About Don
Don was born in Wilmington, Delaware and raised in Northern California where he, along with his family, became members of the Seventh-day Adventist church, receiving his early education from its denominational school system. He graduated high school at Mt. Ellis Academy, in Bozeman, Montana, and received his BA in commercial design from Pacific Union College in Napa Valley, California.
His formative professional experiences include hospital administration, public relations, and commercial design, as it related to the field of medicine. In 1997 Don was the co-founder of a Portland based digital design and programming development company that specialized in CDR-based products for proprietary gaming platforms and desktop computers. Other career moves included becoming a General Manager for a Phoenix based construction company, specializing in custom residential homes and small gated communities.
Influenced by friends and a desire to serve his community, Don also entered law enforcement, graduated police academy, and became a reserve deputy for the Maricopa Sheriff’s Office.
Though careers varied, Don faithfully maintained his passion to express the world he sees through art, whether it be in pencil, oil, or digital creations.
In his own words, “I have always had a special appreciation for the human form. Even in its current fallen state, it is truly a miraculous machine to behold. The realization that it mirrors the very Creator himself is even greater testament to a sense of absolute engineering perfection coupled with a boundless love and devotion to beauty and detail.”
An avid reader, Don particularly enjoys subjects dealing with scientific discovery and ancient history. He is especially drawn to geological advancements and the astonishing cosmological discoveries which have successfully unraveled some of the deepest mysteries surrounding the formation of Earth, the cosmos, and the complex dimensions of time itself.
Don’s passion to express himself through art started when he was very young, and continues to this day. He is exploring new expressions and new media — new ways to share his inspiration.
You might also enjoy visiting his other websites:
ART
Watch the Story of Sara’s Landing
Carmel Sea Trilogy
My earliest interest in painting began as I watched my mother work with oils. I was also influenced by another artist; however, I would not know who this individual was until years after our chance encounter.
My parents loved the ocean and we frequented many camping spots on weekends and holidays. Our favorite campsite was located near a small secluded spot called Laguna Beach. This was long before it was to become the now famous art mecca, crowded by cliff-side mansions, pottery shops, art studios, and retail outlets. Local beaches were devoid of any signs of civilization, save for the sleepy little town of Laguna, who’s only memorable attraction was a camera shy, individual called ‘The Laguna Greeter.’
One day, as I was hiking along the beach cliffs, I spied a painter sitting at his easel, working on a seascape. I was fascinated by his painting style and I watched as he quickly sketched out a scene on the canvas with shades of grey oil paint. I was amazed when he began adding layers of color and without realizing it, had moved in closer until I was only a few feet away.
Suddenly he turned, and with a warm smile, asked me if I was a painter? I was startled and blurted out the first words that popped into my 9-year old head. “No, I said, but my mother is!” After a long pause he turned, gave me a wink, and said softly, “Well, I think you’re a painter too, but you just don’t know it yet.
Years later I was re-visiting boyhood sights and returned to the city of Laguna Niguel. I paused at one of the many galleries specializing in local art talent and noticed several featured works by a prominent artist named Robert Wood. A moment later I spied a photo of this artist and was stunned…this was the very same gentleman, who without knowing it, had inspired me with a lifelong passion for painting seascapes!
Visit the Robert Wood website:
Evolution of a Ship Trilogy
The first time I saw the Peter Iredale was in 1972. Even though all that remained was a rusted-out forward section, I wondered what she might have looked like before running aground. I even tried to picture her as a sleek windjammer, sailing the high seas during the zenith of her career.
Later I learned the beached wreck was an extremely popular tourist destination in the early 1900’s. That fact inspired me to paint her as she might have appeared before the grounding incident. Unfortunately, it was years before the introduction of computers or the Internet, so this made research a somewhat daunting task. For this reason, the idea was pushed aside…but never forgotten.
I exhausted Internet leads as well as trips to maritime museums but the only color data I found was referenced to an oil painting from an ‘unsigned’ artist, who colored the hull a blue grey. I was fortunate enough to locate and view the original painting. While examining it closely I discovered a tiny signature that was barely visible. I immediately researched the artist, but was disappointed to learn the picture was painted in the late 1930’s. Unfortunately, this meant he, most likely, had never seen the actual ship.
This setback gave me an idea to identify other period artists who might possibly have painted the Peter Iredale. I soon discovered a prominent turn-of-the-century marine artist by the name of J.E. Cooper. It turns out Cooper painted several merchant marine vessels, all displaying four mahogany brown masts, and a two-tone white trim, over off-white hull. Violá!
Peter Iredale as seen today
Unfortunately, Cooper’s paintings featured fully loaded commercial ships on the high seas, so there was no below the waterline color detail. But as luck would have it, I had previously identified a rust-red coating commonly used, at this time, to protect ship bottoms from barnacle growth. I was now confident I could proceed with the project with a degree of accuracy. I was unable to find a Cooper painting that featured the Peter Iredale, but I did discover two of his paintings were of merchant ships, constructed by the same company who built and owned the Peter Iredale.
For more historical information visit:
Peter Iredale in Seattle Bay, 1900
Evolution of a Mountain Trilogy
Most of us can recall landmark events such as the assassination of a president, or multiple space shuttle disasters, but the one that stands out most vividly in my mind is the eruption of mount St. Helens.
I was driving towards downtown Portland and my route took me over the Fremont bridge. The bridge exit off the I-5 freeway is a long ramp which gradually merges onto the top deck of its south-bound lanes. It was about 8:45 on a Sunday morning and as I approached the top of the ramp, I saw several drivers pulling off to the side, stepping out, and staring backwards. Naturally, I followed suit.
Before the Eruption — St Helens and Spirit Lake
I will never forget the initial shock that rippled through my body as my eyes became transfixed on a gigantic column of ash rising from the now flattened summit of mount St Helens! To say this column was massive would not adequately describe the scale of its immensity. Though the mountain was 52 miles from Portland, it felt as though I was less than 300 yards away. I was high up on a bridge, so my view was completely unobstructed as I watched ash and rock spew out and rise upwards with indescribable convulsions of energy and speed.
During the Eruption — May 18, 1980
The billowing column resembled giant clumps of black cauliflower, constantly morphing into evil contorted shapes as it relentlessly clawed for altitude. Massive lightning bolts shot out vertically from the column, attesting to the intense heat and volume of debris being sent into the cold upper layers of the atmosphere. It was nature’s version of a Holocaust.
At this time there were well over 100 individuals standing on the bridge, but no one said a word. We were all overwhelmed by the same feeling of utter hopelessness and impending doom communicated through the sheer immensity of the ash column. Those feelings were suddenly verbalized when someone quietly asked which way the wind was blowing. A chilling realization instantly crystalized in our collective thoughts…this could be a modern-day Pompei!
After the Eruption — New Dome and New Growth
I later learned the lateral eruption of St Helens spewed over a cubic mile of volcanic debris for 65 miles, burying cities as far away as Spokane, Washington in drifts of ash. Had the blast, and subsequent 300-miles per hour pyroclastic flows, occurred on the South side of the mountain, Portland could have been buried in over 20 feet of super-heated ash, potentially wiping out most of its 350,00 inhabitants in the process.
Medical Illustration Project
In 1985 doctors Rush, Wells, and Manley, of Northwest Orthopedics Group partnered with Hexcel Medical to assist with the development and testing of a new carbon fiber filament suture intended for the repair of sports related injuries. I was commissioned to observe surgical procedures and develop a series of medical illustrations that depicted the suture as it was incorporated in various operations.
Design Graphics
Earlier Artwork
Don’s passion to express himself through art started when he was very young, and continues to this day. He is exploring new expressions and new media — exploring new ways to share his inspiration.
You might also enjoy visiting:
ARTICLES
A Perfect Gift For God
Davis’s lyrics relate how a young boy, invited by the Magi to attend the Nativity of Jesus, arrives without a gift to honor the infant, because he is very poor. But the little drummer boy had a plan. He had a drum that he loved to play, and so, with Mary’s approval, he gave his music as a gift to Jesus. When he finished his playing he realized that it was well-received because, "I played my best for him…and He smiled at me."
The lyrics, when played to the accompaniment of the soft rhythmic music, warms the cockles of one’s heart. But it also begs an important question for every Christian Believer. What perfect gift can we give to God? What could best express our love, respect, and thankfulness for the many gifts He has given to each of us? In simpler terms, what can we give to a Creator who has everything?!!
For the poor little drummer boy, it was his talent for music. But does this mean we can studiously deploy our talents, in positive ways of course, to garner not only His personal appreciation, but perhaps, lead a few non-believers into the fold as well? A bonus indeed, since this could then be viewed as ‘the gift that keeps on giving,’ so to speak.
On the surface, offering our talents does seem reasonable, but if we look a little closer this begins to smack of works, which as we all know, becomes a philosophical trap. We all have God-given talents, but some are obviously blessed with more than others. God realized this, so He leveled the playing field by instituting the Grace message. This means works will never be an acceptable coinage for soliciting His gratitude, or for that matter, as a key to unlock His gracious bounty.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith and this not of your own doing;
it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2: 8-9
Perhaps we could offer our love, respect, and reverence, as heart-felt gifts. But again, these are also rooted in subliminal expressions of thoughts and actions, which spring out of mental aptitudes and physical talents, gifted to each individual, by God. Thus again, these must also be considered works.
However, there is one gift, part of the standard package given to us, which deserves a closer look. This particular gift is not specific to individual talent, but instead is bestowed to a collective humanity. That unique gift is the Word of God. Most Christians today, identify the Bible as the primary well-spring for God’s Word.
Of course, non-believers consider the Bible to be a collection of short stories, written by fringe authors, who were insanely fanatical about mystic rituals and dream quests. These writers envisioned ancient heroes who possessed magical spells and experienced off-world visitations. In short, non-believers claim the Bible cannot be taken seriously because it is, after all, a collection of archaic stories and legends, similar to those found in modern-day comic books.
The Bible is made up of 66 different books, which were written over 1600 years, by more than 40 kings, prophets, leaders, and followers of Jesus. The Old Testament contains 39 books, written approximately 1500 BC – 400 BC. The New Testament features 27 books, written between 45 AD – 100 AD.
The number of original manuscripts one can reference when addressing Biblical and/or secular content accuracy is critical. This is especially true with respect to academic research and documentation…the more copies, the better. As an example, major secular works such as Tacitus’, “Annals of History”: 20 original manuscripts, or Homer’s “Iliad”: 643 original manuscripts, pales in comparison to New Testament original manuscripts, represented by 5,000 Greek; 10,000 Latin; and 10,000 in other languages.
The date of the original manuscript, with respect to the date of the actual event, is equally important. The less of a gap between the date of the event, and the date of the manuscript, the better. As an example, Homer described the siege of Troy in 900 BC, but the earliest manuscript discovered is dated 400 BC, which presents a gap of 500 years. In contrast most New Testament transcripts were completed between 45 AD – 96 AD, indicating an average gap of about 75 years after the actual events. In the case of John’s gospel, a manuscript dated 85 AD, reveals a gap of only 35 years after his recorded events. This is especially important because John was an actual eye witness to the events he recorded.
Before printing presses were invented, the Bible was copied by hand. It was duplicated very carefully, in many cases, by special scribes who developed complex methods of counting letters and words to ensure no errors were made. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls confirmed this astonishing accuracy in copies transcribed from these much earlier transcripts. It is also interesting to note that in 1455, the first book mass printed on Gutenberg’s press was the Bible.
If the Bible were nothing more than a historical recitation of human events, then we must conclude that it certainly reflects a super-human effort to preserve such a record for posterity. Then again, one could also conclude that this represents quite an illustrious and dedicated effort for the preservation of a ‘comic book,’ or so it would seem.
However, when we actually focus and read ‘God’s Word,’ it seems to miraculously transform itself into something alive and revolutionary. Like the overpowering excitement that spontaneously springs from the discovery of a secret blue print, ingeniously crafted to guide the reader towards the reinstitution of a lost relationship between the Creator and the created. A priceless pearl combining both wisdom and simplicity in its celebration of life.
Lucifer claimed that if we took a bite of the ‘apple,’ we would understand (know) both good and evil, which would then make us equal with our Creator. We severed our relationship with our Creator when we bought into this deception. But it is important to note that this was a deceptive truth, not a lie. We would, most definitely come to understand evil, but the lie Lucifer so cleverly shielded, was how this added knowledge would wreak total havoc on human populations. In this case, the devil was literally in the details, and shame on us for not paying more attention to the small print!
Of course the challenge, which even Lucifer was ignorant to realize, was that God created man in His image. This means we were originally created with the ability to only ‘know good.’ But God also wanted us to possess free will, so He accomplished this by planting a ‘tree of the knowledge of good and evil,’ in a prominent place, in the Garden. He then warned Adam and Eve to stay away from that tree. If they chose to disobey that warning…well, “they would surely die.”
We all know how the rest of the story goes; Satan challenged God, claiming a dormant tree sitting all alone by itself was too passive. So he proposed to give the tree a voice; that is, someone who would verbalize the choice to disobey God’s warning and stay away from this tree. Unfortunately, the rest is history.
As humans began to experience sin, we discovered, to our utter shock and horror, the pervasiveness of evil. Now, as history continues to unfold in our modern world, we are witnessing yet another cruel reality. There is a growing majority of souls who are foolishly and unwittingly embracing a humanist boot strapping movement, which is personified by personal independence and self-reliant works. Unfortunately this regimen of self-improvement can only be coined as the height of hubris, because it dooms all who rely on it to an eternal death. Why, you ask? Well it’s because, in our Creator’s eye, self-dependent humanist doctrines are just another type of your average garden variety works.
But it’s not all doom and gloom because it appears God has a plan to reverse this doomed yet popular trend. And thankfully, this plan is studiously recorded in ‘His Word’:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him,
and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1: 1-3
In other words, if our Creator used ‘His Word’ to create perfect order for earth and all living things, then that same Word must be designed to hold that order in place. The sin, which was introduced and is now resident in our world, is a continual force that is contrary to that order. Therefore, His order remains preserved in two ways:
- That which God Himself specifically holds and preserves, incorruptibly, so that sin has no effect on it.
- That which God has given to us, as men, to be responsible for preserving and holding in perpetuity.
Notice both forms of preservation have only one authority. Both are given by God’s Word, and both are preserved by God’s Word. The only difference is that one is accomplished by God’s ability, while the other is accomplished by man’s decision (choice) to rely on God’s revelations through His Word.
What this means is all things are subject to His authority, ‘His Word,’ just as He Himself, is subject to His own perfect will. There is nothing higher than God, so He can only be subject to Himself, which is His perfect will. His perfect will for man, is to see His Word come back to Him, and that only happens when we choose to live by His Word. The Bible refers to this voluntary transfer as being in ‘Harmony with God.’ God sends His Word, and it finds men who must choose to align themselves with His Word. It pleases God that His creations would voluntarily choose His Word as a gift to Him.
So this is the gift we can give back to God. We, by ourselves, are unable to give God anything to please Him. If we could, we would become higher than God, because it would mean we possess something that God actually needed from us. But God bases everything on His Word, and nothing else.
Therefore the perfect gift, the only thing that would truly please God, is our willingness to gift back to Him what He entrusted to us in the first place, ‘His Word.’ This must be an individual choice, as well as an act of faith, which means it has nothing to do with talents or any other gifts which He has so graciously given to us. Voluntarily giving Him back ‘His Word,’ says we are choosing to put our faith and trust in ‘His Word.’ And here is the best part; if we give Him ‘His Word,’ God promises to one day restore the lost association and camaraderie we so passionately and ultimately desire!
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
It is important to note that this particular vision lies within the book of Revelation (Chapter 6: 1-8) which means it was specifically intended for people witnessing last day prophesies scheduled to occur prior to the return of Christ. It is also necessary to point out that the practicalities of presenting a prophetic vision of events, set to occur almost 2,000 years after the death of its author, was a considerable challenge for the heavenly messenger as well!
This could only be accomplished through the use of symbolic images which might be gibberish to someone in John’s time but completely understandable and meaningful to modern day readers. Christ employed this strategy very effectively in His teachings when He conveyed complex ideas through the use of timeless symbolic parables.
This particular apocalyptic vision was actually intended to herald the emergence of major geo-political institutions. Human governments have always been necessary as a means of avoiding anarchy and civil breakdown which undoubtedly occurs in their absence. Unfortunately most human governmental systems are created and deployed by its ruling class, who inevitably manage to live above the law while effectively subjugating, persecuting, or decimating its populations. If this statement seems harsh then consider the staggering death tolls represented by some of these apocalyptic institutions. It is conceivable that the true villains of humanity may not be plagues, wars, or natural disasters, but instead human governments.
The description of each horse along with its rider is significant therefore they are presented below in order of their appearance. Each symbolic horse and rider can be categorized within two types of governing institutions. The first and last horses represent religious governments. By this we mean their primary method of control is through religious-based political intrigues to subjugate its masses. For example, “do as we say, or we will punish you with excommunication, starvation, military invasion, selective execution”…and the list goes on. The second and third horses represent governments which are based on economic principles. A good analogy for these governments would be “eat what you kill,” or the polar opposite which is, “we will confiscate what you kill and redistribute it as we (the government) decide”.
The first vision to appear was a white horse bearing a rider with an enormous crown and holding an empty bow. We are also told that this horse rode out to win many battles and gain the victory. This was the first appearance of a major religious-based government, and it was called Catholicism. In its hay-day the Catholic Church represented a very powerful ruling force throughout the known world. Its political strength was not gained through provincial commerce or the maintenance of its own standing army, but through the control of secular rulers who could be threatened with excommunication, economic sanctions, or invasion by other allied countries, if they didn’t obey.
The political intrigues initiated by the Holy Roman Empire, against secular kingdoms, was extremely effective, empowering them to instigate numerous battles where victory for the church was assured. The fact that the church used other countries to fight their wars is represented by the empty bow. The extensive use of white within the papal diocese leaves no doubt as to the symbolism of the white horse, and the large, oversized shape of the distinctive Papal Tiara explains the enormous crown worn by the symbolic rider.
This religious monopoly began to lose its stranglehold in 1517 when Martin Luther challenged the Catholic Church over the issue of indulgences as a major source of its revenue, plus other lesser offenses. The next major blow occurred approximately thirteen years later when Henry VIII declared that his right as a God ordained English king trumped the coronation of a foreign vicar located in Italy. Henry then proceeded to nationalize monasteries throughout England, which incidentally created an enormous windfall profit at the expense of the Vatican! The power of the Holy Roman Empire was finally broken by Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 1800’s when he conquered the European provinces, removed incumbent cardinals, and instituted secular dictatorships.
The second vision to appear was a red horse bearing a rider holding a large broadsword and the authority to remove peace from the earth. This major government is based on economic principles and is embodied in the Utopian doctrines of Communism. Few will argue the fact that the national color representing Russia is, without a doubt red, thus validating the red color of the apocalyptic horse.
The fact that the rider carries an oversized sword is also an indicator of its militant source of power. Since its revolutionary inception in the 1900’s, the advance of Communism has historically been recognized by its ability to destabilize all other forms of government and thus replace peace and tranquility with conflict. The reason for this is that Communism successfully incites the masses against the ruling aristocracy via the doctrine of revolution. This, in turn, usually results in a civil bloodbath.
Even in its own country, the Russian Revolution was responsible for the deaths of countless millions. The infamous Stalin purge alone murdered 35 to 50 million of its citizens, depending on which historians one chooses to read. No one really knows how many millions perished during the Chinese Civil War as a result of military clashes between Communist and Nationalist parties.
At present the doctrine of Communism appears to be waning in popularity since many nations now recognize that socialistic ideals encourage laziness because the working class invariably lacks the incentive to work harder when the reward is an equally distributed portion.
The third symbol to appear was a black horse with a rider holding a pair of balance scales and chanting “a loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley for a day’s pay. And don’t harm the oil or wine.” The balance scales, along with the chant of a proportional exchange rate, instantly gives our horse and rider away as representing the institution of Capitalism.
Though the color black has historically represented death, in this example that is not the case. Economically speaking, the most lucrative shopping day of the year in the United States is the day after Thanksgiving, the day we universally refer to as “Black Friday”. It is named as such because it represents the expectation of every merchandiser to balance their ledgers in black instead of red. Today our national flag is red, white, and blue, but the “Don’t Tread on Me” black snake on a yellow background or orange snake on a black background, were the dominant battle flags used during the American Revolution.
The Declaration of Independence was a unique document that, for the first time in history, placed the power of the individual first, the power of the state second, and the power of the nation last. This revolutionary concept transformed an insignificant collection of 13 colonies into the richest and most powerful governmental institution on earth. On the other hand government intrusion through graft, prohibitive taxation, over-regulation, and excessive entitlement programs, is destructive to the principles of Capitalism. If allowed to flourish, it will destroy this form of government.
The fourth and last symbol is a pale horse bearing a hate-filled rider wielding a sword. This religious government is the last institution to rise to power and is identified as the institution of Islam. It is important to note that the word pale is actually a mistranslation which appears in many Bibles today. It was originally translated from the Greek word chloros, which literally means green. This was an unfortunate error, for if we understand that the symbolic horse was green then we can immediately identify Islam as this religious government since that is the dominant color used in the majority of its national symbols and flags. We also know this rider is filled with rage and hate because the text literally states that “Death was the name of its rider and hell followed after him.” More importantly, we learn that this religious government would be given authority over twenty-five percent of the world’s population to kill with the sword, famine, disease and/or by wild beasts. In this instance, the term ‘wild beasts’ refers to fanatical individuals, or jihadists, bent on the destruction of all infidels (Islamic non-believers).
Today Islamic doctrine along with its form of religious government is the fastest growing institution in the world, with over 1.5 billion soles in attendance (which incidentally is approaching one quarter of the earth’s population). There is no doubt that once Islam’s fanatical rulers gain control over a population they routinely instigate its slaughter by starvation or by the sword, if the religion of Islam is refused by its victims. If the reader doubts this then observe the current on-going destabilization efforts conducted in many African countries where Islam-based governments has infiltrated!
It is by far the most ruthless and oppressive form of government ever conceived by man. It is so devastating that it is prophesied to herald the advent of global catastrophes and the subsequent appearance of the antichrist along with the final wars of annihilation. While it has not yet achieved its stated goal of taking over the world and dispatching the last infidel, it continues to use relentless subversion and terrorism in an all-out effort to achieve its mandated mission.
What all this means is that we are left with choices. If we are a Humanist, we must believe that man carries within himself the immutable hope for a future which embodies the gradual improvement of humankind through knowledge, spirituality, technology, and social enlightenment.
We must embrace the expectation that as a species we can eventually overcome this specter of corruption which seems to creep in and remind us of our human failings…yet despite these failings, we remain determined to strive towards a more peaceful, considerate, and loving world.
If we are a Believer we must accept that imperfect man, if left to his own devices, is decidedly incapable of sustaining a perfect government. We must also accept that even when humans manage to envision a perfect government, the seeds for its eventual corruption and downfall will invariably rest with evil men who will always empower themselves at the expense of others.
The unshakeable hope of a Believer is the Biblical promise that human governments will end when King Jesus returns and establishes the Millennial Government…a perfect government ruled by a perfect Creator and intended for recreated humans who are made perfect through the elimination of evil.
The Real Exodus
The Real Mount Sinai
Prophesy Overview Graphic
Prophetic Last Day Events
Prophetic Empires of Daniel 2
Prophetic Vision of Daniel 7
Prophetic Vision of Daniel 8
Identical Beasts
Mystery Babylon
Last Day Battle or Battles?
EXPERIENCES
Why I Am No Longer a
Seventh-day Adventist
A Chain of Unexplainable Coincidences
Such a miracle began after I received a call from my best friend, Doug. I knew he was excited when he declared that he had come up with the perfect job for us. “This will be a fun adventure and we can make good money, while remining in control our time, he exclaimed.” Initially, I didn’t ‘drink the Cool-Aid,’ and my eyes started glazing over, as he continued to sell the merits instead of specifically identifying what the actual job was. Actually, I suspected this was probably some type of MLM scheme that involved selling soap at five times over the actual cost. But Doug remained undaunted, and he continued on for several minutes more before the drum roll came. “Let’s become taxi drivers, he exclaimed!”
Oh boy, I thought, and my mind was immediately drawn to images of a scruffy New York style parking garage, controlled by a cantankerous dispatch manager like Danny DeVito. Or perhaps, I was going to have to deal with some mentally deranged war veteran, like Robert De Niro (incidentally, De Niro won an Oscar for that very role, in the 1977 movie Taxi Driver). Bottom line was that Doug’s enthusiasm was contagious, so we conducted our proper due diligence, decided on a reputable taxi company, and just like that, we were enlisted in the ranks as honest-to-goodness taxi drivers.
The early morning hours of July 12, 2012, found me in my cab, responding to a fare that had just come up on my digital dispatch terminal. I accepted it and was directed to a, shall we say, dodgy part of town; meaning my awareness radar was required to operate at full capacity. In simple terms this meant keeping one eye open to possible violence. When I arrived at the pick-up destination I noted that my fare was actually three male teens, all looking for a ride. They were big enough that trying to crowd them all in the back of my Nissan Prius was going to be impossible. That meant someone would have to sit in the front passenger seat next to me; not a recommended policy for safety reasons.
For the purposes of this story, we will identify the three boys by their distinctive hair styles. The boy who sat in the passenger seat beside me will be referred to as “Corn Rows.” The two boys sitting in back will be identified as “Buzz Cut” and “Fuzzy Bush.” As we started out, Corn Rows asked if we could stop to pick up an energy drink at Circle K. He was the socialite of the bunch, and his conversation was friendly and disarming. I cautioned the boys that I had to keep the meter running and they were fine with that. Of course, I later realized this didn’t matter because they were planning to stiff me.
When we arrived at Circle K, Buzz Cut and Fuzzy Bush jumped out, ran inside, then emerged a few minutes later with the energy drink, which they handed to Corn Rows.
We arrived at the drop off location, Buzz Cut and Fuzzy Bush exited the cab and stood by, while Corn Rows reached into his pocket while inquiring about the total fare amount. They kidded back and forth about who was going to pay. Of course, this was intended as a distraction and, unfortunately for me, it was completely successful.
Suddenly Buzz Cut and Fuzzy Bush disappeared, and while I was thus distracted, Corn Rows grabbed my cell phone from the cup holder in the center console. He jumped out, and also disappeared into the darkness. I tried to follow but the boys had run down into a dry water retention area. I could see nothing and the only sounds I heard were crickets.
I returned to my cab and drove to the other side of the retention area in hopes of seeing where the boys might have disappeared…nothing but more darkness and crickets. My immediate thoughts were to notify dispatch, call the police, and last but not least, call Doug to tell him what had just happened. The only problem was, I no longer had a cell phone!
Coincidence #1: As I sat in my cab, trying to reconstruct details of the event, I noticed a police cruiser driving towards me, so I signaled it with flashing lights. The officer stopped and introduced himself as Officer Neuhaus. I noted he was both courteous and professional, which had a calming effect on me as I relayed details of the recent robbery.
Coincidence #2: Officer Neuhaus asked to be taken to the site where the incident had occurred. When we arrived I spotted the energy drink lying in the road and identified it as the one that had dropped from Corn Row’s hand as he left the taxi. Officer Neuhaus carefully bagged and labeled it as evidence for print analysis.
Coincidence #3: When I told Officer Neuhaus that the drink was purchased at the local Circle K, he smiled and informed me that he knew the owner of that store very well. He also told me the owner had a surveillance camera which may have captured Buzz Cut and Fuzzy Bush on video as they made their purchase. Before leaving to visit the store, Officer Neuhaus left me his card and informed me he would keep in touch as additional information developed.
Once again I found myself alone to deal with a new dilemma. Since I no longer had a cell phone to contact a client fare upon arrival, I could not accept any new fares which continued to appear on my dispatch console. A cell phone is especially vital, when dispatched to an apartment complex, because it is necessary to call for the apartment number rather than hunt for the client by knocking on random doors…a very bad idea during the wee hours of the morning.
After considering this, I decided the only option left was to return to the taxi hub, turn in my cab, and leave for home. I knew Doug would be trying to contact me, but I had no way of connecting with him, especially since I couldn’t remember his cell number. It occurred to me that I had taken cell phones for granted, but when mine was stolen, it became clear that I had been deprived of a critical part of my inter-communicative life!
As soon as I found an open phone store, I purchased their most inexpensive phone, then returned home and rummaged around the house until I located Doug’s number. He answered on the first ring, and I noted the instant relief in his voice as I reassured him that I was safe. I gave him details of my misadventure and he told me he had raced back to the taxi hub and plied the dispatcher with some money. He did this so he could find out the GPS location of my last fare drop. He then jumped back into his taxi and raced, hell-bent for leather, in the hopes of locating me and backing me up with his guns blazing (that is the mark of a very good friend indeed)!
Over the next few days I contemplated my sad state of affairs and proceeded to sink deeper into a depressive state. George Gobles summed up my feeling best with his hilarious question, “Did you ever have one of those days when the whole world was a black tuxedo, and you were a pair of brown loafers?”
My pity party was suddenly interrupted by a phone call from Doug. “Hey man, I’m heading to your house now and you’re not going to believe this, but I’ve got ‘em by the short hairs! You’re going to get your phone back today,” he exclaimed excitedly! After arriving, we immediately transferred to my car and headed to the vicinity of the incident as he filled me in on the details.
Coincidence #4: I learned that he was once employed as a bounty hunter for a bail bond company, and while doing so, had successfully deployed a tactic, by posing as a pizza delivery man. He would tell the suspect that he had additional free pies, above and beyond the order, out in his car. The idea was to lure the suspect out of his house, in order to help Doug retrieve the free pies. Once outside, the suspect was cuffed and hauled away. This tactic worked every time, Doug said, because it appealed to the basic greed of a dishonest person. Inspired by this tactic, Doug created a hybrid sting operation by posing as a friend who owed me money and was naive to the fact that my phone had been stolen.
Coincidence #5: Doug explained how he launched the sting by sending a series of texts to our perps, all the time, skillfully luring them into believing that he was the unsuspecting sucker. Doug accomplished this by convincing them that he owed me money, which was to be left at a sight we had mutually established for other cash drops. As expected our perps immediately suggested an alternate drop site, which turned out to be directly across the street from their house!
Doug reached an agreement with the perps, to leave the envelope at their designated drop site. We expected that at least one of the boys involved in the theft of my phone would go for the envelope. This would provide us with the opportunity to rush him before he disappeared with his ill-gotten gains. Of course the envelope was empty, save for an appropriately crude message intended to challenge the source of his ancestral origins…among other things.
We arrived in the neighborhood at approximately 4:45 PM, and after some back and forth texting, we spied the house they had designated as the drop point. There were several homes, running east to west, on each side of the street. One end terminated at a roundabout, and the other end was bounded by a cross street running north to south. We determined that Doug would drop me off beforehand and I would place myself at the east end of the block, near the roundabout. Doug would move to another hiding spot at the west end of the block after making the drop. We were sure the drop site was being watched, and that our perps had my cell phone, since several texts had been exchanged using my phone, as Doug feigned difficulty locating the exact house where he was supposed to make the drop.
Coincidence #6: Meanwhile, there was an immediate problem which occurred after Doug dropped me off. I noticed a gray Monte Carlo sedan parked at the entrance to the roundabout and I was certain it was someone who was spotting for the bad guys! Ultimately, I had two choices. I could remain in hiding but then I would not be able to view the drop point. The other option was to make myself fully visible to the spotter, as I moved out of hiding, to a point where I could actually see the drop site.
Coincidence #7: When the car occupant spotted me I defiantly returned his gaze with my best stink-eye scowl. My attempts to look contentious didn’t faze him because he just ignored me. He subsequently realized I was there to stay so he opted to engage in a mutual stink-eye stare-down. He finally broke the spell by reaching into his shirt and flashing an officer badge. I then proceeded to move into full view, realizing that I was taking the chance his badge was legitimate.
Coincidence #8: It was at this moment, I spotted one of the perps emerging from his house, and running across the street, towards the drop point. I immediately recognized him as Corn Rows! “There he is,” I shouted, as I ran after him in an attempt to cut him off. Much to my surprise, the badge man exited his car and sprinted after me while loudly inquiring what the hell was going on!
Coincidence #9: Unfortunately, Corn Rows was much too fast for me. He grabbed the envelope and was back inside his house, before I was able to cut him off. Frustrated, I stood outside the house when the badge man, who later introduced himself as Tyler, arrived and queried if I was a part of his stakeout…huh, say what, I thought? I told him I was an officer but was not part of his stakeout. I then proceeded to explain that I was a part-time officer with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office but was not on duty at this time. I also told him I was recently robbed by the individual that we had just seen running back into the house, and that I was just a private citizen trying to retrieve stolen property.
Coincidence #10: Additional police cruisers suddenly began to arrive on the scene with sirens blaring. It dawned on me that something else was going on, so I asked Officer Tyler if he was staking out the house Corn Rows had entered? He replied no, they were watching a different house in the same neighborhood for the purposes of conducting a raid!
Coincidence #11: It was then that Officer Tyler explained to me that when he saw me running after Corn Rows, he had called in the other cruisers participating in his stakeout because he thought I was also involved with their raid! This was quickly descending into the surreal world of a “Twilight Zone” movie script!
I again explained to Officer Tyler and coincidentally to the other officers arriving, that I was simply trying to locate some bad guys and retrieve my cell phone. Officer Wong, who was now the scene commander, asked if the person I saw re-entering the house was indeed one of the perps. I enthusiastically replied in the affirmative and described the individual. Officer Tyler verified that the description fit the same individual he had seen running back into the house.
At that point Doug arrived from his hidden vantage point at the other end of the block. He immediately made it clear to everybody present that my cell phone was most definitely in that house because we had recently sent several texts to it while trying to zero in on the drop site. We now had approximately 7 officers standing in front of Corn Rows house. You can imagine my delight when Officer Wong said, “Well since we’re all here, let’s go get his cell phone!”
Five minutes later two cuffed perps were escorted from the house but both Officer Tyler and I agreed, none of these individuals was Corn Rows. The officers proceeded to re-enter the house, and about 10 minutes later, exited with Corn Rows in cuffs. It turned out he had been hiding in a closet; however, my cell phone was nowhere to be found. Then Doug came up with the brilliant idea of simply calling the phone and letting it ring until it could be located. Violà, my cell phone was quickly found, stuffed under a mattress in the front bedroom facing the envelope drop house.
Coincidence #12: It was now clear that the task force, led by Officer Wong, had been staking out the wrong house since several of the occupants, living at the Corn Rows address, fit the description of the suspects they were seeking. As a result, three more arrests were made. This meant Doug’s idea for retrieving my cell phone had, through a series of interlocked coincidences, inadvertently led police to the real viper’s nest of criminals they were seeking to apprehend.
As we all stood around chatting, we were collectively struck by the fact that had all these converging coincidences, along with their related timelines, been altered in the slightest degree, then this story would have never unfolded as it did.
Officer Wong summed the entire incident best when he turned to me and said, “Well, I guess we were meant to get our perps, as well as your cell phone, in a single raid!”
Then Doug chimed in, “Yeah, I can just picture those perps, scratching their heads in disbelief, as they are trying to figure out how a stolen cell phone could have led to their ultimate downfall!
There was a pregnant pause as we turned and gazed at the cuffed and dejected suspects staring out of the cruiser windows. It was at that point we all broke out in loud peels of uncontrollable laughter…what a country!!!
Multiple cruisers arriving in front of our suspect house. Imagine our relief when out pops “corn rows” in cuffs!
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