Truth and Consequences

Sometimes in the game of cops and robbers, telling your story is no defense

A A A Comments By George Flynn Thursday, Aug 26 2004

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His fresh start began last January. He'd filled out his application with Brown & Root and got hired on a chemical company project in the Ship Channel area. He was quickly promoted from laborer to insulator because of his work.

Then came the call from supervisors. Brown & Root had known of his situation -- but the chemical company had done the standard background checks. Their officials weren't going to have anybody arrested for armed robbery on their project, regardless of the outcome.

Daniel Kramer

Haye kept trying to explain the mistake -- nobody wanted to listen.

Security camera shots of the robber's Vokal jacket were vital to the case.

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He explained. His bosses explained. It didn't matter. "We told them I wasn't convicted, but if you are just looking at the record, the arrest is still there. It still pops up."

After three months, they released him from work. "That hurt," he says. "You work harder than anybody else; you appreciate what they're doing. But in the end, it didn't seem to matter."

He tried to get work with other employers; the results were much the same. Now Haye is back helping with his brother's landscaping business when there's work to be done.

"You try to save for a rainy day," he says, using that same upbeat outlook that enabled him to survive in jail. "Now the rain is coming."

His wife, Melissa, continues to work for the department store. They still hope to find that first house, to begin to move ahead for themselves and their daughter.

"It has been an experience," Melissa says. "He's out. All of what happened is supposed to be in the past by now. With this hanging over our head, it's hard to start again. It's over -- but it still isn't over. It wasn't supposed to be this way."