of an older person looking back on it, like, this was not a wise idea. You know what I mean? But I didn't think that I would go to prison for four years. Like, this is crazy.

Starting point is 00:31:07 I'm always people with serial killers all type of I-Fi killer happy face all these people you know what I mean I'm like the max I'm in the maximum the maximum the maximum she was like but you're not in the same place to murderers right they're right here what you mean they're like feet away from me mom they're so close you know what I mean yeah I feel like a lot of parents who have never experienced a criminal justice system have no idea what their kids go through when they end up there for a nonviolent offense because they they feed you the wolves it's like man you know I'm not or nothing like that, you know, so it was just like real wild. But I was, um, I was in jail for the two weeks. I got out and then I didn't go to court for 10 months. 10 months. I remember that was the summer 2006.

Starting point is 00:31:50 Boy, I was burning the candle at both ends, man. I was doing the most. I was doing everything. Everything you could imagine to do that was fun. We'd go into the lake every day. We'd drinking. We smoking. We're doing everything because I'm like,

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Starting point is 00:32:29 extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com. Come to prison? Like, you know, I'm already going to prison. Did you know you were going to prison at that point? Like what were the lawyers saying to you and your family? Like the charges were the charges and like I said they're measure 11 so like you didn't getting out of that. You know, so now it just comes up to the plea. And I remember thinking like I never wanted that summer to end.

Starting point is 00:32:48 You know what I mean? Because it was like so much fun at the same time I knew what was waiting for me afterwards. And then like when it was done, then I thought, what if I would have just stayed in jail and just boom, because I would have had that whole 10 months off. You know what I mean? Like off your sentence, you would have credit for time served. So instead of doing, you know, like the 40 months, I ended up doing good time. I could have did like 30 months.

Starting point is 00:33:10 But I had the best time ever. It was so cool. Yeah, I think about that sometimes if I didn't do bail and just stay in there. Yeah, you know what I mean? But it's better to get out because you can maneuver a lot better where you defense and all these different things. But it's hard to fight a case from inside. Yeah. And then like, and then they gave me four years and they gave Jeff three years.

Starting point is 00:33:29 I was like, yo. But we had a driver that drove us there who was. was my friend and they, the police, say that he knew everything that was happening and he drove us there willingly. He did not know. And I didn't tell him anything. I just asked him for a random ride somewhere. So he gave me a ride.

Starting point is 00:33:50 And because they think he knew more, they were like that obstruction of justice. He's facing one year. So, and I was like, no, he didn't know anything. And they were like, they thought I was lying. I was not. But they think I was. So they gave me the year. They were like, all right, well, if he doesn't get the obstruction of justice, you won't get to charge either, but you will give you the extra year.

Starting point is 00:34:09 So now you'll do four years. Jeff will do three years. And your other buddy, you just go home. And I was just like, well, I mean, I'm already doing three years. Look, I'm not a police officer and I'm not a detective. So I'm not here to do your job for you, okay? He don't know nothing. You can't prove that he did know anything.

Starting point is 00:34:28 I'm the only one to can prove that, and I'm telling you he didn't. So if you want to punish me Because you can't do your job I don't know, you know what I mean? But yeah, they gave me an extra year And I was tough at the end When Jeff paroled We were sitting there OSP at the yard on the low stage

Starting point is 00:34:45 And they were like They called his name Jeff blah blah blah To R&D That stung just a little bit You know what I mean Because I was like dang A whole other year And I watched him leave

Starting point is 00:34:55 So did anyone get severely hurt in this crime Like why were they so set on giving you guys time for your first time offense. Nothing on your record. It just seems a little weird. That's just Oregon. And just the fact is baseball bats, I mean, you know, there's. But you're 21.

Starting point is 00:35:11 It's a fight. It seems so reasonable to me at the time. I was like, there's so many people. What are I supposed to do? You're supposed to call the police. I mean, besides that, what am I supposed to do? You know what I mean? Like, that's not an option.

Starting point is 00:35:25 They're like, you're supposed to run out in fear and terror and call the police begging for help because you just. been hurt in some melee. But I'm like, why I have the baseball bats? So I don't need you. You know what I mean? So, yeah, that, uh, that's crazy to think about it. But yeah, they was about to just, boom, 70 months.

Starting point is 00:35:47 Oof. I was like, man, I'm 21. Like 26? That'd be terrible. I already, no, I'd be like 28 because I got out when I was 26. Because I was out for 10 months on bail. Then I went to prison. I was 21 when it had.

Starting point is 00:36:01 happened. 22 when I went to prison, I had my 23rd, 24, 25th, and 26 birthdays at OSP. Later on, house, I had my 29th birthday at OSP. But, yeah, that's crazy. I think about it. Yeah, I just, I think it's excessive. If no one got severely injured, then it's your first time offense. No, I don't think.

Starting point is 00:36:22 I mean, no way, it got crazy. We were the ones. We were the victims. We were hurt, you know what I'm saying? Well, from the first time, the second time was a little bit different. Yeah. We were at the aggressors the second time, you know what I mean? But yeah, nobody really got hurt.

Starting point is 00:36:35 Like, we went to the door. I remember we knocked on the door. And we also, like, we didn't even know if this is like the real place where these people went. Because they were at a party. Then everybody scattered because the police came. So we just heard that they were at this other place. So we went to just a random house we didn't know knocked in the door. And we're like, yo, come out.

Starting point is 00:36:53 Send your best two fighters out. Let's go. Let's go. And these are just people that were at the party. But it's like a family. You know what I'm saying? apparently the one dude who they were having a party because he was going to the military. So they were having like a bonfire or stuff like this.

Starting point is 00:37:06 It was supposed to be like this whole wholesome thing. We just like showed it. But we didn't come for no like bad thing. We showed up to go to a party. Y'all thought it was about the girl. And it would have been weird if I got in there and saw her. I'd be like, what are you doing here? And what's going on?

Starting point is 00:37:21 But like I said, I didn't even know what the dude looked like. He was just some random face. I like, I didn't even see his face. He was just a name. But these was like his friend group. So they're like, oh, the girl that you're like. like, hooking up with her boyfriend's out the front door. And so I was, but to me, I was like, I don't know.

Starting point is 00:37:35 You know what I'm saying? How do you feel when the judge gave you that prison time? Man, I, that shit hurt, man. Like, I think about it like, hmm, 21. Well, I was 22. I don't get out this year. I don't get out next year. I don't get out the year after that.

Starting point is 00:37:54 And OSP is old. Like, OSP has been a prison. It has been in its current location in Salem since before Oregon was a state. like it was in the Oregon territory Oregon came a state in like 1859 OSP has been open since like 1851 but it's been in Salem since like 1855 like what does bars

Starting point is 00:38:14 it's like change you know what I mean it's like this is like the movie type prison you know you open the door boom clank clank it's all gonna be in this room for the next four years it's uh it's humbling you know what I mean

Starting point is 00:38:30 because it's like ain't nobody coming to save you There's no nothing. Like, I don't know. Like, Norwegians ask me all the time. Like, you know, what is it like? You know, like, the prison guard is not there to save you. He's, like, more there to guard you, but he's not there to save you. You could be getting stabbed and killed.

Starting point is 00:38:47 They're going to just wait until it's over and then try to assist you afterwards. Like, you just let me get stabbed 50 times. Where are you at? We're just waiting for him to finish, bro. You know, we don't want to get stabbed. You know what I mean? What was, like, the first, you know, crazy thing you witnessed there that really, you know, kind of brought your eyeballs on.

Starting point is 00:39:02 You're like, wow, this is real. I mean, well, first, like, my first day, I remember I had a sellie name to Sean. He was a Crip. He was on a top bunk. And when the thing closed, when the door closed, he, like, got up, looked over. He was like, yo, what's up? What's your name? I'm like, I'm Rob.

Starting point is 00:39:20 He was like, you bang? Nah. And then he just went back to sleep. So I was kind of like, okay, you know, because I'm like, I just know gang members like in the movies. You know what I'm saying? Like, I don't know. Like, is this like a Crip cell? I'm supposed to be in here or whatever.

Starting point is 00:39:32 but in Oregon it's just like the black sauce stick together. But it was just like, I think my first crazy thing was when I had, this was a lesson learned. I had loaned a dude next to me. I went minimum for a few months. Because back then in Oregon, now the minimum is 48 months or less. If you get sentenced to that, you can go minimum. But back then it was 36 months.

Starting point is 00:39:58 So Jeff went immediately to minimum, because I got sent some more than 36 months, I went to maximum. I'm like, I'm an OSP. He's in San Am. I'm like, yo, what's going on? So after a few months, I went to San Am. I went minimum.

Starting point is 00:40:11 And the dude next to me, blank, his name was blank. I, like, loaned him $20 and, like, commissary and stuff. You know what I mean? And I don't know. He was a white dude. Older white guy is, like, in his 50s. I just, you know, I don't really know of prison. I've only been in, like, maybe six months at this time.

Starting point is 00:40:26 I did, like, my first four months of OSP. Then I went to San Diego for a little bit. Went to boot camp, got kicked out, then back to OSP for the rest of my time. And, you know, I'm not really paying attention. I'm like, yo, blank, what's up, man? You know what I'm saying? Where's, you know, what's my $20 is that, bro?

Starting point is 00:40:39 Oh, man, you know, I'm going to get it back to you. I'm going to get it back to you. He had did like 20 years or whatever in prison already. So he's a veteran to this stuff, you know what I mean? And somebody came out there. This is probably prison, like rumors and gossip. Yo, bro, hey, didn't you loan blank 20 bucks? Yeah, that's crazy because he's at the poker table right now.

Starting point is 00:40:58 You know what I'm saying? You know, you got to pay to sit at the poker table. Ain't no I owe you stuff. So did he pay you back? I'm like, oh, dang, because you know how that looks. You know what I'm saying? You got to handle your business. Otherwise, you got to live in prison, you know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:41:12 If you don't handle it, anybody can go, oh, he's a buster. You know what I mean? We just do whatever. He's a punk. So I'm like, oh, man, what am I going to do? San Diem. at the time, it used to be open yards, but they had a yard line of an hour on the hour, every hour, right? So you could come in any time, but you had to wait to go out.

Starting point is 00:41:30 And so I'm looking for him, you know what I mean? I'm hyping myself up and now. I've got to fight this dude, right? You know what I'm saying? I'm like, looking for him, looking for him. Can't find him in the dorm. Look out the window. There he is.

Starting point is 00:41:40 All right, man, I'm going to go out there to take off on this full, right? You know what I mean? And then they called his name for a visit. He ain't never had a visit the whole time. People make fun of him because he don't never get visits. They were like first name, first name. Blank. Blank was his actual last name.

Starting point is 00:41:55 Come in, you know? So I'm like, all right, bet. He got to come in for the visit. I mean, I feel kind of bad about this, too, but I mean, it's his own fault. It has to happen, right? So I'm like, all right, you got to come in for the visit. So I'm like, let's get line this dude up, right? So as soon as he come in, I was like, yo, he came in all happy, you know, he was like,

Starting point is 00:42:13 oh, man, he has weight gloves. I'm like, visit. Oh, my God, he's so happy. And I was just like, hey, yo, broken out of Oliver for a second. Wash them, you know what I mean? But I felt really bad about it. And you know what happened? Guess what happened?

Starting point is 00:42:24 He gave me the $20? Immediately. I mean, it came out nowhere. Just poof. everything. Here's your shampoo. Here's a tuna. Here's this. You had it the whole time. And you just... He had to try you, bro. You're the new guy in the block. See, I never would have hit him. I would have just been the bunk.

Starting point is 00:42:41 No, man. I can't. I can't. No, I just... Because, you know what I'm saying? It's like a few... It's only very few black people were in a prison at Oregon. This whole system, right? So, like, bloods, cribs, GEDs, everybody... You could have been shooting at each other on the streets. Coming to prison, you got to be one. So this also affects your standing in the car. You know what I'm saying? You can't be, like, you got to go handle that, bro. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:43:02 And I felt bad, too, because, like, I'm 22, 23. No, it's 23. And he's, like, in his 40s, you know, and I'm raised to, like, respect your elders and stuff like that. But that was also, like, a mental shift. Because when I grew up, all the elders that I knew deserved respect, you know what I mean? You get to prison and you got dudes like this. You know what I'm like, mate, I said to beat you up, bro. Now you go to visit.

Starting point is 00:43:26 It was his mom, too. Yeah. black eye, blood everywhere. He came back, it was my mom too, and I felt so bad, but I'm like, bro, she should just pay, man, you know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:43:37 Yeah, did you feel yourself doing other things like that that were against your morals growing up because you're in this environment that you've never been in before? Yeah, because you have to. It's like you get desensitized from violence. You know what I mean? Like on the streets, you know, your words,

Starting point is 00:43:54 you know, treat people with respect. You got words and stuff like that. But in prison, it's just like, immediate, immediate, like, lashings, you know what I'm saying? He's got a low. And I'm just like, and he was my neighbor, too. So it was really weird because in the bunks, like, you could like almost reach this bunk reaching out.

Starting point is 00:44:08 And I got real worried because, like, I know me. And I was trying to come back and get you, you know what I'm saying? So like, it was real weird for me to sleep because I was like, man, I do you're going to try to attack me in my sleep or something like that. But you never caused no problems. Not like that. We became really good friends after that. Well, you know, it was always, you need to help with you thing.

Starting point is 00:44:25 You know what I mean? I was like, oh, man, now he's not he's my. me. You know what I mean? So there was that. There was also a time. I don't know if you experienced this. Locks and socks. Not personally. I've heard stories. You put a lock in a sock. So my buddy Jeff, my co-defendant, he was at San Diego. We were actually bunkies. I was on top bunkies on a bottom and he was playing poker with a dude. The dude called him. I think he said he was a, he didn't necessarily call Jeff a bitch, but he said, bitch about something that happened. like a play happened, he was like, bitch, you know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:44:59 And in Oregon, anybody been in Oregon prison system? Two words. Punk or a bitch. If you're called either of them. No, no. You got to get, you got to take off on them right then and there. Get down when you're mad at. Don't wait till later.

Starting point is 00:45:10 Those are immediate fighting words. Got fighting words. I was treating you. I'm shooting words, you know what I mean? But fighting words, right? So Jeff was like next to him. And the dude, as soon as he said it, I was like, you know, watching TV in the other's part. As soon as he said, he was like, oh, my bad, my bad, my bad, my bad.

Starting point is 00:45:25 I'm sorry, I didn't, I didn't mean that. He even stood up and he took to the whole table. He was like, I did not mean to call, I did not mean to call this man a bitch. I didn't mean it like that. You know what I mean? I just, you know, he, you know, I don't know. I don't know. You know what I was.

Starting point is 00:45:38 It's a weird thing. But he didn't call me a bitch either, though, so I don't know. But so Jeff stood up. It's like four person tables. Jeff stood up. And that's another thing. Don't let another man stand above you. Somebody next to you stand up and you stand up.

Starting point is 00:45:50 So you get the same. You know what I mean? So Jeff standing up. You can just see it in his mind where he's like, should I let this slide? He called me in front of everybody. Maybe if this had been one-on-one, I could take it a little bit better. But, you know, he has his own reputation to deal with. Like, you got to live your own life.

Starting point is 00:46:08 I could just see him mulling it over. Like, whatever. He just boom, rocked him. I mean, oh, my God, hit him one time. The whole dude's face split open. Blood was everywhere. I was like, I mean, he's sitting down. Jeff is above him.

Starting point is 00:46:22 Just bam. You know, Jeff got like, Jeff's construction work. He got like carpenter hands, man. It's like hands of stone, you know what I mean? Just boom, blasted him. And I'm just like, oh, snap, right? And then the dude ran to his bunk,

Starting point is 00:46:34 put his padlock in a sock, twisted it up, started chasing Jeff. I was like, Jeff, run. Because when somebody's coming at you with a lock on a sock, the only thing you could do is run, bro. Like, unless you got a weapon too. I mean, you can hit one of those in the wrong spot.

Starting point is 00:46:48 You could die. You know what I mean? So Jeff's running around the door, I'm hopping over the little device. in between the bugs, the dude's face is leaking. It's just a trail of blood around the whole door. Just running, running, running. Then the cops are like, yo, what's going on?

Starting point is 00:47:02 Lockdown, lock down, lock down, lockdown. Everybody go back to their bunks, right? And Jeff runs to the bunk. He gets into the bed, or he gets in the bed under the covers. And he's like, yo, he's telling him I'm sleeping, tell him I'm sleeping, right? You know, just pretends to be sleeping. I'm just sitting there.

Starting point is 00:47:15 And they're going through, they're checking everybody's hands. Because they see all this blood everywhere. I mean, it's blood everywhere, like everywhere. They see blood everywhere. And they're like, okay, there's a fight. So what's going on? They see the dude, his whole, I mean, his whole wig split, right? You know, but he's not telling.

Starting point is 00:47:30 He's like, I don't know what happened. I tripped and fail. You know what I mean? And they look in, they go to everybody's bunk, boom, boom, boom. Go to Jeff. They go to Jeff. And they're like, yo, let me see your hands. Oh, what's going on?

Starting point is 00:47:46 See his hands? We got him. We got him. This is the one. Handcuffed him, took him down. He ended up going to the hole. everything. He went to, because minimum doesn't have a hole. So they put you in a holding cell and then you're going to go to OSP or OSCI.

Starting point is 00:47:59 He went to OSP. I had to pack up all of stuff. And I was like, man, that's my buddy, man. My best friend and a roommate on the streets, you know what I mean? We were together for a little bit. Check this out. He goes to OSP. Now we're writing letters and stuff, you know, just, you know, hey, what's up? How you doing? He got 120 days in the hole for that, right? He sends me some pictures when he's out of the hole. It's with these white dudes, you know? And I'm like, looking. So I'm like, yo, hey, who are these dudes my homies with?

Starting point is 00:48:25 All those EK dudes. I'm like, EK, European Kendra is, I mean, technically, so white, so white, you know, white supremacist prison gang, everybody is obviously not racist, but the overarching of the group is that. So I'm like, he's hanging out with the EK dudes. That means he must be trying to prospect or something for them. And he was. Oh, my God. he got out

Starting point is 00:48:51 to the 120 days, did a couple of missions for them, got a whole other 120 days, full patch, tattoo, everything.

Starting point is 00:48:57 I'm like, bro, you are in a white racist prison gang. Me, I'm your co-defendant, your best friend. Where were they at

Starting point is 00:49:06 when you were getting choked out? You know what I'm saying? Who came back in the house to save you? Was it them? Was it me? But, you know,

Starting point is 00:49:12 everybody got to do their own thing, but I'm just like. Yeah, did he say why he wanted to do that? He didn't even have that much time. He had three years. Yeah, yeah.

Starting point is 00:49:18 Well, like, EK was started like, and if I get this wrong, my bad, don't be coming for me, prison politics and stuff. You know what I'm saying? But it's like, it's supposed to be like an original seven or whatever. Like, and I think like three or four of them were from Albany, Corvall. It's a couple from Portland, you know, so it's like you come from like Lynn County,

Starting point is 00:49:37 Ben County. They on you. If you're a good white dude, you know what I'm saying? Good standing. You know, got no crazy charges. You know, Jeffka fight. You know what I mean? I mean, you're an asset to them, you know, and they got everything.

Starting point is 00:49:49 They've run in the system. They got all the people in R&D for the clothes for everything. I remember my first day at OSP. We're going through the line getting clothes. They go give me these red shorts. These booty shorts. I'm like, yo, what's up with these shorts? Sorry, bro.

Starting point is 00:50:06 It's an older biker dude. That long beer, I was a tattoo. You know what I'm saying? He was like, sorry, bro, it's all we got. And I was like, that's a bitch. The very next dude behind me. Yo, I need to get some shorts. Oh, here you go, bro.

Starting point is 00:50:18 Long ass shorts. I'm like, yo! What's up? bro. You know what he? He was probably white the guy by the yeah, yeah, yeah. But I mean, it's like.

Starting point is 00:50:24 And the guards don't do anything. No, no, no, no, no. They, bro, the guards just want easy money. They want a state job. They don't want no problems. Can you guys just figure it out on your own? Don't make us do anywhere. Turn the key, pull the latch, all the cells open.

Starting point is 00:50:38 Like, that's all we want to do. You know what I mean? Yeah, make it out of there alive. That's it. You know, so I'm just like, okay. But I will say this. Jeff hooked me up. Like, the different things that he

Starting point is 00:50:50 got being a member found their way to me. At OSP, we couldn't sell up together, obviously. But I got him in a cell next to me. So he had one of them seven-inch TVs or whatever. So he would watch it all day. When he went to bed, he would pass it to me through the bars. I used to be up

Starting point is 00:51:06 all night watching music videos, MTV, movies, everything. I'd be tired as hell in the morning time. But I watched everything. He gave me a coat, like a thicker coat with the extra lining on the inside. You know, every man got to make their own choices. You know what I'm saying? He did that. and when we got out of prison,

Starting point is 00:51:22 I was a groomsman in his wedding. I mean, you know, it's... Are you guys still friends to this day? Yeah, yeah, we're still friends. I don't see him as much and I don't talk to him as much. He's got a wife, a kid. You know, he still lives in Albany, Oregon,

Starting point is 00:51:34 doing his... He's doing his thing. I'm trying around the world. You know what I'm saying? It's just... But Jeff is forever my brother. You know what I'm saying? I went to prison for him,

Starting point is 00:51:43 behind him, with him. So I can never... It's a real one right there. Yeah, I mean, for me personally, I can never be beef, with Jeff in a way that will make him not my friend. You know what I'm saying? So even if we don't.

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Starting point is 00:52:49 conditions apply. Something like that. It's just forever, my brother. So how long did you end up doing? Total. I got sentenced to 48 months. The first time did 40 months. Then the second time I got 18 months, I did 14.

Starting point is 00:53:08 Why did you get, I know you were saying earlier briefly about the drugs, but tell us what happened. You get out of prison. What are you doing? How long until you go back? Okay, so I did the 40 months. And right as I was about to get out, there was a Pisa cat who was doing. 10 years for trafficking cocaine. He had like a whole like dealership thing in Salem, Morgan,

Starting point is 00:53:30 he's to bring in cars from Mexico. His mother was his co-defendant. He was like one of them, you know what I mean? And we were sold up. Normally it wouldn't be sold up, but I was about to get out in like a month, you know what I'm saying? So it was like, you know, when I'm gone, this could just be yourself, you know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:53:43 So it's cool. I knew him from San Diem and stuff like that. He was a real cool piece to do. And he was like, yo, man, you know, if you get out and try to make some money, bro. You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? You can call my people.

Starting point is 00:53:52 You know what I was just like, I mean, I didn't know anything about drugs. You know what I was just like, I mean, I don't know. So I took the number, of course. Then I got out and I just thought, I remember thinking that everybody that couldn't get jobs that said they can't get jobs when they got out of prison. I thought they were all lazy. You know what I say? Lazy you don't want to work, all this different stuff.

Starting point is 00:54:12 I got out of prison. Couldn't get a job anywhere. Oh my God. I tried to get the jobs I wanted. Then I went for the jobs I didn't want. Then I went for the jobs I felt were beneath me. I couldn't get a job doing nothing. Like, I got a job.

Starting point is 00:54:25 Finally, as, like, a janitor from this, like, company. And they had to, like, go through three different rounds to see if they wanted to hire me and stuff. And I was like, yo, this is just a scrub floors? So, I mean, I remember I was at this party. And, you know, smoking weed, you should have to do a party. Now, I've been gone almost four years, and I've had four birthdays.

Starting point is 00:54:46 And when I left, I was 21 when it all happened, everybody's, like, drinking. We're playing, like, NCAA football. ball, oh six, you know what I'm saying? We just like drink and smoking, chilling. And I'm sitting on this couch by a bathroom. And with my buddy, my buddy Lane. And these two dudes came out of the bathroom.

Starting point is 00:55:03 But since I got to the party, I've been sitting in that couch and you have to walk past me to get to the bathroom. So I'm like, yo, what did them two dudes do to do the bathroom for an hour together? You know, I just got out of prison. You know what I'm like, they're in there, you know? They in there, you know, like, they fuck it or something? And Lane's like, he was like, what?

Starting point is 00:55:21 I'm like, what else would do do to be doing in the bath? I have no idea. He was like, well, they wouldn't be fucking. It was an hour. Do you last an hour? I'm like, fair point. He was like, no, bro, they're all doing coke.

Starting point is 00:55:31 And I was like, so what do you? Y'all do coke now? He was like, dude, you've been gone a long time, man. Everybody does coke. And I'm like, let me go try it. You know, but seriously, I was just like, okay, so like when you sell weed, you got like ACEs, grams, all, you know,

Starting point is 00:55:47 these are like to break it down, you know what I'm saying? So I'm like, okay, when you sell coke, what is it? You know, like, what's the denominations or whatever? He's like, oh, you know, Graham, you get a tiner, a ball, whatever. So I was like, okay, how much is a gram? He was like, $50. What? Y'all pay $50 for a gram? Then I'm like, I'm like, Zach Galvanakis or whatever from a yeah, yeah, yeah, then there's like, all the numbers are going. And I'm like, wait a minute, $50 for grams, 20 grams in an ounce. Okay, how much do you get for an ounce? What if I sell it? Okay. How many people did you say, do cocaine?

Starting point is 00:56:22 He said, everybody, right? Okay, so let me see. He was like, yeah, I got a grab in my pocket right here. And he showed it to me. And I was like, okay, how about you are already spending money on cocaine, right? Everyone, you guys, I'm not making you guys do anything. You guys are already buying this, right? So why not just get the money to your good friend, Rob, you know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:56:41 I'm going to make the investment. I'll get more. And you can buy for me who's already your friend. Like, I'm not just some random drug deal. I'm your friend. You know what I mean? And they were like, okay, sure. I gamble my rent money.

Starting point is 00:56:54 I remember I was nervous. I gamble my rent money like on the first. I was like, man, I hope I could tell us all by the fifth. I was gone by the second. Everything. I called them up. How much did you make that time? Oh, man, I mean, I tried to just get like a small amount.

Starting point is 00:57:10 It was like, I don't know what he told you, but we don't do small amounts. So we're going to give you this amount and you just bring us the money or we'll come find you. I was like, no, no, no, you don't got to come find me. And this is your connect from prison. Yeah, yeah. Okay. So I ended up getting what I got. And then, I mean, like, if you were to break it down, I was probably getting my ounces for like $350 to $400.

Starting point is 00:57:39 And even selling one as a whole for $600 would be like a crazy discount. Well, you could sell them for $9.50 or whatever, $50 for a gram. That's $1,400 for an ounce. So if I'm getting it. getting that ounce at $3.50 or $4,000, I'm making $1,000 off every ounce. So to imagine it, like, boom, boom, boom, gone. It was like crazy money. And it was just like, boom.

Starting point is 00:58:00 And I was just like, wow. Prison literally turned you to a drug dealer. It did. Because, look, I was like an innocent kid. You know what I'm saying? If I never went to prison, I'll never meet these guys. Like, what if I just got probation? You know what if I got probation?

Starting point is 00:58:12 And a judge that stern talking to from a judge. Like, yo, if you're getting any more fights, I'm going to send you to prison for seven years, okay? No problem. Or even 30 days. Like a little scared straight program? Yeah, exactly. But I'm like, instead I went to prison, all this crazy wild stuff, meet this connect, get out, become a drug dealer. And then it's like by the end of it, like when I was getting caught up and stuff, like in the beginning, it genuinely was my friends.

Starting point is 00:58:37 It was all the people I actually knew. But then they have friends, friends of friends, friends, you know, all this. So like two years later, I look up because I never felt like a drug dealer beginning. I'm just hooking them to my friends. And then you look up and you're like, yo. I don't sell to any of the people I originally sold to. People come and go. They do it.

Starting point is 00:58:54 They don't do it. They don't do it. I was like, man, I don't sell to any of my friends anymore. I don't even have any friends. Like, I just wake up doing this all day long. That's like my whole life is about this. I'm only going somewhere if I can make money from it. I don't do any vacations. I had never even been to the Oregon Coast.

Starting point is 00:59:12 I got a pocketful of money. Oregon Coast is 35 minutes away. Somebody want to buy something to Oregon Coast? No. Why would I go there? Like vacation? Have a good time. No, no, no.

Starting point is 00:59:22 Making money is a good time. That's all I need, you know what I'm saying? So how do you get popped selling drugs? Control buys. Oh, my gosh. And just get stitches. How long into our after you started selling, did you get popped? This was like two years.

Starting point is 00:59:37 So you had a little bit of a decent run. Yeah, I had a cool run. You know, I had all the things. I was like hood rich. Like I had a house and everything in it, all the electronics and stuff. I never wanted to commit money. on like a nice car or anything like that because I don't really have a job

Starting point is 00:59:54 you know what it is? I can't be having this brand new BMW and stuff you know. That's just asking me the car. So I had like a $500 Chevy Corsica with a, when you get the tag, no, not the tag,

Starting point is 01:00:05 the registration and it's been an accident. What's that? Oh, like a bad, I know what you're talking about. Yeah, I knew somebody else from prison. Like on a Carfax or doing. Yeah, they had a job

Starting point is 01:00:15 and they were going to, you know, the different yards and finding cars that were, you know, serveable or whatever they were good, it worked, but they just had the bad title, and they were selling it for cheap. He was like, yo, this car is a good car. It was like, my daily driver, I'll give you a 500 bucks. And I was like, boom, sold.

Starting point is 01:00:29 You know, it's had this little $500 hooty, thousands of dollars in my pocket. Parents had no idea that you were selling drugs. No, no, not at all. As my manager and mother is listening to this right now outside, she's like, what? Oh, man, yeah, I was. So take us through the bus then? Yeah, so. I knew, this is Corvallis, Oregon, Oregon State University.

Starting point is 01:00:54 So I had known a guy I was in prison with, he had moved into a house with like eight college kids. They were like between 21 and 25. And he was dating one of the girls, which I thought was awesome because he was like 35. A fellow, she was bad. I was like, how do you get a prison date like a legit university student? Anyway, he lived with her and they all partied. So he like called me up, you know, I used to come over there,

Starting point is 01:01:19 and just boom, boom, boom. And I had, like, so much that if you bought something from me, I would just, like, do something with you. Like, if I sell you a gram, like, no, no, no, put that gram away. Listen, Ian, that gram is yours for a future time. Because right now when you're here with me, we just going to roll, you know what I'm saying? Like, I mean, my profit margin is crazy. So, like, I could just, like, throw it away.

Starting point is 01:01:42 I didn't care. I just wanted to be cool, you know what I mean? So we're just, like, doing it or whatever. And they introduced me just one dude. it's his fault not mine for selling drugs it's fault for telling on me and he called me

Starting point is 01:01:55 or no he called me I went to drop off a gram to him we're doing it partying everything like that he's like yo you know can I get your number

Starting point is 01:02:03 like yeah take my number now normally if you meet somebody in that circumstance when they take your number they're gonna call you like immediately like the next weekend or something

Starting point is 01:02:12 because you know they're partying right he didn't call me for like I want to say like months, maybe three, four, five months, you know what I mean? When he first called, hey, bro, remember. And I'm like, this is odd. You know what I'm saying? And I was like, hmm.

Starting point is 01:02:27 So I remember I called all the people that knew him, like a few different people. And I was like, yo, has this dude gotten in trouble recently? Like, why is he randomly calling me now? Like, you know, like he does cope. So why is he calling me now? And everybody was like, no, not that we know of that, whatever. And there's one, words to live by. She said, if you don't feel.

Starting point is 01:02:46 feel comfortable. Just don't do it. And I was like, ah, got me. Oh my God. I was so sick. I remember I'm in Corvallis. It's at Arby's.

Starting point is 01:02:59 I took somebody with me. Oh, no, that was the second time. Both times were with him. The first time, I'm by the WinCo. I used to live by the WinCo. And I sent somebody who was with me, kind of like a hanger on,

Starting point is 01:03:11 you know, the people to hang out with you. They end up getting free coke, and they do the things you don't want to do. You know what I mean? Look, you get free coke for being hanging out with me. So when I got a sketchy deal, you're the one doing it, not me. You know what I mean? So, you know, this girl said, okay, I'll go do it.

Starting point is 01:03:25 Goes meet some at the old Albertsons, drops it off, whatever. It comes back. I'm like, yo, everything was cool. Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. Okay, all right, everything's good. Everything was not good. The police were there waiting. It was a whole setup.

Starting point is 01:03:37 The police were there. So when she showed up, they busted her. And they were like, man, we got the text messages. We got everything. My whole phone been tapped. I didn't know none of this. Oh, my God. They had me dead to rights, you know?

Starting point is 01:03:47 and they were like, we got messages from dude to Rob, from Rob to you, from you to the dude. Like, you're cooked. And she had just did something where she had wrote a check to the grocery store and then return the stuff back. Like this is back in the day, you know what I'm thinking? She was real, you know, she, you know, like doing the Coke, you know, she didn't have a lot of money all the time. So she did that scam. So they had that on her.

Starting point is 01:04:10 And they were like, look, we'll let that slide, just make that go away if you roll on Rob, right? I didn't know she was going through that so I didn't know none of that so when she comes back she's like everything was cool but then things started getting weird you know what I mean I'm like man feels like I'm being followed I feel like you know what I'm saying

Starting point is 01:04:28 but now I'm like kind of you know what I mean I'm like nah man come I'd be feeling like the same cars be driving by one day I was sitting there with my little notepad on my window I remember black as you leave license plate okay then this one this one this one

Starting point is 01:04:44 and I'm like you're living like a coldestack bro Like almost like it's not a through street It's not a cold attack but it's not a through street So I'm like these cars they drive them by all the time People tell me I'm just tripping I'm like nah man I ain't tripping man You know what I mean And it was all cop cars

Starting point is 01:04:57 Undercover cop cars They were at the apartment complex next to my house And literally they were all parked next to each other Like a dude would just drive down and drive back Switch cars drive down and drive back Everything so I would ask her because she would still come over my house and she would still be doing COVID and everything and I'm like y'all are you sure

Starting point is 01:05:14 Like everything straight? She's like, no, no, no, no, everything's straight. So that was for a gram. Then he called me the next week. He wants a gram and a half. And I'm like, okay. So, I mean, normally I don't even do stuff this little, but he's a friend or a friend or whatever, right? So I remember I went to chop it up.

Starting point is 01:05:31 Boom. I think it was like 2.3. But I'm not fintner waste time shaving us all down or whatever. So I'm like, he could just have it. You know, so he says he wants to meet at the Arby's. I drive and I'm parked at the ride aid on the street. And I tell him that I'm going to be there in a minute, but I'm already there because I'm waiting to see him to see him. And I'm waiting to see if, like, there's a car following him, if there's cops or something like that.

Starting point is 01:05:54 So I'm posted up. And then I call him and I'm like, hey, man, can we switch to the McDonald's? I can't go to Arby's? Can we switch to McDonald's? And he was like, oh, man, I got dropped off for a friend. He went to go get food at another place. So no, I'm just like waiting. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 01:06:10 I should have made him be like, you just walk. Don't worry. I can wait. You know what I'm saying? He seemed pretty adamant. on me meeting him there. And this time I had a different chick with me. So I gave her some money. I was like going to Arby's, buy some food, look around. You see a dude sitting in the corner. Does it look like he's looking at anybody? Does it look like, no, does it look suspicious in any way?

Starting point is 01:06:32 She comes back to the car and she's like, no, everything looks cool, you know? And I remember sitting in the parking lot and I was like, there's been nobody in there. There's like a dude. I mean, he's got two kids with him, you know what I mean? Okay, whatever. The first thing, the first time I didn't drop it off at all. The second time I went in directly to the bathroom. I didn't wave at him, didn't do nothing. I just walked in directly to the bathroom. Boom, it was 2.3. I even hooked you up, bro. I was like 50. I'm still angry about this. But anyway, so hook him up. He gives me whatever. And then I bounce. And when I left, I remember I went back to the car and I just waited in the car in the parking lot and I was just looking. And I was like,

Starting point is 01:07:12 what happened to the kids with that dude? Like the kids had disappeared. But the dude was still there. And I was like, oh, I don't like that. And then he didn't wait for anybody either. He walked out of Arby's and went across the street. And he was, like, walking away. And I was like, I really don't like that. I felt in that moment that it was a controlled buy.

Starting point is 01:07:29 Like, I just felt it in my gut. I was like, I don't like this at all. Like, I didn't know the first time because everybody kept secret from me. The second time I was like, then he called like a week later. He wanted a half ounce. Man, you were the police, bro. Like, what are you talking?

Starting point is 01:07:46 about, bro. Nobody in life goes from an ounce or from a gram to a gram and a half to 14 grams. This is impossible. Like, unless you try to deal, which you're not, like, you know, there's dealer mindset, there's a user mindset. And it's just no. Oh, spring break's coming up, me and some friends.

Starting point is 01:08:02 We're going to get together and you... No, no, no. Police, hang up. Hang up to call police, police. Don't ever call me back. So they waited. This was in January and February 2012. And they waited until like August. before they arrest them for those.

Starting point is 01:08:18 And I was on parole from the first time being in prison. So I'm going to see my PO twice a month with an open warrant out for my arrest because they keep it open. That way they can get you anytime they want. You know what I mean? So it's there, but they just don't enforce it. Because I'm like my PO knows my address. It literally has to know my address. I'm at home all the time, a drug dealer.

Starting point is 01:08:38 You know what I'm saying? Like I'm at home all the time. And I'm like, how this whole time, but they were waiting because these guys were telling them. man, I don't know, man. I'm like, uh, Pablo Escobar or something, man. You know what I'm like? I'm doing all right.

Starting point is 01:08:52 You know, I don't have a job. I'm doing cool. But like, I don't got like multiple kilos and stuff. You know what I'm saying? I'm doing my little thing, mixing it with a little something else, blowing it up a little bit,

Starting point is 01:09:01 doing my little, you know what I mean? But I'm just, I'm okay. But, you know, to get out of trouble, these guys, oh, he's got 100 kilos.

Starting point is 01:09:10 He's doing everything. They locked me up with these guys, these Mexican dudes. The dude that got caught over like 10 pounds of all type of everything. And he was getting like 20 years. I don't know. But they put me in a cell with him in jail

Starting point is 01:09:24 because they wanted to see if we knew each other. You know what I'm saying? Because I'm like, you know that box? They can listen to us anytime. Like we speak through it, but they can listen to. And they're trying to see if we know each other. And I didn't know him. And they were like,

Starting point is 01:09:35 if he's a king of him, Paulus, how does he not know these guys? He's got to be getting it from them. But I had a whole different unique connect. You know what I mean? I was just like, I was like, man. I just can't believe it. I can't believe they just rat it on me like that.

Starting point is 01:09:50 You know what I mean? So anyway, I got picked up for something else. I think I was in Lebanon, Oregon, just doing nefarious things. And I was staying at this house. And when I went to the store, the dogs of the house got out. But I was like, I'm just going to go to the store, get my little soda, a candy, whatever. I'll figure out the dogs when I come back. And when I came back, there was a cop because that was a dog.

Starting point is 01:10:15 She was like running, you know, in the yard, and the cop was out there. And bless her heart, this was like a rookie cop, a woman. She was way, not because she's a woman, but she was way over and over her head because there's a lot of other things happening she didn't know about. Because I'm like, you know, I can't remember. I'm like, I don't feel like I'm being investigated. I feel like there's people following me. I think there's people all, you know, everybody telling me I'm crazy,

Starting point is 01:10:36 but there's all this stuff happening and nobody can tell me why, you know? So when I come back, she's like, hey, you know, I was going to keep going because I was like, my dogs. But my stuff was in this house, like my backpack and stuff. So I was like, man, I need to get it. So I told her, like, hey, you know, I'm staying at this house or whatever. And she was like, what's your names or whatever? And the midst of all that, she ran my ID.

Starting point is 01:10:57 You're like, oh, well, what's your name? Let me see your ID or whatever. She was like, you got an open warrant. You know that? I was like, clearly not. I gave you my ID. Oh, you didn't know at all. No, because if I knew that open warrant, I wouldn't even stop and talk to you.

Starting point is 01:11:11 You can't make me talk to you. I'm just a guy walking down the sidewalk. You know what I'm saying? You said? my dog's not my house, you know what I mean? So she stopped me, she was like, you have an open warrant. And I was just like, now how could I have an open warrant when I have a PO? Did I see twice a month?

Starting point is 01:11:27 Like, I was on parole and probation at the time. I was at a possession charge or whatever. And so I'm like, this doesn't make any sense. But it's because there was a bigger thing at play that they were waiting for me to like re-up, re-up with whatever these guys told them. They were trying to bust me in like 20 years. I'm a small-time player. I'm just, I'm living paycheck to paycheck as a Coke deal.

Starting point is 01:11:47 Let's put it that way. You know what I'm saying? You know? A struggle at Coke deal. Yeah, man. It's a struggle season, man. You know what I'm broke, baby? I ain't got nothing.

Starting point is 01:11:56 You know what I'm saying? So I'm just chilling. So when I said it, I was like, I was like, I have an open warrant. She was like, yeah, I was like, something unique will happen because of this. Like, I know you guys hear this all the time from people. You're going to be like, oh, maybe. you're just high on drugs or something like that. You know, everybody's not out to get you.

Starting point is 01:12:18 I don't mean, everybody's out to get me. Just you. You know what I'm saying? So we go and I was like, you just watch something out of the ordinary we happen for this. So I get arrested in Lebanon. They take me back to Albany to Lent County jail, fingerprint me and everything. They asked me if I had any drugs on me. I was like, no.

Starting point is 01:12:39 They were like, are you high? No. And they're trying to scare attack me. Oh, can't you get possession by usage, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, trying to scare me. I was like, stop that. No, you can't. Cut that off. Yeah, just cut that off.

Starting point is 01:12:53 What the fuck? Newbie around here, you know what I'm saying? You think you're going to get me with that? No, I don't know nothing about nothing. Never did a drug in my life. You know what I'm saying? And then I go, and I go to the holding tank. I'm just sitting there, like an hour later.

Starting point is 01:13:07 Yorber, you're being O'ward. You're out of here. How? How was that even possible? I'm on parole and probation. I have to sit here until my PO comes to see me before anything. And that's going to take at least a week. The PO comes to see you, they decide what's going on,

Starting point is 01:13:24 what your violation is going to be, how long you're going to get. If you're going to get seven days, they'll just let you out then. You get 14 and be there for another week. All this stuff has to happen. I'm on parole and probation. I'm a ward of the state. This is impossible. And you're like, what, you don't want to get out?

Starting point is 01:13:38 Whoa, whoa, whoa. I didn't say that. I did not say that. I mean, I'll get out, but something. treachery is a foot here somehow, you know what I mean? And this is it. They let you out. They usually wait for you to come down if you are on any drugs, which I was not.

Starting point is 01:13:55 But if you are, they're going to wait for you to come down to you're like Jones in or whatever. Then they'll let you go. They just follow you. Where are you going? Set you up. Exactly. You're going, you're going to go somewhere where you're going to, you know, replenish the ranks of whatever you're doing. So then they just follow you and everything like that.

Starting point is 01:14:13 So they're just trying to see what was going. going on. And I was just like, this is impossible. For one, anybody that's been in parole probation in Oregon, you know this to be true. You can't, you can't, you can't get award. You can't be on your own recognizance when you're on award of the state. That's, it doesn't make sense. So I was just like, oh, they are, they are. You know what I mean? I was like, because remember, this, this is like August. I still don't know that those controlled bias are actual controlled bias at this time, the one time in January, one time in February. I'm just living. Like when he called me that third time, I said,

Starting point is 01:14:46 no, no, I'm not doing this half-ounce shit. You're a police, right? So I don't know anything. So now this is just like cementing the fact that I'm like, man, I'm telling you, I am being investigated. I have this has to be true. How do they just let me out? Nobody lets me out. What are you talking about? How do I have an open warrant when I have a parole officer? I mean, when you have an open warrant, your PO comes to get you and put your ass in jail. Yeah, it's not my adding up. Yeah, I'm seeing them two times. I'm seeing her two times a month. She's coming by my house checking stuff all the time.

Starting point is 01:15:14 because there was a bigger investigation, and they didn't want anything messing it up. So when the woman cop had arrested me, they're like, oh, they made a mistake. What are you doing? We're not arresting him. We're waiting for him to make mistakes. You can't arrest him.

Starting point is 01:15:28 But she don't know. She's just trying to fight the good fight. You know what I'm saying? She's a rookie. She's like, hey, he has a warrant. I arrested him. I don't understand what's wrong. They're like, oh, it's above your pay grade.

Starting point is 01:15:38 So they let me out, like, you know, trying to get me out of there. And that was all I needed, I was like, okay I know and I had thought that they had been watching me since like March April something like that gave my discovery

Starting point is 01:15:51 I'm in jail court December like four months before I ever knew they was all my ass man I was just like all them shadows in the night all this stuff

Starting point is 01:16:00 you'd be thinking you tripping nah they were really out there and I'm like oh my God is that why you only got 18 months because they never got you on a bigger buy well since I was A on the grid as we established

Starting point is 01:16:11 because some charges. I could have got more, but I went to rehab. I did everything that I could do. You know, I was in Oxford House. I was in cleaning, living sober, housing, rehabbed it. Like, everything. You know, I was just trying to, like, talk to the youth

Starting point is 01:16:25 about how bad drugs are, and they are bad, you know what I mean? And I just was trying to, like, just to live my best life, getting the best shape and do everything I could without ratting. Somebody yelled like, these dudes riding on me.

Starting point is 01:16:37 I didn't make you buy the cook, but anyway, it's another story. So I just did. all that. And the judge, she gave, she said, based on your being A on the grid, I could give you, I think she said, 36 to 60 months, like three to five years or whatever, just standard. Like, boom, see you, have a nice day, you know? But a lot of people have written letters in for me and, you know, a lot of good things that happened, you know, because at that point, I had stopped, you know, I stopped selling and then I, like, fell into using and stuff.

Starting point is 01:17:11 like that. So, like, to me, I'm like, I'm a good person. I'm just on trucks. You know what I'm saying? I don't feel like I'm a bad person. I just, you know, so she looked out for me and she was like, I hope I don't regret this. I'm going to give you 18 months. You got a good time to do 14 months. I'm like, 14 months. Dude, I'm standing on my head. I can do that in a hole. 14 months. It's like nothing. That's like one six month review. Final review. Boom. You're out. So I'm like, find this as soon as possible, you know. And later she ended up in a bar I was working at. And I remember I told her, I was like, thank you.

Starting point is 01:17:45 And Norway? No, no, not Norway, but in Corvallis. Flat-Tale brewery she came in. And I remember thinking, thank you so much, you know what I'm saying? Because I've never been in trouble since then. You know, I never sold drugs ever again after that. I've had my ups and downs with other things using and stuff like that in my life, trying to shake all that stuff completely.

Starting point is 01:18:04 I go long times and stuff like that, you know what I mean? That's like a personal thing. Everybody's got to get their own, you know, handle on that. But I'm like, the criminality of everything. That stopped. That's a judge you should have had the first time. Right? Oh, my God.

Starting point is 01:18:19 A lot of it has to do with the judge you get, too. Yeah, because I'm like, you know, where were you? Just compassion. You know what I mean? I've never been in trouble. You know, like, I was a random party, like a university townhouse. Yeah, that fell into the system. You don't give me four years in prison and telling me you're giving you.

Starting point is 01:18:37 me a deal because you could be giving me 70 months? This is crazy. If I knew that, I would not have grabbed the baseball bats. I thought about it too. It was like the old Sunny D commercial. You know, I was like, oh, Jay, I was, oh, no, golf clubs, nah, this, that whatever, I can't do basketball. Oh, baseball bats, you know what I mean? Like, I really, I never stopped to think that I was going to get four years in prison for that. I just could have never even imagined that.

Starting point is 01:19:07 But, yeah, she looked out for me. She did. And I'm so thankful for that because I'll tell you, like, I've had six knee surgeries just from adventure and life and stuff. I get Vicodins, all type of stuff. My buddies, I, hey, bro, I'll give you, you know, $5 from now. No, no, no, no, no. You can just have one, bro. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 01:19:24 You can just have it. Like, I'm not selling nothing. I don't care. No exchanges, no nothing. Like, this is the real scared straight, you know what I mean? Like, for real, like, I would never sell drugs ever again. Like, it's. When you got out of prison that last time, how long to take you to bounce back, you know, start building a life for yourself?

Starting point is 01:19:44 I mean, I remember when I got out, I was in Oxford again for like a month. Sovere, clean, sober living, just trying to, it used to be your PO would pay for 90 days, but then budget cuts and everything happened. So they were only 30 days now. Because the first time I went in, before I went to prison that second time, I got 90 days for free. We could help find a job and get back on your feet. feet, get out of prison. She's like, you got 30 days. You got 30 days to not only find a job who's going to hire a felon and to receive a paycheck to pay your rent. It's only like $200 something dollars. She's got so many people living in the house. But it's like a lot of pressure.

Starting point is 01:20:20 You know what I mean? You get now, you don't got no car, no license. Your life, it normally is in shambles when you get out of prison. Like, you know, they're coming out dry. There's a whole bunch of things going on. And so I worked at this grass heat factory and Halsey. I hated that job. 10-hour shifts, 12-hour shifts. Grassy, they're wearing grassy coming out of my shoes, everything. Better than selling drugs, so? Better than going to prison. So drugs was not so bad.

Starting point is 01:20:47 The money was coming in, bro. It's not worth it. Listen, do not sell drugs, okay? I'm not here to try to promote that. No one should sell drugs. And if you're selling drugs, you should stop because you're going to get caught. But it was honest, you know, the money, man, what I would make an identity. hey, take me a month, you know what I mean?

Starting point is 01:21:08 But nobody was coming after me. It was cool. And then I'm a bartender, right? So I've always been in the bar industry, but based on my life choices sometimes, because I had a really good relationship with Ian Duncan, who was the owner of Flat Tail Brewery and some other restaurants around Corvallis.

Starting point is 01:21:25 But different times in my life, it's like, yo, are you trying to be this? Are you trying to be that? You know what I'm saying? If you're trying to be that, that's cool. But this is how I take care of, my family and how I like you know so I can't have you being on like both sides if that's what you're doing you know I respect whatever you do in life you know um so it wasn't fashionable for me to be in the

Starting point is 01:21:49 front of the house of a restaurant I guess at that time so I'm in a grassy factory I'm dying out there in a Halsey and I come back to him and I'm like all right can I get a second chance I'll do anything I'll clean toilets I'll do whatever you know what I mean just to work here second chance didn't we give you the second chance when you got arrested for that charge and then we let you come back to work and I was like, oh. Well, this is the real second chance. Okay, okay. Thank you. Yes. Okay,

Starting point is 01:22:14 this, yeah, this is the real second chance. That was like the fake second chance. You know what I'm saying? He was like That was a test. He was like, oh my God. So he lets me come back. So now I'm getting tips and stuff like that. I remember it took me a month because at first I started as a dishwasher. I've been demoted to the bottom, you know,

Starting point is 01:22:31 I've been a dishwasher. It was like, if you can handle this, we'll see a moving you forward, you know, because I know you got skills to be in the front, but this is where I need somebody. So if you want a job, this is the job I have for you. I was like, dang, it's a dishwasher. The university town, all the waitresses are all hot, you know what I mean? I'm all like, hey, you want to hang out after work? I'm not with a dishwasher. I got out of here, you know, I felt so bad because I'm like, before I had all this money, I was the guy. Now I'm the dishwasher, and it's terrible. And I'm just like, but it's honest. And it took me a month of the

Starting point is 01:23:03 little, small portion of tips like it's a dishwasher to save up to buy a bicycle. I was lit. You can't tell me nothing. I was like, yo, I got a bicycle.

Starting point is 01:23:12 I had the little lights on it. I put the lights and the tires and everything. So like at nighttime when you see me going by with just these lights and a tire, I was the first person in Corvall to do that. I'm telling you,

Starting point is 01:23:20 everybody got it now. They got it for me. And I was like, I went to the little store, got it. I was so sparked. I used to ride around that bicycle. I'm like 30 years old of this time.

Starting point is 01:23:27 You know, but I was like, I was just so happy. I was like saved up. Now I had a bike because at first I was still in the Oxford House and it took me I used to ride the bus from Albany to Corvallis to get to work But when I got off work at the bar the bus didn't run no more So I would have to walk from Corvallis to Albany Which is like it's a long ways. I don't know exactly how many miles it is, but it takes hours if you're just walking So when I had the bike I was like

Starting point is 01:23:51 Man now it's gonna take me like 45 minutes man got a little bicycles I was like really happy and then from there I got my credit back in charge check because I never had credit a drug dealer. I was in prison, half my 20s selling drugs. If I didn't have any cash, you couldn't buy it. So once I got, I got like a secure credit card, I don't know, like $200.

Starting point is 01:24:13 Did that. Then I got a car loan. It was like $5,000 car. Got that. And then my credit, boom, busted up. You know what I mean? I had a, it's like 2015. I had a 2007 Honda Accord,

Starting point is 01:24:28 had heated seats. at the tenting windows of sunnero my mom came to visit me from Florida for Thanksgiving I picked up she was like ooh this is nice I was like my mom says I got a nice car she likes all the warm areas California yeah exactly she hates of Norway she's in the fall bar where

Starting point is 01:24:43 trums are everywhere so when she said it was nice it was it made me feel so validated because I did everything the right way it's tumbling yeah this was just like took me a lot of dishes being washed man a lot of smelling like like food a lot of being dissed by girls.

Starting point is 01:25:01 A lot of everything. You know what I mean? You can't. But it makes you who you are today, you know? It has to. I remember I was dating a few dates with this woman and she was a, she was a doctor. Like, well, you're a doctor? Like, I'm a, I work at the bar.

Starting point is 01:25:19 I'm like, ride a bike. So, oh, yeah, let's go meet at squirrels. I'm like, cool, we go meet at squirrels, hang out. We're leaving. She's like, yeah, where did you park? see I'm parked where you park you know I get my car tomorrow you know what I mean so you're funny you just remind me at Will Smith right there

Starting point is 01:25:36 just the way you're talking I'm telling you because I was like you think like I don't got no cars got out of prison I got a bicycle I mean I'm proud listen I'm proud of my bicycle but you got to hop on the back man but she's like at work with McDreamies and McSteemies this is a Graze anatomy type stuff you know what I mean like how are you going to have a half a handsome dude making $100,000, $200,000 a year, and you're going to be with a dude who's got a bicycle.

Starting point is 01:26:01 It's still like I got a roommate, you know what I mean? I hadn't even moved into my own apartment yet. This is why they tell you, don't be trying to date when you're trying to get your life together because you need to get your life together first. You really do. I tell this one out there that all the time. Man, because what, you know, like women, people want to be a part of the finished

Starting point is 01:26:18 products or something close to it. They don't want to see that rise. Who wants to date a dishwasher who's riding a bicycle? If you're a pretty woman, you could date anybody, you know? And she's educated, too. Her student loans, she had to pay back for more than, my God. How much money do you make? This is your student loan?

Starting point is 01:26:36 It's crazy. You know what I mean? She's like, oh, yeah, so I put a portion of that for that. And then I pay the rent in my apartment and stuff. And, I mean, she liked me and everything was cool, but it was like. Didn't work out, the felon part. No, because it's just, it ends up being different lifestyles. Like, when people come to you in your setting, they see you as the bartender, the waiter, the funny guy.

Starting point is 01:26:55 you go meet them at a bar, karaoke night, you can be dancing. That's the one thing. That's a whole different thing than, oh, we have a black tire fair, a gala at my job, and everybody come in. You think I have black ties? None of that stuff. What am I supposed to talk about? Like, I'm not the well-traveled individual I am today. That guy that she met, I spent five of the last seven years in maximum security prison.

Starting point is 01:27:20 I paroled directly from solitary confinement. Like, yeah, so prison food, right? Sucks. I mean, what am I supposed to say? So I just feel so bad. And at some point, she's going to realize, like, okay, maybe this guy's attractive. It's cool. So, like, sleeping with them or hanging out with them.

Starting point is 01:27:38 But it's not a reasonable choice for my future at this time, you know. But she was real cool. When I went to get my apartment, she actually helped me out. She loaned me some money to help on my deposit, later back, you know. That was kind of another thing like... Yeah, you're a drug dealer and not a scammer. Yeah, I'm not a scammer, you know what I'm definitely?

Starting point is 01:27:57 I'll never scam. But that was another thing with her kind of being like, I'm dating a dude that needs help on his deposit? Like, you don't have the money? Obviously not, but I mean, I was trying to grow. And that's the thing. She wanted, she needed somebody like a little further along. It just wasn't the right timing, right person, right time.

Starting point is 01:28:15 But she was cool. And I met her at my bar. We used to have a trivia night every Wednesday. She would come in with her group of friends and stuff. like that. So that's where you pick up women trivia night? Trivia night.

Starting point is 01:28:25 There's this website, meetup, meetup.com, and they have it for all these different cities. So when you have professionals or some of you move to a new place, you could go on a Facebook group or whatever,

Starting point is 01:28:33 and they have all the different things in your city and you just meet up with them. Hey, I'm from the meetup group or whatever, and then, you know, you can have a group of friends. So now you could add spokesman for dating sites onto your resume.

Starting point is 01:28:42 Man, look, it's not a dating site. It's just a hangout sites. It's from friends. Literally friends only. People do end up dating because you hang out and date your friends. So,

Starting point is 01:28:51 everything that happened in your life. Why do you think, you know, the universe put you through that? Man, I don't know. I would love to know, universe. What's up, man? People got a lot easier passing me, man. I'm like, yo. You know, I don't know because...

Starting point is 01:29:07 You know, everyone says they don't know, and then they give a good answer. Well, I look at it like... There was a time of my life. We're all sitting, passing bowls around smoking, drinking, beer, playing video games, Xbox, so like that. I was never the person you would ever imagine has ever lived in six countries, traveled to 42

Starting point is 01:29:27 different countries, living in Europe, speaking another language, like, legit doing it. You know, I've been eight countries this year and, like, always traveling. So, but it's always something I wanted to be because travelers are so respected. And it's even something that comes out of money. Like, what I mean by that is, people don't judge. you based on how much money you have if you're a traveler because like for example i could be i'm a bartender come in my bar you could be you know restaurant or whatever oh yeah you know my wife and i we just went to paris last summer was so much fun oh paris that's cool i've been four times what you've been to

Starting point is 01:30:08 paris four times yeah it's great you know da da da and it's just it makes people treat you a little bit different respect you know because traveling is like is what they say money can't buy it but it does buy the ticket, the experiences and stuff you gain from traveling is so much more. I mean, I've been Berlin, I've been Lithuania, Czech Republic, Bratislava, Slovakia. I mean, I'm in a lot of places you wouldn't expect to find someone like me, me being brown. But I mean, I like to go these places and it allows me to converse with more people. It allows me to connect with more people, especially Europeans, because people in Bratislava, they never expect me to have ever been in Slovakia.

Starting point is 01:30:49 Why are we doing Slovakia? I don't know. I saw a song called 4 a.m. and Bratislava on YouTube once. Like some New York rapper, it seemed pretty cool. I looked at Bratislava. I don't know. I just went. Vienna, all these places.

Starting point is 01:31:03 So it's like, to me, I think it's like being maybe not a spokesperson for the world, but just to be able to connect with people. Because I've been through all these different things. And like, I'm like the real deal. You know what I'm saying? Everybody can say that too. But like, no, I've really been in prison. I've really been in solitary confinement,

Starting point is 01:31:20 really been through all the fights and everything, all the knife thing, everything that's happening that could happen in prison. I've been through all that stuff. Really was drug dealer. Not like what these rappers were you talking about. All these rappers are there, everybody was a drug dealer. You ain't got no convictions.

Starting point is 01:31:36 I don't know. You're just the world smartest drug dealer, I guess, you know. But I really got the drug convictions. These are all things. These are verifiable facts. So when I go to these different areas in life, like I see a picture of you out there talking with inmates. you can be respected.

Starting point is 01:31:50 You've been in prison. It's a different. It's like Jay Main. It hit different when you can say, I've been to prison versus my name's Ian. I'm just a white guy in a suit who's never done anything wrong. It's telling you you need to change your life. And that's not how his voice sounds.

Starting point is 01:32:04 I don't know why I did that. But you know what I mean? Like it's just because you're looking at it like, bro, who are you? That's why the podcast works because I've been to prison. Exactly. You know what I mean? So it's like. It's a different perspective because you don't really get that.

Starting point is 01:32:16 You get all the professionals that have. Never been to prison that studied about prison or criminology or whatever. Yeah. They don't know nothing. There's nothing like walking the walk. And I've been there. So when I'm telling you, you can get out of prison, you could change your life, you can travel. It's not something I hurt.

Starting point is 01:32:34 This is something I've done. Not something, you know what I mean? Something I've seen. Something I did myself, you know, you could do all this stuff. Now, there are some countries you're not going to be able to go to. And that's just the consequences of your actions. I mean, hey, what can we say? We did it, you know?

Starting point is 01:32:46 Nothing wrong with that. They have standards and rules and whatever. But I just think that the lessons that I've learned helped me to further just be like an ambassador of the world. You know, because like I've really been on drugs. I've really been down bad. I've really been in rehab. I've really been peeping our windows,

Starting point is 01:33:05 all the everything that people can do. But then I've really been to these countries. I've been to the Eiffel Tower. I've been to the Berlin Wall. I've been to Jerusalem. You know, I'm like, yo, this is the Bible. I've floated in the Dead Sea. I've been to the world's northernmost towns fall bar.

Starting point is 01:33:17 Been to Iceland. I'd be all these different things. And I really did that. And versus somebody faking the funk about the different stuff they've done or seen. And it's like, you know what I mean? I don't. Real life experience. I don't know.

Starting point is 01:33:28 It's just like, for example, I'm at OSP. I'm not like some hardcore dude. I don't like that. I get busy when I had to get busy. But I'm not a guy that carries a reputation. It's like, oh, you know, I'm not like DeAngelo Turner or something out there. These people are like scared of me. I'm just a cool dude.

Starting point is 01:33:45 I'm playing basketball trying to live weight, stuff like that, right? But then you get people that have been in there and they want to get out and they want to have like this whole, like they're running the whole yard, people giving them envelopes for nothing. You know what I mean? All this different stuff. You know, where's my spread? They better have it for me tonight. All this crazy stuff. And I'm like, I was in there with you.

Starting point is 01:34:04 Yo, like there's one dude. I want to say his name. He was somebody's father, right? And he was trying to act all tough. I'm like, you, E.K. ran you off the yard. You couldn't even go on the yard. And now here we are up in the streets and we're in Lebanon. And you're talking about you the hardest dude.

Starting point is 01:34:16 And nobody wants problems with you. literally everybody wants problems with you. There's no problem having a problem with you. You know what I mean? But I just don't say that about myself and I let people say these stories and I'm just like... Yeah, I was a shock caller. Yeah. I ran the yard.

Starting point is 01:34:31 The whole yard, but people have never been. How do they know? I know there are a lot of fakes out there. I mean, it's like, they never been. Who are they going to verify that with? You don't say, baby, maybe it was a shot calling out there doing a little thing. I came out. I came out to why my platform grew because I was the first person to come out and say,

Starting point is 01:34:47 I paid for protection and I'll give fuck they tried to extort me hey protection is necessary bro unless you put some steel in somebody yourself but you already said you're not and there's really

Starting point is 01:34:57 like bro you're supposed to take more time stabbing somebody so like that I'm not going back to prison for any of that I don't even want to be here now I was trying to go home exactly I don't want to be here now I don't want more time there was this dude

Starting point is 01:35:09 oh what was his name E something he was an OSP he originally got sent to five years. And when I was in there, he was finishing up year 20. Wow. Because fights doing this, stabbing somebody, getting more time and more time and more time.

Starting point is 01:35:27 And I'm like... It's like that movie Shock Caller. Yes, exactly. But that's really what it be like? And it's like, man, I'm just trying to make it out of here. Like, I'm not trying to... Man, like, oh, my God, remember the reason I paroled from the hole was because my second time, I'm about to get out.

Starting point is 01:35:43 It's like a month before I'm getting out. And there was like this thing between. the Southerners, the Seraignios, and the blacks. I don't know what all happened. There used to be this dude, this black dude. He used to play basketball and everything. Then he had a stroke. So now half his body don't work.

Starting point is 01:35:59 He got a cane or whatever. Some of his walking past one of them. This is just the story I heard, you know. He's walking past one of them. And the cane hit the dude's shoe or something like that, you know? And the Serenio was like, yo, man, what's up? Blah, blah, blah. Boom.

Starting point is 01:36:11 You know, like hit him. And I'm like, dude, he's handicapped, bro. Go hit like a 50-year-old man's handicapped. So now is it the whole thing that it was like, yo, in the morning. Like the orderly is going down to tears. Yo, yo, yo, this is the mess for all the blacks. In the morning, when they pop the doors for breakfast, it's on site with the Southerners. Excuse me.

Starting point is 01:36:32 When you say on site, is there an option? Because, you know, like, actually, I'm about to get out soon. And I really don't want to get more charges because I want to go home. It was like, what? No, you're going to ride with the car. Are you not going to be in the car? Oh, okay. I just, thanks for clarification on that one.

Starting point is 01:36:50 Because I just, I just wonder if there was like an exception, no exceptions. Okay, got it. You know, because I'm like really nervous. I'm like, yo, what happens? What happens? The dude pulls out a knife. He's trying to stab him. You grab the knife, stab him back.

Starting point is 01:37:00 Anything could happen. And I was just like, I was so nervous. But it was just like, then I'm thinking, wait, who are these guys in cells next to me? They be speaking Spanish. Are they serenians? Are they serenians? Oh, gosh, I don't remember. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 01:37:11 I haven't really paying attention. And then the steles open. Boom, boom, boom. Everybody just like, like 70 of us went to the hole. Then I was in the hole until I got out of prison. Literally walked me from the hole to society. I didn't talk to a counselor or nothing. I was like, should I debrief with somebody or something?

Starting point is 01:37:27 Like I would just straight from solitary right to the streets, huh? Crazy, bro. Like, how do they do that? Like. Insane. What? You knew I was getting out on this day. Somebody should be like, okay.

Starting point is 01:37:38 Because when you're in solitary, you don't do any of the reentry programs or nothing because you're in solitary. And that's why my book is called From the Bottom of Prison to the Top of the World Because when you're in society And you go to prison, you're at the bottom of society Prisoners are at the bottom of society But when you're a solitary confinement You're at the bottom prison

Starting point is 01:37:58 And I took that to the top of the world The world's northernmost town, Swalbar Like really from the bottom prison to the top of the world So it's just like Man, this everything It's just so crazy But you know, yeah, that That happened

Starting point is 01:38:12 I love that Well, I appreciate you coming on the show today, Rob. Yeah. It was great chatting with you. Thank you. I love your energy. You're a good storyteller. Yo, let's get it, man.

Starting point is 01:38:22 Rob does it all. Everything Rob does it all. Yeah, we'll have the link to that in the description. When your book comes out? Some of the link to, and we'll have that in the description too. When's your book? Did your book already come out? No, we're working on the deal now.

Starting point is 01:38:32 Hopefully we'll have it, you know, sold in January. And then, you know, however long it takes after that. So have you written it yet? No, so I wrote like three chapters. and then I got paired up with a pretty big-time agent. And I was like, should I write it or should we pair it? So we're pairing it with a writer too that I'm working with. Oh, man, you're one of the old guy.

Starting point is 01:38:56 Hey, I want it done the right way, you know. It'll have my voice and my story. But I want this to be like a big-time book, like a real movie or TV-show-worthy book. So I'm glad I waited a man. You're the guy getting it done. You got to pay for protection. I'm going to do it. I'm just trying to survive.

Starting point is 01:39:12 I hope the book title is like either I paid for protection federal president or the party's over, which is what the judge said. It should be. I pay for protection. Why not? That's the true story. Yeah, I think that would be great. I mean, I wrote mine, but only because I didn't know anything about it. Like, I got a literary agent before I even had a query letter.

Starting point is 01:39:31 I didn't even know that. I just wrote an agent. I went on LinkedIn, looked up literary agents. It started sending emails at all of them. Yeah, I got rejected by every agent. And then I gave up on it. And then years later, one of my guests that came on the show actually introduced me to this other agent who turned out to be a big time agent. That's how it goes.

Starting point is 01:39:48 Yeah, I did that. It's all about connections. Oh, yeah. Send me the first 50 pages. You think I have 50 pages? I had the query letter. And I had to write that off Google. Send the 50 pages.

Starting point is 01:39:58 Wow, this is crazy. This is true. Yeah, it's all true. Okay, send me the whole manuscript. So now, three years later. You made it farther than me quicker. But I have a, I have manuscript done. It's going through the final editing, like 370-some pages.

Starting point is 01:40:11 I wrote everything myself. Just kind of the way I talk. I don't know how to write. I just write the way I talk. Good for you, man. But we're going to be out there. New York Times bestsellers together. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:40:19 And safe travels back to Norway, man. To Norway, baby. Enjoy it. Yeah. Am I the first person to come from Norway to your show? Yeah, 100%. About Europe. Maybe there were someone that were born there.

Starting point is 01:40:32 But nobody has flown. I flew here to Connecticut to your studio from Norway. Yeah, that's the first, bro. You're on the leaderboards for that one. Let's go. All right. Appreciate you. sir.

Locked In with Ian Bick - How I Survived Oregon’s Most Notorious Prison | Robert Yarber

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