actually wishfullthinking, it wasn't coffee...it was his pack of cigarettes.

My b-i-l is a big time addict. Heroin WAS his drug of choice as of late, but it really didn't matter. Anything he could get his hands on he'd smoke, snort, shoot, etc.., He is 41 and has been locked up, more or less, for the last 20 years of his life. He missed grandparents' funerals and his own father's funeral. He would write letters to the family and many had hope that he finally "got it" this time....mostly from missing his dad's funeral and not being able to be there for his mother. He got out in January of 2007. He was out of state and the family up here was lobbying the parole board down there (Texas) to transfer him up here--away from his old crowd and abundant supply. Two days after he was suppose to be on a bus up here (he wouldn't leave Texas because that meant leaving his girlfriend), he was picked up for stealing a digital camera and a few other odds and ends to feed his habit. He's been in the clink ever since and that was Nov 2007. No one really knows how long he will go away for but it is suspected to be between 5-15 years. For some there is hope, for others, like my b-i-l, that ship sailed a long long time ago!

I hope this kid gets the help he needs! His mugshot shows the classic signs of heroin.

Maybe his supplier or clients were that couple arrested last winter for drugs and child porn in Milton. Didn't they get it for heroin too?

gmaof3: I don't know it this applies to your brother, but it is fairly common for someone in their 40s to finally latch onto recovery. It is one of the mysteries of the treatment world. Best wishes to the guy from me.

optimism, I too have an addicted brother. He's 44 years old and has been stoned for 25 years. The hell he has put my parents and his OWN family through is just short of insane. He's been through treatment several times, just to get out and start all over again. He's stolen from family and panhandled my parent's close friends. Its humiliating!

That said, he's once again "in treatment" and has supposedly been clean since August. I don't speak to him as a brother but as an acquaintance. I'm polite but I don't trust him. He's weaseled his way back into my parents lives once again. They're in their 70's and are tired. My fear is that he will take them again.

My point? Would earlier intervention have made a difference? I don't know... I think some people are just hard-wired to be criminal.

SARAHB....AHMEN!!! Even though my first reaction was to comment on his appearance, which is icky, addiction is a very complex situation, and there is absolutely NO black and white about it. I have a 30 year old brother who is a thief and will huff, snort, smoke, shoot or ingest anything that comes his way. He has been addicted for 15 years, and was doing heroin way back then. I don't associate with him, because it isn't healthy for my family to co exist with him, and we can't trust him, but I don't love him any less. I know that who he is and has been for the past 15 years is not my brother, but the identity of an addiction. And addiction is an illness, a handicap. It isn't a crutch by no means, and many use it as one, but we as a community need to understand that a person is not inately programmed to be anything but good. We are all born innocent, it is our environment that contributes to our behavoirs,both good and bad. So, let's not judge, that isn't our right. YES! It sucks that people die and get robbed because of addiction, but, in all honesty, the individual isn't at fault, it is the drug. And until the drug and mentality of the drug are removed from the existence of the addict, the person will not exsist.

This jerk was caught before? Who and where was he tracked in the snow? And I agree aboutt the parenting. He's living in their home and they don't see all the crap he's got from the crimes? The guns, etc? He should have been kicked out long ago.

Why is it that when a child or young adult, does something amazing. The parents are always first in line to take responsibility for his or her actions. To accept all praise that anyone has to offer.

But when a child or young adult does something wrong, or makes a mistake, its never the parents fault!! EVER...

Josh's parents might be good people, but bad parents. No its not their fault that he did drugs or stole from several innocent people.

BUT!!! Seeing as how this 21 year old lived with his parents. It IS their fault for not noticing this kid was obviously in need for some attention, Physically and mentally. How can you not notice all of these NEW items entering your home. Especially a gun. Your child lives in your home. They are still your responsibility. Pay Attention!!!!

The choices kids make reflect on the parents, and the choices parents make reflect on the kids!!!!

This kid didn't ask for help.. He asked for Trouble and thats what he got!

Please parents keep an eye on your kids.

Signs of herion abuse:

Constricted, pinpoint pupils

Vomiting

Constipation; use of laxatives

Nodding-out (with increased activity level before)

Track marks on arms

Itching and scratching

Weight loss

Cessation of menstruation

Finding spoons with burn marks

Disappearance of spoons

Foil & gum wrappers with burn marks

Missing shoelaces (used as a tie off for injecting heroin)

Bottles of vinegar and bleach (used to clean needles)

Cotton balls

grama..Thank you! I used to be one of those people that blamed kids' actions on the parents also. It really SUCKS what drugs do to a family.
hatedrunkdriver..I'm with Sarah, you need to get educated about addiction! "Kids" think they're only going to try something once and bam, you're addicted to some of these drugs after JUST ONE TIME. Nobody wants to be an addict. I think it's terrible that you obviuosly don't think someone can change after treatment. A person has to want to, and they DO, I've seen it over and over. I've never seen a "posh" facility, only on tv!
I'd rather pay some of my taxes toward funding rehab programs than shelling out $$ for unwed mothers that continue to reproduce and sit on their fannys collecting welfare!!

hatedrunkdrivers...very nice
You think so black and white about everything? Maybe he didnt have parents who gave a hoot about him? For petes sake hes 21 and hes got a problem. Possibly he needs some guidance because hes never had any? Maybe peer pressure started him on heroin? We don't know, but I do know i don't want your mindset in a public chair, or doing anything besides voting if you jump to conclusions so uneducated and biased about a topic.

Hatedrunkdrivers: Do yourself a favor and get educated regarding addiction.

This kid almost seems to have screamed out for help by stealing . He had to have known he would get caught , he has in the past . I sure hope this kid sings like a bird and takes down who ever he got the drugs from , who ever got him to say yes to it that very first time . This kids is just a pawn in a ring of drug users and dealers . He got it from somewhere . Lets hope we can get to the core and get rid of these scum bag dealers .

How pathetic!!! Here we go again..We will be paying More taxes for the idiots who CHOOSE there addiction. Little punk.. I hope that he doesn't get a hand slap for stealing from hard working people. I don't feel one bit sorry for him or his family. Grow up and take on some responsibilty and maybe I'll soften. Otherwise.... sit your loser $#%^# in jail and rot for all I care. We have to pay for him either way. Why a poshy treatment center?? He's just going to go back out and use again anyway and steal from us again. Lock em up and throw the key away.

"little heroin-related crime". It's not the heroin that caused this guy to commit the crimes it's the cost of the heroin because it's illegal. Legalize all drugs so they are cheap enough so people like this guy can overdose cheaply. When that happens he'll never bother another sole on earth and we won't have to pay to keep him in prison. Over the last six weeks how many domestics, disturbances, bar fights and drunk drivers were there in Milton that involved a legal substance, ALCOHOL! Those who don't know their history are bound to repeat it. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php

thanx for clarifying wishfulthinking. i cant believe how unwilling peeps are to learn. tell me to learn the truth?? im ignorant?? did you see my post on THIS THREAD where i say...and i quote 'not that irresponsible use wont hurt someone'. i know you saw that post cuz its the same SENTENCE you quoted in yours. so did you stop reading in the middle that SENTENCE when i said marijuana doesnt kill(fact)?? as ive pointed out before it is SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN that it takes some 40,000 times the amount of thc it takes to get you high, to overdose. alcohol is 4-10 times. since im the ignorant one im just gonna do the math out loud to see if we can understand this togethor. if it takes 1/4 of a joint to get you high...it will take 10,000 joints...in one sitting to overdose. im the ignorant one but i think we can agree thats just not possible. if it takes you 6 beers to get drunk. that means that 24-60 beers will kill you. i think we all know thats possible.

myangle23 and everyone else here passing judgement on josh's parents. They have done everything possible for josh and his brother. What the problem is today is our society. I had a police officer tell my 17 year old son that he did not have to live at home or listen to my rules. That legally he was an adult and could move out of my home if he chose to. However i was still legally responsible for him and his actions. Don't you think that when they take the control away from the parents that we have a problem? Josh's parents are wonderful people who taught thier kid's right from wrong. These two young men are just that MEN. Adults making thier own decsions. It's funny how everyone has something to say. I am willing to bet that if people had to post there name we would see alot less comments on here. I can tell you that his parent's are beside themselves and have no idea what to do. No one want's to believe that there child would fall into this cycle of drugs and all it leads to. Maybe all you perfect parents should hug your kid's tonight and thank God that this isn't your nightmare. Consider yourself one of the lucky ones and quit throwing stones and trashing good people. Scott and Penny Millard.

upnorthwi... I apologize... I didn't mean to offend you... I raised two daughters, and neither of them were Patty Duke or... Whatever the situation, a lot of it is "usually" the circumstances and environment... That said, often times there is NO obvious reason. My 44 year old brother has been an addict for 25 years... I know what impact this has on a family.

What is even worse is that people believe it is the tax payers responsibility to clean up this mess. Rock County is going to have to pay for all these rejects to go to detox and treatment. Of course they don't have health insurance, and Mommy and Daddy don't want to pay out of pocket for it. Oh, I forgot, it's a disease. Even though anyone knows that herion is as addicitve as it gets, but still CHOOSE to try it. Then wonder why they are addicted and believe how it is everyone elses problem to fix it for them. Throw them in jail and let em sweat it out and then throw the book at them. They deserve what they get. I do not feel sorry in the least for a one of them. All brought on by poor choices they made themselves. I do feel sorry for the parents that did everything right and now have a loser kid on their hands, or worse had to bury one beacuse they overdosed. Oh, but that could never happen to them......

Bellagio_Bound If you ever read any of kids posts his stand is pot by its self has never killed any one. If your comparing it with combination with vehicular homicide then how about that truck driver on the beltline that dropped his coffee and plowed into a car killing the driver.

"Smoking pot causes: eating a Snickers, watching some TV, and falling asleep."

FINALLY A POSITIVE RECOMMENDATION!!!

Kid, your comment regarding pot, "it wont kill anyone(fact)" are just totally false. Just last month a guy here in Wisconsin KILLED a person in a car collision while being high on pot. So take your ignorant little "pot doesn't hurt people" comments and learn the truth. It is a drug and it is illegal!!

hey why pay the cops for this rocket science. UHHHHH DUUUHHHH maybe its for drug money uuuuhhhhh ddddduuuuuhhh no kidding you idiot.

maybe he needed the cash to buy clearasil

gmaof3.."crappy" parenting isn't always why these kids turn out like this. I was in school with the retired chief of police's boys and I will say that they were no angels. Our former minister had a daughter that was in trouble with drugs at an early age. I have a son who ended up on heroin and he's been raised in a house that doesn't have a lick of alcohol in it! We do the best we can, but, when you drop your kids off at school..they're on their own. Then they graduate and go into the real world, get a job, and meet new people. Then you can't control what they are doing. Yes, SOMETIMES crappy parenting is to blame, but I won't take the blame for my son's addiction!!

I haven't read EVERY SINGLE post from the kid, but I get the gist of the confrontations on here. The "Scared Straight" mentality of the 50's and 60's applied to pot's addiction, but actually it's what happens to someone on coke, horse, or crack...

Smoking a bit of weed, is nothing like the heroin addiction. Unlike marijuana, you NEED it! Your whole life evolves around it! Crack is similar. But I understand this kid's NEED to "Feed"... Whatever it takes, he would find a way to get the green to score.

The robberies, from what I had heard around town, was that he wasn't ( or they weren't...) really wiping locations clean, he was just after cash and anything he could fence.

What is disturbing about this story is he is so young. How does a young adult get this far into crap, other than a lot of neglect as a child? How depressing and to read someone mention his older brother was worse? WOW!!!

It's either an awful coincidence or crappy parenting. I'd lean toward the latter.

Just my opinion of coarse... but I think he and his brother pulled a "wooden nickle" set of parents!

Also, how nice it is to have a mother/daughter team of drug dealers. I used to bowl in a morning league with Sue and she'd be drinking then too. Some people never change or grow up...

kid knows how I feel about drugs and pot. I will admit this, I've never seen a pot smoker that looks as bad as this young man does. These harsh drugs really bring a person down mentally and physically. He just looks sick to me.

Next we will be on the bandwagon how pot was the gateway drug to this poor soul. I think when I was a kid spinning around to get dizzy was a gateway drug. I know lets ban that.

Has this turned into a lowly, personal battle of wits?
Marijuana is child's play. It's not physically addictive...and the worst? Well instead of an alchohol fueled rage or a DUI that could kill someone....a potheads night would most likely be summed up by watching some TV, eating a snickers and falling asleep. Pot has a bad rap...mostly because the old pot propoganda films of way back when, and handed down through a generation or two. Anyone that has first hand smoked pot for awhile knows it is not threatening or very harmful.I mean, its pot. Who cares about it? We're supposed to be talking about heroin here. You know, something thats physically addictive, changes the chemicals in the brain, something you can actually OD and die from-and not necessarily from a needle in your arm. It's just as easily snorted. What is everyone arguing about here?Looks like the kid just has some enemies that want to nitpick about stuff that doesnt matter. pot is childs play. heroin kills.

I have more things to remember.

ive never said 'drugs' dont hurt anyone. alcohol is a 'drug' and we all know how many that hurts. ive never even said marijuana wont hurt someone. ive said it wont kill anyone(fact) but not that irresponsible use wont hurt someone. marijuana should be a legal choice for all responsible adults. when you post 'Drugs don't hurt anybody, right kid?' on a story that has NOTHING to do with pot and EVERYTHING to do with heroin use you are implying that i am ok with heroin use, or that i believe its use wont hurt you. im sry if you thought i was questioning your intelligence. i dont have to question your intelligence. that post takes all the question out of it.

kid, if you wish to question my intelligence, feel free to get off the board and send me a private message. Or are you just a keyboard commando????

lol. yall crack me up. i put my comment up on the other thread about this but come on. 'drugs' dont hurt anyone?? seabee must you highlight your lack of intelligence?? quintin is probably under exaggerating the analogy. unless the coffee is caffeine free cuz only then would its physical addiction be debated. HEROIN AND MARIJUANA ARE CLASSIFIED AS THE SAME NARCOTIC IN THE EYES OF UNCLE SAM. i dont care if you are 12 or 52 if you actually, TRULY, believe these two drugs are similar in any way...well...thats to bad for you.
.
gfan: what argument are u insinuating i will apply?? ive never defended a heroin user. ive never defended a thief. i have no doubt there may be some irresponsible pot smokers who would steal someones property to get more smoke. that will happen whether pot is legal or illegal. it wont happen BECAUSE pot is illegal. the crimes associated to pot BECAUSE its illegal are the gang profit/control, corrupt officers, and senseless murders because of the said profit/corruption. anyone ever steal to get their alcohol fix?? of course. youd be silly to deny that. and that is...gasp...LEGAL. that doesnt make it the drugs fault.

But thekid will apply the same argument: The illegality of heroin caused the thefts. He should be here soon.

I don't want to speak for Kid but I have never heard him advocate the legalization of Heroin, Just marajuana. You may not know it but heroin is to marajuana what Everclear is to coffee.

Drugs don't hurt anybody, right kid?

No, it is not just Milton!!!