Jon Hardoon

My 17-year-old son emptied his bank account, packed a black duffel bag, and sneaked out of our house at 3 a.m. What I discovered that night changed the way I saw him forever. My wife shook me awake, tears streaming down her face. "He's leaving! He took everything from his room and just drained his savings!" I jumped out of bed and rushed to the window. There was Logan, backing his car out of our driveway and disappearing into the darkness. I grabbed my keys and woke my wife. I was a police officer, and I'd seen what happened when young people fell into the wrong crowd. We followed him from a distance. He drove straight into the most dangerous part of the city, an area filled with homeless encampments where I'd made dozens of arrests. My wife started crying. "I wanted him to become a police officer like you. Please tell me he isn't involved in something illegal." Then Logan parked, grabbed his enormous black duffel bag, and approached a homeless man sitting beside a cardboard shelter. I watched from the shadows. He reached into the bag and pulled out a thick bundle of cash. Then he handed it to the man. My wife gasped."He's dealing! Arrest him!"She actually pulled the handcuffs from my belt. But something made me stop her. Logan was smiling........