My future plans upon my release directly reflect upon my past accomplishments, dreams, and goals. To allow you insight into my future plans upon my release, I must relate to you my preincarceral experiences. It is only then that you can understand the consistent patterns in my life and how my future dreams and aspirations[1] line up with those past behaviors.
I was born, and then raised, in
Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1968. I turn 54 in 2022. I am the oldest of four sons born
to parents who have now been married for 55 years[2].
Our parents enrolled us in Cub/Boy Scouting very early on. We all became Eagle
Scouts, as was my father and his two brothers, as is my son and two nephews. My
father took us camping as part of our Boy Scout troop every third weekend of
every month for years, regardless of the weather: rain, heat, or snow. We grew
up thinking that camping and everything that goes with that world was normal
and fun: backpacking in the Sangre de Cristos, hiking, sleeping under the
stars, not being afraid of being dirty, fishing, canoeing, climbing,
rappelling, bouldering, spelunking, building fires, etc.... These experiences
formed whom I was to become. Being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,
courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent,
physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight are still the guiding
tenants of my life.
As the oldest child of an oldest
child, I was blessed with the ability to know all four of my grandparents and
six of my eight great grandparents. I hail from a large extended family who
placed their faith in Jesus Christ, most of whom went to church together each
week, and then frequently enjoyed Sunday lunches and bonding time together.
These experiences and these people formed
whom I was to become as well.
While I always enjoyed my primary
school experiences, I did not enjoy middle school or high school. Had it not
been for a drama teacher that I liked and "school service" I would
have dropped out, had my parents allowed it. I had a notion during high school
that I wanted to be a doctor. Unfortunately, my mother convinced me that that
was an unreasonable and expensive dream, and that being a dentist was more
plausible, so I enrolled in the Tulsa County Vo-Tech Dental Assistant
Certification program my senior year. At Vo-Tech I also became involved in
student government and was chosen the H.O.S.A.[3]
Student of the Year by the faculty when I graduated. I excelled at the program,
only to realize that I did not like bad breath, dirty mouths, tongues, etc...
However, the weekend after I graduated the instructor's husband died and she
could not teach that summer semester. Vo-Tech asked me to teach the summer
session, and it was then that I realized one of my true callings...to teach.
While
working full time, I also enrolled full time at
Tulsa Community College and Northeastern State University and completed
my B.S. in Elementary Education. I then began teaching, while simultaneously
finishing my Master's degree in Administration. I taught fourth grade for
twelve years. I also earned 30+ hours towards a Master’s degree in Counseling.
The events of 9/11[4]
slightly altered my trajectory. Eventually I developed and ran a Gifted and
Talented program and then became part of the Administrative Team of the largest
elementary school in Tulsa Public Schools. I was an excellent educator and
administrator, able to "read" the room, or building. Lopez (2015)[5]
would define me as an emotionally intelligent teacher of knowledge and skill. I
was always able to make sense of the emotional content in the room and make
adjustments in my teaching and leadership approach so that I could effectively
share my knowledge with the group. That is, until Myrtha Mikel[6]
crossed my path in the fall of 2009.
During this entire time, I dated
and then married my high school sweetheart[7].
We have two children: a son who is 30 and a daughter who is 24. Years ago, when
my wife and I had children we were already thinking decades ahead to a time
when we had grandchildren and great grandchildren. We determined what we wanted
to create as our Family Legacy[8].
The number one thing on our list was not money, fame, or things: it was a good reputation. We wanted a good name for our family. It made us think about the things that would
stop us from having a good name. We made a list of things we would not do and a list of things we would do instead.
From that point on, we made decisions based on what we wanted our family legacy
to be. For our family, the most
important legacy we wanted to leave behind is that we were followers of
Christ. Our hope was, and still is, that
our children and grandchildren will remember that we loved the Lord with all
our hearts and did our best to follow Him every day, and to serve others. That is the legacy we fought for every day:
one of honor, righteousness, service, and integrity.
Along with my teaching/administrative
experiences with Tulsa Public Schools I also worked as an adjunct teaching
mentor and supervisor with N.S.U. I was also a nationwide master presenter for
curriculum development with GROUP Publishing in Loveland, Colorado. I also
served on the staff at our church and oversaw the operations of a day care
center and children's ministry. I was also honored to be one of two
administrator representatives to the O.E.A.[9]
prior to my 2010 arrest.
I have enjoyed traveling, valuing
the ability to travel, the cultural experiences, and the knowledge that comes
with it more than "things". I have never owned a game system,
accumulated a CD or DVD collection, or owned other items that a person growing
up and maturing in the 1980's and 90's had, as I was always saving my money for
the next great adventure, whether that was for fun or as part of a ministry experience.
Right
out of high school I ventured to New Zealand where I experienced the tough work
of a sheep rancher as well as life in a Maori Village. I also escorted a
contingency of Boy Scouts to a World Jamboree in Australia. Having a missions
and ministry mindset sent me building adobe brick houses in Piedras Negras,
Mexico, working at YouthWorks® and Habitat for Humanity® in Thunder Bay,
Canada, delivering medical supplies to hard to reach hovels of the former
Sandinista strongholds outside of Jinotega, Nicaragua and the mountain villages
of Honduras. My wife, children and I spent two summers in Guangzhou, China,
teaching English with LST.org[10]
as well as taking multiple trips to
Europe. I spent years crisscrossing the nation with GROUP Publishing's CMMLIVE®.
Local missions work led my family and
me to help rebuild churches in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina, teach
English in China, lead worship at Redskins for Christ, go into the public
elementary schools with Kids for Christ U.S.A.® to conduct Bible studies, as
well as joyfully lend our time and talent to organizing summer camps, VBS,
classroom teaching, Celebrate Recovery®, and behind the scenes support for
many, many other local ministry and missionary efforts. We wanted to leave
behind a lasting legacy of love and service to Christ to our descendants.
Undoubtedly, one of the pastimes
that I miss the most during my incarceration is continuing my genealogical and
ancestral research. In my late teens and early twenties, I enjoyed going to the
Oklahoma Historic Society's Archives in the Capitol and to the L.D.S.[11]
libraries to discover surprises on microfiche and in old books. Later on, I
loved spending my downtime on Ancestry.com scrolling through family trees and
reading old documents. I would get so excited every time a "new leaf
notice" popped up in my email! I am proud to descend from people of
European, native indigenous American (Choctaw and Cherokee), and west African
blood. I am thrilled to be descended from an historic legacy that includes
generations of English monarchs and
courageous naval officers, forefathers who signed the Mayflower compact, brave
grandfathers who signed the Declaration of Independence and defended our
Nation's freedom, the fathers of George Washington as well as Sequoyah, those
ancestors who battled for a united country and the abolishment of slavery, and
the extraordinary men who served in WWI, WWII, and then Korean and
Vietnam conflicts. I even hold dear the stories of those more nefarious
characters who were tyrant kings, bootleggers, and outlaws while reluctantly
embracing those whom, unfortunately, stood on the wrong side of the U.S. civil
war. The Lord has given me the heritage of those who reverenced his name[12].
Beyond my personal affinity for
genealogy, in my preincarceral life I also enjoyed doing anything my children
enjoyed. My daughter and I spent countless hours engaged in Nancy Drew PC
adventures, drawing/coloring/crafting, cooking, and playing Polly Pockets. I
have spent hundreds of hours playing Lego's® and Transformers® with my son. I
was very active with my son's Boy Scout Pack and Troop, camping with them every
month. I supported my wife as a Brownie leader for my daughter's troop. I was active
in P.T.A.[13],
holding several offices, including president for many years. I've coached my
son's soccer teams and daughter's Upward Sports® flag football team. As a
family we hosted a foreign exchange student from Germany for the 2007-2008
school year, later visiting him and his family in Hamburg, in a continued
effort to expose our children to as much of the world and its different
cultures and points of view as possible.
I
also like to play Ultimate Frisbee. I enjoy the challenge of playing golf and
learned to enjoy a daily run to keep myself physically and mentally strong. I
am a trained American Red Cross First Responder. I have donated 15+ gallons of
blood. I am a trained C.A.S.A. volunteer[14].
I spent over 25 years as a Boy Scout assistant scoutmaster and den leader. In
February 2010 I was recognized by the Indian Nation's Council of Oklahoma with
their top honor of Silver Beaver, just weeks prior to the weaponized false
allegations of abuse that led to my arrest.
One of the most enjoyable and
worthwhile ways that I spent my time in the late 2000's and early 2010's was
serving in my church's Celebrate Recovery® ministry. Prior to my unjust
conviction I was working with this ministry to help other men and women find
hope, health, and healing from life's hurts, habits, and hang-ups (to include
chemical dependency, inappropriate internet use, anger management, and more).
As you can read, I have never been one
to set on the sidelines of life. Not only did I advocate for children, families,
and those in needs, I actively engaged in promoting their wellbeing and
bringing them any tangible necessary relief they required: educational,
character development, physical life sustaining needs, mental health care, and
spiritual opportunities. And that did not stop just because I became the victim
of weaponized false allegations of abuse and found myself imprisoned.
The ten years that I have been
incarcerated for Count I (my discharge
date is 11-10-2022) have not always been easy[15].
I have suffered from threats of violence and bullying[16],
depression and ideations of self-harm[17],
and endured the extreme pain of undiagnosed shingles for almost an entire year[18].
During the tenure of my incarceration, I worked full time (M - F 7:30-4:00) for
seven years (2013-2020) in the James Crabtree canteen, several of these years
as the lead orderly. I was responsible for generating purchase orders, creating
receivers from the bill of lading, tracking damages/shortages, conducting
monthly inventory reconciliation, preparing for annual audits and inspections,
and a host of other duties. During those 7 years that facility never
experienced an unexplained shortage, and in fact lead the D.O.C. in having the
lowest percentage of loss, often showing zero monthly losses.
The majority of my incarceration was
spent at the James Crabtree facility. While there I served on the Warden's
Inmate Advisory Council, was President
of our Toastmaster® Red Carpet Gavel ® club and participated in organizing
special sales from outside vendors. During my time at Crabtree, I also sang on
multiple praise teams, served as an usher for worship services, and attended
Kairos functions. The most fulfilling activity I participated in was
facilitating an Addicts at the Cross recovery group for six years under the
supervision of Chaplain Jay Drawbridge. We met every Monday evening for two
hours to work the steps of this sobriety seeking program. I also spent time as
a college student, working towards a Substance Abuse Recovery degree through
Northwestern Oklahoma State University by attending remote learning classes,
similar to what college students are experiencing during their current covid
protocols.
So,
you've asked: What are the plans for my future after my release? My future
plans directly reflect my past accomplishments, dreams, and goals. To allow you
insight into the reality and validity of my future plans upon my release, I
have related to you my preincarceral experiences. I will not cower nor
latibulate under the false label of ex-felon[19].
I will advocate for a Conviction Integrity Unit for Tulsa County. I will advocate for Trained Juror Pools that
will not be susceptible to the well-practiced rhetoric flimflam of overly
rehearsed district attorneys. I will be grateful for the opportunity to express
the true care, compassion, and concern that Jesus Christ has for those who
suffer injustice. I will also be grateful for the opportunity to expose the
truly prejudicial, political, and predetermined injustices sought by the Tulsa
County District Attorney's office, the injustices adjudicated in Tulsa County
courtrooms, and the injustices agreed to by well-meaning but maliciously
maligned, manipulated, and marionetted Tulsa County juries. I will speak up for
those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute,
poor, and mentally compromised.[20] I
will continue to encourage people that faith in Jesus Christ leads to hope,
health, and healing from life's hurts, habits, and hang-ups.
[2] My father, Robert Yerton, Sr.,
was a forensic latent print expert in the C.S.I. laboratory for the Tulsa
Police Department for over forty years after spending years as a patrol
officer. My mother, Patricia Yerton was a long-time employee of the crime lab.
My brother, Christopher Yerton has been a Tulsa County Sheriff Deputy for
almost thirty years. My brother, Jeremy Yerton, is a regional supervisor for
the O.S.B.I. My youngest brother, Patrick Adam Yerton has worked for the Tulsa
Police Department as a patrol officer and detective for almost fifteen years.
[3] Health Occupations Student
Association
[5] Lopez. S., Perdotti, J., and
Snyder, C. (2015) Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations
of human Strengths Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications
[9] Oklahoma Education Association
[10] Let's Start Talking; Let's Start Talking | Creating Life-Changing
Conversations (lst.org)
[11] The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints
[12] Psalms 22:3-4, 61:5, 2 Timothy
1:3-5
[13] Parent Teacher Association
[14] Court
Appointed Special Advocate
[15] I have been able to record my
incarceration experiences at Manasseh-Ephraim:
Jail Day #1 (manassehephraim.blogspot.com)
[16] https://manassehephraim.blogspot.com/2017/11/you-prepare-table-for-me-in-presence-of.html
[17] Manasseh-Ephraim:
The Heart Struggle (manassehephraim.blogspot.com) and Manasseh-Ephraim:
How Long is Forever? Sometimes just one second (manassehephraim.blogspot.com)
[19] 2 Timothy 1:8,15
[20]
Proverbs 31:8-9
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