December 9, 2025 • 25 mins
George continues his story and shares about his transition from Crack to Meth and tells some crazy stories about how easy it was to commit identity theft crimes...until he got caught.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Phil Shuler (00:00):
HellO, and welcome to Renew, Restore, Rejoice, the
(00:03):
Safe House Ministries podcast,where we share stories of the
power of God to change livesthrough Safe House Ministries.
Safe House Ministries is basedout of Columbus, Georgia, and we
are a ministry that exists tolove and serve people who have
been affected by addiction,homelessness, and incarceration.
I'm your host, Phil Shuler, theDirector of Development for Safe
House Ministries here inColumbus, Georgia.
(00:24):
Safe House serves over 1, 100people each month as they
transition back into ourcommunity.
Safe House provides an abundanceof services including 213 beds
for homeless individuals andfamilies, case management for
obtaining job skills and longterm employment.
Over 300 hot meals every day,free clothing, and so much more.
One of the most incredibleservices that Safe House
(00:45):
provides is our free 9 12 monthintensive outpatient substance
abuse program, which is statelicensed, CARF accredited, and
has no wait list.
Almost 100 percent ofindividuals staying in our
shelters who follow our threephase program become fully
employed within a few months.
And 68 percent of individualswho stay at least one night with
us End up finding work andmoving into their own home.
(01:07):
Thank you for being with ustoday and listening to our
podcast.
We hope you enjoy this week'sepisode.
George (01:12):
When I got paid, I stayed out all night.
Didn't know my mother hadpassed.
Wow.
No, no, no, no.
Didn't know.
I came home to my, I came overthere, back to the house.
My, the only way I know I hadjust came off my house, headed
home, got to the house, anddidn't have the key.
My nephew came down there and hesaid, uncle Boot.
(01:32):
I said, what?
He said, you didn't heard?
Heard what grandma passed?
I said, boy, you tripping.
I said, I just left her.
He said, no, everybody's at thehospital or now they looking for
you.
Oh yes, I was the last one toknow.
Yeah, but did you thought thatstopped my addiction?
No.
No it didn't.
Just right after the funeral.
(01:53):
Same addiction.
But she had always talked to mysister and my baby brother and
my oldest brother.
'cause they had good jobs.
My sister, my oldest sisterworked for the Department of
Defense.
She worked for the Pentagon.
She was in the Air Force for 18years and she told her, make
sure you take care of him.
Phil (02:09):
Yeah.
Wow.
That's who killing.
She was looking out for you evenafter she was gone.
George (02:14):
Oh, after she was gone.
My sister was still there.
That's why I called her.
Was the house paid
Phil (02:18):
off?
Did you, were you able No, thatwas my
George (02:20):
mother house.
Dad been got paid off.
Phil (02:22):
So is that where you stayed then?
Or what hap Where'd you livenow?
George (02:25):
No.
I moved up here with my sister,so we decided to sell part of
the land.
We still had land in seal.
Okay.
We decided to sell the housebecause it was getting run down
because that was too far for meto come back and forth and I
didn't have a car.
Phil (02:39):
Yeah.
George (02:40):
So I moved in Phoenix City with my sister so I can be
closer to work.
So me and the rest of thesibling got together to decided
to stay at the house down thereand seal.
But we still have land.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We sold the house where the landat, but we still have land in
seal sold after we sold that gotmy little lump sum still in my
addiction.
See, my sister wasn't going forthat.
(03:02):
I'm serious.
My sister said, if you come heresmelling like that stuff again,
I'm gonna put you out.
And that's when I met thestreet.
That's when I started gettinghomeless.
Wow.
Wow.
In 2009.
Phil (03:12):
Now it's got real serious.
Yes.
I didn't know what homeless was.
You had a lot of people that Ihad a lot kind carried you
through a long time.
George (03:20):
Yes.
They carried me through a longtime until I went to prison.
Phil (03:24):
Yes.
So you, so you got kicked outtayour sister's house.
Yes.
You living on the streets?
Yes.
What was that time period like?
Wow,
George (03:31):
man.
Phil (03:31):
Scary.
George (03:32):
But I didn't feel, I, I I wasn't too scary.
Phil (03:35):
cause you were high all the time.
George (03:37):
I was high most of the time.
Phil (03:38):
What were some of the scariest things that happened?
George (03:40):
Wow.
I say being over people houseand me not knowing them.
Getting high thinking what mayhappen.
I can remember a couple of timesI was over at people houses
where the narcotic, a guyknocked the door down.
That was scary.
For like the police.
Yes.
Yes.
I can busted in.
Oh yes,
Phil (03:58):
I
George (03:59):
done
Phil (03:59):
been in them raids.
And did you like run away?
Couldn't go.
You got caught up in it.
George (04:03):
Went to jail.
Yep.
For lottery.
Yep.
Never for drugs, but forlottery.
Phil (04:09):
For lottery, yeah.
George (04:10):
Lo loitering lottery, because you can be in the house
and if they bust in there andfind drugs and you are there,
they can get you.
For lottery.
I never got charged with drugs.
Yes.
Wow.
Phil (04:20):
Yes.
So you spent some time in jailthen you Yes.
You get back out and go back tothe streets.
Same thing.
Still working.
Where you, how'd you make moneyduring this time?
Oh,
George (04:29):
when I got out, caraway Steel.
Like I said, I learned how toread them.
Blueprint Caraway, steel, Ithink down to Caraway.
Outta Lewisville.
They was always there too.
Yes.
Phil (04:39):
So
George (04:39):
they, he would hire me right there.
They
Phil (04:40):
would hire.
So multiple times.
Multiple times you would, wow.
George (04:44):
Sometimes he'll come and get me outta jail.
Yes.
Wow.
Phil (04:47):
You must have been a really good worker.
George (04:48):
I was.
I was,
Phil (04:50):
man.
George (04:51):
I did a lot of work.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Phil (04:53):
Wow.
Yeah.
Sounds like a merciful boss too.
Oh man.
He
George (04:57):
was a good boss.
Phil (04:58):
Wow.
George (04:59):
I was very good at what I, Doty Reeb.
Wow.
Wow.
Yes.
Very good.
Phil (05:03):
But then you was living on the streets again or living on
George (05:05):
the street?
Getting kicked out.
My sister house.
Back and forth.
Did you have a
Phil (05:08):
tent or like what?
Did that
George (05:09):
work?
Phil (05:09):
No
George (05:10):
fear that was the bad part.
I was living in houses that ifthat door open, I'm going in it
Phil (05:15):
like a, an abandoned house.
A bando.
You just, yes.
They call'em bandos.
Yes, that's right.
They called.
You find a abandoned empty houseand you just go squat in it.
Go,
George (05:24):
Go in there and think nothing of it.
Yes.
Live there.
Phil (05:27):
Was that, was it scary?
Did you ever worry about peoplecoming and no hurting at night
or on
George (05:32):
drugs?
Because it wasn't No sleeping atnight.
Phil (05:35):
Oh, you was getting high.
George (05:35):
No, I was too busy getting high.
Yeah.
There wasn't no sleeping thatnight.
And then, when my sister gotreally tired of me.
Oh, Phil, I went to Columbus.
I'm serious.
'cause it's.
In Phoenix City.
I didn't know too many abandonedhouses, but over across this
water.
Oh, it was plenty Uptown?
Yes, that was my hangout.
(05:57):
Uptown Columbus.
Phil (05:58):
How often did you go fi look, find an abandoned house
and then try to go in there.
But someone else was already inthere.
George (06:04):
No, feel Uhuh When I found mines, I stayed at that.
Okay.
I would look for one with nosign on it.
Phil (06:10):
Huh?
George (06:11):
Said if it didn't have no trespassing.
Oh, I, I'm going in there.
I'm finna get there.
Phil (06:15):
Did anybody ever come in on you at any time, like try to
start living in your abandonedhouse?
George (06:20):
Well, they can have the back room or the front room.
But that middle one was mines.
Yeah.
That's the way we lived.
Wow.
Never.
So
Phil (06:26):
you'd lived there and Yes.
Go to work?
Yes.
How'd you take showers?
George (06:30):
I would probably go down by the river.
Phil (06:33):
Just
George (06:33):
wash in the river.
Get some water?
No.
Get some water.
Come back.
Yeah.
I had me some jugs.
See when I was living in thecountry we grew up with, with,
yeah.
Know how to go get your waterand come back.
Learn how to wash clothes onyour hand.
Yeah, I learned all that.
Wow.
Yeah.
Yes.
So I knew how to, how to do allthat.
Yeah.
(06:54):
So I go down there, get me somejug, fill it up, had my soap
wash all, put me some clotheson.
Going to work.
Yeah.
Just washing up until I startedgoing back over my sister, how
she started.
She said, boy, you look rough.
Phil (07:07):
Yeah.
Feel like, were you gettingthin?
Ooh, yeah.
George (07:10):
Like, ah, man, let's say I get up to about 186 pounds and
easily drop to 130.
Wow.
Yeah.
But still working.
I feel when I was trying tosteal back and forth outta jail,
still working.
But it got rougher.
Like I said, I went to prison in2017.
Prison.
Phil (07:29):
That's different from jail.
George (07:30):
Yes.
Yes it is.
I went to prison.
So you,
Phil (07:33):
how long was that period of homelessness?
That stretch?
George (07:36):
Oh, I say from wow.
Feel, let's go back from 2012until recently.
Wow.
Until Pastor Eric gave me a job.
Phil (07:46):
Wow.
Yeah.
That's a long time.
George (07:49):
I know.
Phil (07:50):
That's more than 10 years.
So 12 years or 13 years almost.
I've been
George (07:54):
doing drugs over 30 something years, Phil.
Phil (07:56):
Wow.
So at what point did you go toprison and why did you go to
prison?
George (07:59):
Okay.
I left Columbus in what it was2010 and went to Atlanta.
Oh yeah.
I went to Atlanta.
Okay.
Between, between the year 2010and 2012 and started living up
there.
Well, it wasn't no different.
I was still in Bandos.
Phil (08:16):
Was it for a job you went up there or just No.
George (08:18):
Just left.
Phil (08:19):
You just like, I'm tired of this place.
I'm going to Atlanta.
George (08:21):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And wow.
Did I, my habit growed up there?
Yes.
Fast life.
Yes.
Got,
Phil (08:28):
Did you ever sell drugs?
No.
No.
Just consuming them and
George (08:32):
always I put it like this.
I always met someone that knowwho was dealing big.
I moved that Miller man, I makesure me and him can talk.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I always got to the big mandrugs for a little bit less.
Yes.
Always here.
No.
Some see old favors, yeah.
That I don't call no names,round and about.
(08:54):
Got to meet some people upthere.
Phil (08:56):
Yes.
Bad people.
George (08:58):
Uh, you can say that.
Phil (09:00):
Doing bad things.
Yes.
George (09:01):
Met some guys out of Decatur, which I won't say no
names.
Phil (09:05):
You're homeless up in Atlanta still?
George (09:07):
Yes, but I'm doing good.
Phil (09:08):
Living on the street, living in Bandos up there, peach
Creek and Pine and where's that?
You ever heard
George (09:13):
of that?
Peach Creek and Pine?
It was a homeless
Phil (09:15):
shelter.
Okay.
That's,
George (09:16):
yeah.
Right.
Did they
Phil (09:17):
let you stay in that shelter even though you were
addicted to drugs and doing,still doing drugs?
Everybody
George (09:22):
was sitting there doing drugs.
Peach, Cree, and Pine.
Wow.
Yeah.
You can, you know, pine Peach,pine go down the hill, peach,
Cree like that.
Here's the homeless shelterright across the street.
South Story Hotel, right down atthe bottom.
They doing drugs.
Wow.
Yeah.
Yep.
So I stayed over there about twoyears.
Wow.
Met some peoples, so like Isaid, I met these guys outta
(09:44):
Decatur and we was doing stufflike forgery and stuff like
that.
Phil (09:49):
Yeah.
Like stealing checks outtapeople's mailbox or no, wet,
didn't have.
What, what did that look like?
George (09:54):
No, we didn't steal checks.
What I was doing, we had somepeoples, like I said, I don't
wanna talk too much about it,but the case is over.
We was going around doing BB ts.
Phil (10:04):
BB ts?
What is that?
You ever
George (10:06):
heard of bb t?
Those are banks.
They was just starting up.
Oh, that's
Phil (10:10):
the name of the bank?
Yeah, bb t.
Okay.
They was just starting up.
George (10:12):
And what long story short I was the one who got
caught.
Phil (10:17):
Yeah.
So you were, you were creatingfake checks or creating No,
there wasn't no fake checks.
Like just how did you get moneyfrom them?
You wanted to
George (10:22):
know.
Okay.
I just tell you so much.
We know some people that knowsome people that I can get your
account.
If you was about the same age asI was, I can go to CVS when this
is George.
I can go to CVS and get abackground or that.
Make a license.
Make your social security card,make your bank card.
Go in that bank, pull money outyour account
Phil (10:41):
identity, you identity theft.
Yes.
For the that person.
And then you would just go takemoney out their account.
Yes.
It was easy.
Easy.
George (10:48):
Yeah.
It
Phil (10:48):
was
George (10:48):
easy.
Phil (10:49):
That's kind of scary.
George (10:49):
No, it wasn't because I had a man.
No, it's
Phil (10:51):
scary for me to think.
It's so easy that people can dothat.
I know what I thought.
I know.
It was like, man, it was,
George (10:56):
we couldn't do, we couldn't do for F Fargo'cause
they was well up to par, but bband t was just starting up.
It was easier.
Phil (11:02):
So other banks maybe would've had more stringent.
I went to jail protections and,and guard things that could help
keep from that happening.
Yes.
But this,'cause this was a newstartup bank.
Yes.
Yes.
They were kind of slack withtheir, there we go.
Yes.
Oh
George (11:14):
man.
Yes.
I did that for a while and whenI went up to I think my last run
was when I went to, um,McDonald's.
Yeah.
Henry County.
I was up there and we had made,they had made me the id,
everybody was doing everything.
I had a man that could make yoursignature look just like he can
(11:34):
sign it.
Just like you
Phil (11:36):
see.
George (11:36):
I, I, I wasn't doing the signature.
We'll go to the bank, pull up,get a withdraw slip, pull off.
He's doing his job.
We had a job that day to go upand I'll never forget Phil, to
get$3,200 out this man account.
Yes.
And the only thing that messedup when they made me a two year
license instead of a four, Iwould, yeah.
Oh.
They made me
Phil (11:56):
a two year license and someone caught it.
That it was
George (11:58):
the guy, the guy at the bank Yeah.
Got caught right there.
Phil (12:01):
And then he, he called the police right there on the spot.
George (12:04):
I didn't run, I didn't run the arrogancy in me for
doing that.
You know how you get that rush?
Phil (12:09):
Yeah.
George (12:09):
From doing it.
I didn't
Phil (12:11):
even know.
So you just kind of sat in thelobby and waited for the police
to come?
No, I snapped right there.
You sat at the counter?
George (12:16):
I snapped right at the counter
Phil (12:17):
and he said, I'm calling the police.
George (12:18):
No, he didn't call.
He said, stay right there.
I'll be right back.
I got 3000 right here.
He said, I gotta get rest in theback.
Ah.
Before I know the police wasthere.
I didn't run.
Phil (12:27):
No.
And he came back and he got thepolice and brought'em back.
George (12:29):
Yeah.
So when the police came in, hesaid, what's the problem?
He said, look at that.
Look at that license.
That police just glanced at it.
He said, what's wrong with it?
He said, whenever Georgia made atwo year license, you know what
I said?
I said, Phil, I said, come on,let's go.
That ain't even get handcuffedin the prison, in the jail.
In the, you knew it.
Yeah, I knew it.
So when he went out there, hesaid, not going tell me your
name.
I told him, and you know, that'swhat I went to prison for.
(12:51):
They was gonna gimme, I got wentfor financial fraud, identity
theft, and false information.
Each one of those carried 10years.
Phil (12:57):
Wow.
So you got a 30 year sentence.
Yes.
But
George (13:00):
by the grace of God first offender act, they gave me
five years Prob.
So
Phil (13:03):
you
George (13:04):
didn't,
Phil (13:04):
you didn't, did you go to prison for five years?
No, no.
They gave
George (13:07):
me five years probation.
So you didn't even go to prison?
No.
What I was going to do, I wasgonna do two two, two I had to,
I had to how do you do that?
Three non-report and two report,yeah.
Two years report and three yearsnon report.
That's what I had on the firstoffender act.
Wow.
Wow.
But yeah, they transport it backdown to fourth.
That
Phil (13:26):
it feels like, it seems like you got off really easy.
I know, I did.
God was just,
George (13:30):
it was there.
That
Phil (13:31):
was Mercy.
George (13:32):
Didn't know.
Wow.
But, um, so
Phil (13:36):
five years probation?
Yeah.
So, okay.
And
George (13:39):
then they transferred it back down to Fulton County and
when I got back down there, Ileft and came back to Russell
County.
Yeah.
Just left it.
Phil (13:47):
So you skipped out.
Skipped out on them.
No, they didn't allow you to dothat.
You just skipped out.
No,
George (13:52):
I just skipped out.
I said I'm going back home.
Oh.
But look, 2017, it came back.
Yeah, I was in Lee County.
Oh my god.
Phil (14:01):
Still back to the drugs.
No, my DOC
George (14:03):
gonna change now.
From crack to ice.
Phil (14:06):
Yeah.
What is it?
What is ice?
George (14:07):
Ice?
Phil (14:08):
Uh, methamphetamine.
George (14:09):
You never heard of it?
Phil (14:10):
Uh, yeah.
I just didn't know what ICE was.
Yes.
So, so after you skipped out onprobation Yeah.
Then you started doing meth.
Yes.
Is it different?
They like, I don't know thedifference.
Like are, did they do somethingdifferent in the way they make
you feel?
George (14:24):
Whoa.
Yes.
It's totally different.
Methamphetamine is a speed.
Crack cocaine is a high, thespeed where I override the high
anytime, and it, and by mypartner, uh, had me doing it.
It got me off crack cocaine.
Phil (14:39):
So yes, the meth got you hooked on meth and you didn't
even care about the crackanymore.
George (14:44):
No, no.
The taste you want, you not,that taste is nasty.
Yeah.
So I got hooked.
I got round, started doing iceand then I, I figured out I
found the big man doing that.
So my prices was much cheaper.
Mm.
So when I go and get it, I makesure I was getting quality, but
no.
So I'm up in Lee County, I neverforget it.
(15:05):
In 2017, I was up in Lee Countyin a hotel in them little rank
or bank hotels.
And a friend of mine came by andI was getting ready to leave out
of town the next day.
Long as I was in Russell Countyand Barbara County Henry County
didn't want it, man.
I didn't know nothing about LeeCounty.
I didn't know you had to be acertain range that can come and
get you.
I'm thinking I'm safe.
(15:26):
So I was up in there, man, Inever forget that day.
I had a saucer full.
Ice just laying there.
Yeah.
The friend came over.
Who we kicking it, huh?
Because I'm getting ready to goout of town.
I'm trying to get rid of it.
'cause when I buy it, I buyquality.
Phil (15:40):
Yeah.
George (15:41):
So I'm sitting there, man, and everybody just in there
just having a good time and allof a sudden these two guys want
to get into it.
Huh?
So I told him, go out the door.
Phil (15:50):
This was you, like a your hotel room?
Hotel?
Yeah.
Okay.
I told him,
George (15:54):
go outside'cause we ain't gonna have that here.
You know, they got out, went outthere and got the Tesla.
One guy didn't like it, so theother guy came back in.
I said, what other guy?
He left, man.
Come to find out he called thepolice.
Yeah.
So they came right to the room.
But they didn't see that.
'cause when they came, I stoppedright there in front of the
door.
I said, can I help you?
He said there was a fight here.
(16:15):
Now remind you I got a warrant.
Yeah.
From way left county in HenryCounty.
I said, uh, here he is.
He said, can you come to thedoor?
I said, yeah.
Hey, come to the door.
I moved to the side'cause I'mkind of sure this, he walked
out, closed the door, hide it.
Police came back.
He said, I need everybody.
Id Guess what?
I'm the only one there withoutid.
Oh my God.
(16:35):
Now they gonna run me.
That's suspicious.
Yeah.
When they ran me, they said, yougot a warrant?
I said, from where?
He said, Henry County, do youknow anything about it?
I said, yeah, they ain't going.
They don't want me.
They don't want me.
I said, they didn't want me inbarber.
They didn't want me in Russell.
I know they ain't gonna want mehere man.
Look at here.
Did you know you can be acertain distance out and they
would not come and get youbecause it's too far out of
their jurisdiction really.
(16:56):
But yes.
But in Lee County, I was rightthere.
Lee County put them cuffs on me.
Took me to jail.
I went and signed them.
Expedition paper.
I went to jail that that Sunday,that Monday night, Henry County
came and got me.
I'll never forget my judge upthere, judge Maria Marias.
That was him.
I went back in front of the sameman,
Phil (17:14):
the same judge.
The same judge.
So did he remember you?
George (17:17):
Oh no.
'cause he told me if I came backhe was gonna gimme them 10
years.
But that DA up there.
Oh my, I was up in Henry Countyfor about four months and they
took me to court.
So I'm telling my, I'm tellingmy my public defender, you know,
listen to the guys and them,which is true.
I said, Hey man.
I said, what's she talkingabout?
He said, well, Mr.
(17:38):
Jackson, she's talking about twoyears.
You know those two years thatyou supposed been reported?
I said, yeah.
He said, she thinking aboutgetting you them two years.
She said, talking about gettingthem two years.
I said, look, do me a favor.
He say what?
I said, go over there and askher can she give 24 months?
See, it's a different cause seeif you get 24 months, you can do
'em in jail.
But if you get two years, yougotta go to prison.
Phil (17:57):
Yeah.
Why?
Even though it's the sametimeframe.
George (18:00):
Yeah, you can do 24 months.
See, that's not prison time.
No.
If you get it 24 months, I couldhave did it right there in Henry
County.
And Henry County was gettingfour for one.
'cause I was on trustee.
I could have did six months andcame out.
That's
Phil (18:12):
so that was
George (18:13):
a little loophole.
Yeah.
Just loophole.
A technical
Phil (18:15):
way that they worded it.
George (18:16):
Yes.
But she said no.
Tell him I'm again, two yearsshe going to prison.
Phil (18:20):
Yep.
George (18:20):
I said, okay.
Suck it up.
Oh man.
For real prison, two years inprison, clean time, everything.
Phil (18:27):
So when you was in prison, you didn't do drugs?
No.
Were they, could
George (18:31):
you
Phil (18:31):
have
George (18:31):
Yes.
Seen plenty.
Phil (18:32):
So you made a decision to say that I'm, I don't wanna do
this anymore.
George (18:36):
It was all around me in prison.
You see all that,
Phil (18:39):
so what made you want to stop doing drugs then in pri
during that time?
Because
George (18:43):
I didn't want it, none.
Phil (18:44):
I
George (18:44):
wanted to stay, cry, to stay clean.
Phil (18:46):
You realized it was messing up your life?
George (18:47):
Yeah, man, it had to mess my life up.
For real.
Phil (18:51):
Wow,
George (18:51):
for real.
So
Phil (18:52):
what was, what was that time in prison like then?
Well, was it super hard to likethe withdrawal to get off the
drugs?
George (18:59):
No.
'cause every time I went to jailnor prison, I would sleep for
about two days.
Oh.
And then after that I'm finnawork out and start back to my
Bible.
It looked like every time he satme down, tried to make me say,
Hey, this is the way.
Phil (19:12):
Wow.
George (19:13):
Yeah.
Came outta prison two years.
Phil (19:15):
So did you stay away from the wrong crowd in prison then?
You, you tried to kind of keepto yourself or?
George (19:20):
Mm-hmm.
Phil (19:20):
It was all around.
You can see him selling it.
I
George (19:23):
just didn't want it.
You know what I'm saying?
Phil (19:24):
Yeah.
You just kept your head down anddidn't worry, bother with
anybody.
I didn't.
Did anybody bother with you?
George (19:29):
No.
Yeah.
No.
I got into it,
Phil (19:30):
oh yeah.
It happened.
George (19:31):
You know what I'm saying?
Yeah.
You will be tried up in prison.
Trust me.
Phil (19:35):
Was it, were there some pretty scary scenarios?
George (19:38):
No, I wasn't scared at all.
Oh man, I was way bigger thanthis one.
I was in prison.
Phil (19:42):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that, those people didn'twanna mess with you?
George (19:45):
No, because I know some peoples, I got hooked up with
the right peoples, you know whatI'm saying?
So I went too much.
I went too much concern.
Then they sent me outta Jacksonto up there to where you call
Alberta's, you know Alberta's,that's the police academy.
Phil (20:00):
Okay.
George (20:00):
Yeah.
I was wake up at the print shop.
Thank you Mr.
Glen.
He was at the print shop, so Iwas like, minimum security.
Yeah.
And it was real nice.
So I didn't, you know, when Iwent to my job, I didn't have a
guard with me'cause I wasminimum security trust, like
they trust me.
So I walked around the policeacademy delivering all the books
that we print for.
(20:21):
Really?
Yeah.
Police academy sheriffdepartment, GBI, fire
department, uh, gma, fema.
We, I printed all those books.
Wow.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Learned a lot in prison.
Got outta there two years, wentstraight back to the same thing,
Phil (20:38):
To back to the drugs again.
Yes.
Yes.
So you, you wanted to be cleanin prison.
Yes.
But then you're, you just didn'tcare anymore when you got out,
George (20:46):
man.
No.
Went back to the same people.
Phil (20:49):
The, the draw was too strong.
George (20:50):
Didn't renew the mine.
Phil (20:52):
Oh, see.
George (20:53):
Never would've renewed the mine.
No.
Just went straight back.
Oh man.
Hey, what's up?
How you doing?
Come on in.
There it is.
Rock on at.
That was 2019 when I got out.
Now.
Now.
Wow.
God introduced me to the SafeHouse.
I never forget it.
I was on the street.
When was this?
Oh man, it was 2019.
Phil (21:12):
So 2019 was your first introduction to the Safe House
Ministries.
That's
George (21:15):
when I got introduced to the Safe.
I didn't know Pastor Eric,pastor Paul, Chad, none of them.
I was coming there just to eat.
Okay.
Yeah, just to eat.
This guy said, Hey man, where wecan go around here to eat?
He said, man, you can go thereto the say house.
He said, well, you know, Ialready got a safe id.
I'm gonna take you up there.
You gonna have to get, say Idsafe house ID to get in.
I said, what a safe house ID toget something to eat.
(21:37):
He said, yeah.
And I was sneaking down on theconcrete.
Damn.
Phil (21:41):
So you were literally on the literally like, no bando
this time, no bando
George (21:44):
out, down that concrete.
He took me up there.
I got the idea.
I went in there, ate, I said,this is all right.
So then what I started doing, Isaid, when can I go back?
He said, you can go back 5, 5, 7days a week.
I said, what?
He said, yeah.
So I started going there,started going there and then I
got me a little job with thisguy named Reggie.
Come through morning, I mow thegrass and I was working with
(22:07):
him.
I was doing pretty good, but Iwas still in
Phil (22:10):
the streets, still on the concrete.
Now
George (22:11):
here where it's Finn to get rough, I had moved over
Panama.
This guy had met, so he said, Ican move anyhow, so I'm going
back and forth to the safe housee then it rock on.
I'm doing all right, yeah.
I haven't met Pastor Eric yet.
Yeah.
So look, met around 2020.
2020.
That's the year.
Yeah, man.
(22:32):
2020 came through.
I'm still working.
I'll never forget the day I gotshot.
Yeah, I got shot twice.
Yeah.
It was 20, 20.
October the 26th.
2020 at 9 45 it was a Mondaynight.
I got off from work.
Okay.
Yes, I got off.
I got off by eight 15, got inthe store, got me some dope,
went in, but prior back me andthis guy had got into it and um,
Phil (22:57):
this is the guy you're living with?
George (22:58):
No, no.
There was a young man, the onewho shot me in the leg.
Phil (23:02):
Just somebody on the street?
George (23:03):
No.
I had met him.
You know, we had been talking,you know, he's from East Side.
I'm uptown, I'm Phoenix city.
See we call it different.
He east side.
That's uptown.
I'm pc.
I'm across that muddy water.
So, um, what happened?
He got to talking.
We got to talking, he said, andhe asked me, he said, where you
from?
I said, across that water.
He said, well, what you doinguptown?
(23:24):
I said, I've been uptown beforeyou were born just like that.
He said, really?
I said, yeah.
I said, but what?
I can't understand you eastside.
What you doing up here?
Just like that.
I said, you running just likethat.
So we had to squabble aboutthat.
And uh, the next day when I gotin, I don't know, was he, how
what?
But I was scrap and man, hestarted running off at the mouth
(23:45):
and we got into it, you know,whoop, whoop, whoop.
He started running in mouth.
He walked outside and I walkedbehind.
He spit in my face.
I went and grabbed the knifemouth and killed me.
If it had to been for cab, ohyeah, he'd be mines.
But Cabby told me, you gottathink about your kid.
You, you stab him.
Who now who told you that?
My friend of mine, Kevin.
He tried, when he grabbed me, hetold me, think about your kids.
Yeah.
Okay.
(24:05):
You been, you've beensocializing with'em.
If you stab him, you gone.
Wow.
I told him, Hey, thank Godthat's a God.
So he came back, man, I walkedback over there.
The next day he came back.
He said, you know, I'm sorry.
Wow.
When he came back andapologized, he said, I was
hijacked.
I said, okay man, I accept yourapology, but I have, you have to
understand, did he go to Godfirst or did he come to me?
He came to me.
(24:25):
He didn't go to God, so Iaccepted his apology.
So I said, okay.
I'm thinking it's cool.
And that is the end of part twoof George's story.
Next week we'll be back and findout that things were not cool
between him and that otherfella.
In fact, that other fella comesback and finds George in his
house and essentially busts intothe bathroom and shoots him.
(24:49):
He will tell you that story nextweek, and he'll also tell you
how God finally.
It gets him to the place wherehe wants to get rid of the drugs
and get clean forever.
Come back next week.
We look forward to being backwith you, and thanks for being
with us again today.
06-21-23 SAFEHOUSE-CH2 (25:06):
We look forward to being with you again
next week as we share anothertestimony about the power and
the goodness of God to changelives through Safe House
Ministries.
if you are someone listening tothis podcast that loves to hear
these stories of the greatthings that God is doing in
changing people's lives for thebetter, and if you would like to
be a part of that work, pleasereach out to us You can reach us
(25:29):
at 2101 Hamilton Road, Columbus,Georgia, 31,904.
You can call us at seven oh sixthree two two.
3 7, 7 3, or you can email us atinfo@safehouse-ministries.com.
Microphone (Samson Q2U Mi (25:43):
Thank you so much for being with us
this week for the renew restoreand rejoice podcast of safe
house ministries, we pray thatGod will bless you this week.
And we look forward to havingyou back with us again next week
for a new episode.
HellO, and welcome to Renew, Restore, Rejoice, the
(00:03):
Safe House Ministries podcast,where we share stories of the
power of God to change livesthrough Safe House Ministries.
Safe House Ministries is basedout of Columbus, Georgia, and we
are a ministry that exists tolove and serve people who have
been affected by addiction,homelessness, and incarceration.
I'm your host, Phil Shuler, theDirector of Development for Safe
House Ministries here inColumbus, Georgia.
(00:24):
Safe House serves over 1, 100people each month as they
transition back into ourcommunity.
Safe House provides an abundanceof services including 213 beds
for homeless individuals andfamilies, case management for
obtaining job skills and longterm employment.
Over 300 hot meals every day,free clothing, and so much more.
One of the most incredibleservices that Safe House
(00:45):
provides is our free 9 12 monthintensive outpatient substance
abuse program, which is statelicensed, CARF accredited, and
has no wait list.
Almost 100 percent ofindividuals staying in our
shelters who follow our threephase program become fully
employed within a few months.
And 68 percent of individualswho stay at least one night with
us End up finding work andmoving into their own home.
(01:07):
Thank you for being with ustoday and listening to our
podcast.
We hope you enjoy this week'sepisode.
George (01:12):
When I got paid, I stayed out all night.
Didn't know my mother hadpassed.
Wow.
No, no, no, no.
Didn't know.
I came home to my, I came overthere, back to the house.
My, the only way I know I hadjust came off my house, headed
home, got to the house, anddidn't have the key.
My nephew came down there and hesaid, uncle Boot.
(01:32):
I said, what?
He said, you didn't heard?
Heard what grandma passed?
I said, boy, you tripping.
I said, I just left her.
He said, no, everybody's at thehospital or now they looking for
you.
Oh yes, I was the last one toknow.
Yeah, but did you thought thatstopped my addiction?
No.
No it didn't.
Just right after the funeral.
(01:53):
Same addiction.
But she had always talked to mysister and my baby brother and
my oldest brother.
'cause they had good jobs.
My sister, my oldest sisterworked for the Department of
Defense.
She worked for the Pentagon.
She was in the Air Force for 18years and she told her, make
sure you take care of him.
Phil (02:09):
Yeah.
Wow.
That's who killing.
She was looking out for you evenafter she was gone.
George (02:14):
Oh, after she was gone.
My sister was still there.
That's why I called her.
Was the house paid
Phil (02:18):
off?
Did you, were you able No, thatwas my
George (02:20):
mother house.
Dad been got paid off.
Phil (02:22):
So is that where you stayed then?
Or what hap Where'd you livenow?
George (02:25):
No.
I moved up here with my sister,so we decided to sell part of
the land.
We still had land in seal.
Okay.
We decided to sell the housebecause it was getting run down
because that was too far for meto come back and forth and I
didn't have a car.
Phil (02:39):
Yeah.
George (02:40):
So I moved in Phoenix City with my sister so I can be
closer to work.
So me and the rest of thesibling got together to decided
to stay at the house down thereand seal.
But we still have land.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We sold the house where the landat, but we still have land in
seal sold after we sold that gotmy little lump sum still in my
addiction.
See, my sister wasn't going forthat.
(03:02):
I'm serious.
My sister said, if you come heresmelling like that stuff again,
I'm gonna put you out.
And that's when I met thestreet.
That's when I started gettinghomeless.
Wow.
Wow.
In 2009.
Phil (03:12):
Now it's got real serious.
Yes.
I didn't know what homeless was.
You had a lot of people that Ihad a lot kind carried you
through a long time.
George (03:20):
Yes.
They carried me through a longtime until I went to prison.
Phil (03:24):
Yes.
So you, so you got kicked outtayour sister's house.
Yes.
You living on the streets?
Yes.
What was that time period like?
Wow,
George (03:31):
man.
Phil (03:31):
Scary.
George (03:32):
But I didn't feel, I, I I wasn't too scary.
Phil (03:35):
cause you were high all the time.
George (03:37):
I was high most of the time.
Phil (03:38):
What were some of the scariest things that happened?
George (03:40):
Wow.
I say being over people houseand me not knowing them.
Getting high thinking what mayhappen.
I can remember a couple of timesI was over at people houses
where the narcotic, a guyknocked the door down.
That was scary.
For like the police.
Yes.
Yes.
I can busted in.
Oh yes,
Phil (03:58):
I
George (03:59):
done
Phil (03:59):
been in them raids.
And did you like run away?
Couldn't go.
You got caught up in it.
George (04:03):
Went to jail.
Yep.
For lottery.
Yep.
Never for drugs, but forlottery.
Phil (04:09):
For lottery, yeah.
George (04:10):
Lo loitering lottery, because you can be in the house
and if they bust in there andfind drugs and you are there,
they can get you.
For lottery.
I never got charged with drugs.
Yes.
Wow.
Phil (04:20):
Yes.
So you spent some time in jailthen you Yes.
You get back out and go back tothe streets.
Same thing.
Still working.
Where you, how'd you make moneyduring this time?
Oh,
George (04:29):
when I got out, caraway Steel.
Like I said, I learned how toread them.
Blueprint Caraway, steel, Ithink down to Caraway.
Outta Lewisville.
They was always there too.
Yes.
Phil (04:39):
So
George (04:39):
they, he would hire me right there.
They
Phil (04:40):
would hire.
So multiple times.
Multiple times you would, wow.
George (04:44):
Sometimes he'll come and get me outta jail.
Yes.
Wow.
Phil (04:47):
You must have been a really good worker.
George (04:48):
I was.
I was,
Phil (04:50):
man.
George (04:51):
I did a lot of work.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Phil (04:53):
Wow.
Yeah.
Sounds like a merciful boss too.
Oh man.
He
George (04:57):
was a good boss.
Phil (04:58):
Wow.
George (04:59):
I was very good at what I, Doty Reeb.
Wow.
Wow.
Yes.
Very good.
Phil (05:03):
But then you was living on the streets again or living on
George (05:05):
the street?
Getting kicked out.
My sister house.
Back and forth.
Did you have a
Phil (05:08):
tent or like what?
Did that
George (05:09):
work?
Phil (05:09):
No
George (05:10):
fear that was the bad part.
I was living in houses that ifthat door open, I'm going in it
Phil (05:15):
like a, an abandoned house.
A bando.
You just, yes.
They call'em bandos.
Yes, that's right.
They called.
You find a abandoned empty houseand you just go squat in it.
Go,
George (05:24):
Go in there and think nothing of it.
Yes.
Live there.
Phil (05:27):
Was that, was it scary?
Did you ever worry about peoplecoming and no hurting at night
or on
George (05:32):
drugs?
Because it wasn't No sleeping atnight.
Phil (05:35):
Oh, you was getting high.
George (05:35):
No, I was too busy getting high.
Yeah.
There wasn't no sleeping thatnight.
And then, when my sister gotreally tired of me.
Oh, Phil, I went to Columbus.
I'm serious.
'cause it's.
In Phoenix City.
I didn't know too many abandonedhouses, but over across this
water.
Oh, it was plenty Uptown?
Yes, that was my hangout.
(05:57):
Uptown Columbus.
Phil (05:58):
How often did you go fi look, find an abandoned house
and then try to go in there.
But someone else was already inthere.
George (06:04):
No, feel Uhuh When I found mines, I stayed at that.
Okay.
I would look for one with nosign on it.
Phil (06:10):
Huh?
George (06:11):
Said if it didn't have no trespassing.
Oh, I, I'm going in there.
I'm finna get there.
Phil (06:15):
Did anybody ever come in on you at any time, like try to
start living in your abandonedhouse?
George (06:20):
Well, they can have the back room or the front room.
But that middle one was mines.
Yeah.
That's the way we lived.
Wow.
Never.
So
Phil (06:26):
you'd lived there and Yes.
Go to work?
Yes.
How'd you take showers?
George (06:30):
I would probably go down by the river.
Phil (06:33):
Just
George (06:33):
wash in the river.
Get some water?
No.
Get some water.
Come back.
Yeah.
I had me some jugs.
See when I was living in thecountry we grew up with, with,
yeah.
Know how to go get your waterand come back.
Learn how to wash clothes onyour hand.
Yeah, I learned all that.
Wow.
Yeah.
Yes.
So I knew how to, how to do allthat.
Yeah.
(06:54):
So I go down there, get me somejug, fill it up, had my soap
wash all, put me some clotheson.
Going to work.
Yeah.
Just washing up until I startedgoing back over my sister, how
she started.
She said, boy, you look rough.
Phil (07:07):
Yeah.
Feel like, were you gettingthin?
Ooh, yeah.
George (07:10):
Like, ah, man, let's say I get up to about 186 pounds and
easily drop to 130.
Wow.
Yeah.
But still working.
I feel when I was trying tosteal back and forth outta jail,
still working.
But it got rougher.
Like I said, I went to prison in2017.
Prison.
Phil (07:29):
That's different from jail.
George (07:30):
Yes.
Yes it is.
I went to prison.
So you,
Phil (07:33):
how long was that period of homelessness?
That stretch?
George (07:36):
Oh, I say from wow.
Feel, let's go back from 2012until recently.
Wow.
Until Pastor Eric gave me a job.
Phil (07:46):
Wow.
Yeah.
That's a long time.
George (07:49):
I know.
Phil (07:50):
That's more than 10 years.
So 12 years or 13 years almost.
I've been
George (07:54):
doing drugs over 30 something years, Phil.
Phil (07:56):
Wow.
So at what point did you go toprison and why did you go to
prison?
George (07:59):
Okay.
I left Columbus in what it was2010 and went to Atlanta.
Oh yeah.
I went to Atlanta.
Okay.
Between, between the year 2010and 2012 and started living up
there.
Well, it wasn't no different.
I was still in Bandos.
Phil (08:16):
Was it for a job you went up there or just No.
George (08:18):
Just left.
Phil (08:19):
You just like, I'm tired of this place.
I'm going to Atlanta.
George (08:21):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And wow.
Did I, my habit growed up there?
Yes.
Fast life.
Yes.
Got,
Phil (08:28):
Did you ever sell drugs?
No.
No.
Just consuming them and
George (08:32):
always I put it like this.
I always met someone that knowwho was dealing big.
I moved that Miller man, I makesure me and him can talk.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I always got to the big mandrugs for a little bit less.
Yes.
Always here.
No.
Some see old favors, yeah.
That I don't call no names,round and about.
(08:54):
Got to meet some people upthere.
Phil (08:56):
Yes.
Bad people.
George (08:58):
Uh, you can say that.
Phil (09:00):
Doing bad things.
Yes.
George (09:01):
Met some guys out of Decatur, which I won't say no
names.
Phil (09:05):
You're homeless up in Atlanta still?
George (09:07):
Yes, but I'm doing good.
Phil (09:08):
Living on the street, living in Bandos up there, peach
Creek and Pine and where's that?
You ever heard
George (09:13):
of that?
Peach Creek and Pine?
It was a homeless
Phil (09:15):
shelter.
Okay.
That's,
George (09:16):
yeah.
Right.
Did they
Phil (09:17):
let you stay in that shelter even though you were
addicted to drugs and doing,still doing drugs?
Everybody
George (09:22):
was sitting there doing drugs.
Peach, Cree, and Pine.
Wow.
Yeah.
You can, you know, pine Peach,pine go down the hill, peach,
Cree like that.
Here's the homeless shelterright across the street.
South Story Hotel, right down atthe bottom.
They doing drugs.
Wow.
Yeah.
Yep.
So I stayed over there about twoyears.
Wow.
Met some peoples, so like Isaid, I met these guys outta
(09:44):
Decatur and we was doing stufflike forgery and stuff like
that.
Phil (09:49):
Yeah.
Like stealing checks outtapeople's mailbox or no, wet,
didn't have.
What, what did that look like?
George (09:54):
No, we didn't steal checks.
What I was doing, we had somepeoples, like I said, I don't
wanna talk too much about it,but the case is over.
We was going around doing BB ts.
Phil (10:04):
BB ts?
What is that?
You ever
George (10:06):
heard of bb t?
Those are banks.
They was just starting up.
Oh, that's
Phil (10:10):
the name of the bank?
Yeah, bb t.
Okay.
They was just starting up.
George (10:12):
And what long story short I was the one who got
caught.
Phil (10:17):
Yeah.
So you were, you were creatingfake checks or creating No,
there wasn't no fake checks.
Like just how did you get moneyfrom them?
You wanted to
George (10:22):
know.
Okay.
I just tell you so much.
We know some people that knowsome people that I can get your
account.
If you was about the same age asI was, I can go to CVS when this
is George.
I can go to CVS and get abackground or that.
Make a license.
Make your social security card,make your bank card.
Go in that bank, pull money outyour account
Phil (10:41):
identity, you identity theft.
Yes.
For the that person.
And then you would just go takemoney out their account.
Yes.
It was easy.
Easy.
George (10:48):
Yeah.
It
Phil (10:48):
was
George (10:48):
easy.
Phil (10:49):
That's kind of scary.
George (10:49):
No, it wasn't because I had a man.
No, it's
Phil (10:51):
scary for me to think.
It's so easy that people can dothat.
I know what I thought.
I know.
It was like, man, it was,
George (10:56):
we couldn't do, we couldn't do for F Fargo'cause
they was well up to par, but bband t was just starting up.
It was easier.
Phil (11:02):
So other banks maybe would've had more stringent.
I went to jail protections and,and guard things that could help
keep from that happening.
Yes.
But this,'cause this was a newstartup bank.
Yes.
Yes.
They were kind of slack withtheir, there we go.
Yes.
Oh
George (11:14):
man.
Yes.
I did that for a while and whenI went up to I think my last run
was when I went to, um,McDonald's.
Yeah.
Henry County.
I was up there and we had made,they had made me the id,
everybody was doing everything.
I had a man that could make yoursignature look just like he can
(11:34):
sign it.
Just like you
Phil (11:36):
see.
George (11:36):
I, I, I wasn't doing the signature.
We'll go to the bank, pull up,get a withdraw slip, pull off.
He's doing his job.
We had a job that day to go upand I'll never forget Phil, to
get$3,200 out this man account.
Yes.
And the only thing that messedup when they made me a two year
license instead of a four, Iwould, yeah.
Oh.
They made me
Phil (11:56):
a two year license and someone caught it.
That it was
George (11:58):
the guy, the guy at the bank Yeah.
Got caught right there.
Phil (12:01):
And then he, he called the police right there on the spot.
George (12:04):
I didn't run, I didn't run the arrogancy in me for
doing that.
You know how you get that rush?
Phil (12:09):
Yeah.
George (12:09):
From doing it.
I didn't
Phil (12:11):
even know.
So you just kind of sat in thelobby and waited for the police
to come?
No, I snapped right there.
You sat at the counter?
George (12:16):
I snapped right at the counter
Phil (12:17):
and he said, I'm calling the police.
George (12:18):
No, he didn't call.
He said, stay right there.
I'll be right back.
I got 3000 right here.
He said, I gotta get rest in theback.
Ah.
Before I know the police wasthere.
I didn't run.
Phil (12:27):
No.
And he came back and he got thepolice and brought'em back.
George (12:29):
Yeah.
So when the police came in, hesaid, what's the problem?
He said, look at that.
Look at that license.
That police just glanced at it.
He said, what's wrong with it?
He said, whenever Georgia made atwo year license, you know what
I said?
I said, Phil, I said, come on,let's go.
That ain't even get handcuffedin the prison, in the jail.
In the, you knew it.
Yeah, I knew it.
So when he went out there, hesaid, not going tell me your
name.
I told him, and you know, that'swhat I went to prison for.
(12:51):
They was gonna gimme, I got wentfor financial fraud, identity
theft, and false information.
Each one of those carried 10years.
Phil (12:57):
Wow.
So you got a 30 year sentence.
Yes.
But
George (13:00):
by the grace of God first offender act, they gave me
five years Prob.
So
Phil (13:03):
you
George (13:04):
didn't,
Phil (13:04):
you didn't, did you go to prison for five years?
No, no.
They gave
George (13:07):
me five years probation.
So you didn't even go to prison?
No.
What I was going to do, I wasgonna do two two, two I had to,
I had to how do you do that?
Three non-report and two report,yeah.
Two years report and three yearsnon report.
That's what I had on the firstoffender act.
Wow.
Wow.
But yeah, they transport it backdown to fourth.
That
Phil (13:26):
it feels like, it seems like you got off really easy.
I know, I did.
God was just,
George (13:30):
it was there.
That
Phil (13:31):
was Mercy.
George (13:32):
Didn't know.
Wow.
But, um, so
Phil (13:36):
five years probation?
Yeah.
So, okay.
And
George (13:39):
then they transferred it back down to Fulton County and
when I got back down there, Ileft and came back to Russell
County.
Yeah.
Just left it.
Phil (13:47):
So you skipped out.
Skipped out on them.
No, they didn't allow you to dothat.
You just skipped out.
No,
George (13:52):
I just skipped out.
I said I'm going back home.
Oh.
But look, 2017, it came back.
Yeah, I was in Lee County.
Oh my god.
Phil (14:01):
Still back to the drugs.
No, my DOC
George (14:03):
gonna change now.
From crack to ice.
Phil (14:06):
Yeah.
What is it?
What is ice?
George (14:07):
Ice?
Phil (14:08):
Uh, methamphetamine.
George (14:09):
You never heard of it?
Phil (14:10):
Uh, yeah.
I just didn't know what ICE was.
Yes.
So, so after you skipped out onprobation Yeah.
Then you started doing meth.
Yes.
Is it different?
They like, I don't know thedifference.
Like are, did they do somethingdifferent in the way they make
you feel?
George (14:24):
Whoa.
Yes.
It's totally different.
Methamphetamine is a speed.
Crack cocaine is a high, thespeed where I override the high
anytime, and it, and by mypartner, uh, had me doing it.
It got me off crack cocaine.
Phil (14:39):
So yes, the meth got you hooked on meth and you didn't
even care about the crackanymore.
George (14:44):
No, no.
The taste you want, you not,that taste is nasty.
Yeah.
So I got hooked.
I got round, started doing iceand then I, I figured out I
found the big man doing that.
So my prices was much cheaper.
Mm.
So when I go and get it, I makesure I was getting quality, but
no.
So I'm up in Lee County, I neverforget it.
(15:05):
In 2017, I was up in Lee Countyin a hotel in them little rank
or bank hotels.
And a friend of mine came by andI was getting ready to leave out
of town the next day.
Long as I was in Russell Countyand Barbara County Henry County
didn't want it, man.
I didn't know nothing about LeeCounty.
I didn't know you had to be acertain range that can come and
get you.
I'm thinking I'm safe.
(15:26):
So I was up in there, man, Inever forget that day.
I had a saucer full.
Ice just laying there.
Yeah.
The friend came over.
Who we kicking it, huh?
Because I'm getting ready to goout of town.
I'm trying to get rid of it.
'cause when I buy it, I buyquality.
Phil (15:40):
Yeah.
George (15:41):
So I'm sitting there, man, and everybody just in there
just having a good time and allof a sudden these two guys want
to get into it.
Huh?
So I told him, go out the door.
Phil (15:50):
This was you, like a your hotel room?
Hotel?
Yeah.
Okay.
I told him,
George (15:54):
go outside'cause we ain't gonna have that here.
You know, they got out, went outthere and got the Tesla.
One guy didn't like it, so theother guy came back in.
I said, what other guy?
He left, man.
Come to find out he called thepolice.
Yeah.
So they came right to the room.
But they didn't see that.
'cause when they came, I stoppedright there in front of the
door.
I said, can I help you?
He said there was a fight here.
(16:15):
Now remind you I got a warrant.
Yeah.
From way left county in HenryCounty.
I said, uh, here he is.
He said, can you come to thedoor?
I said, yeah.
Hey, come to the door.
I moved to the side'cause I'mkind of sure this, he walked
out, closed the door, hide it.
Police came back.
He said, I need everybody.
Id Guess what?
I'm the only one there withoutid.
Oh my God.
(16:35):
Now they gonna run me.
That's suspicious.
Yeah.
When they ran me, they said, yougot a warrant?
I said, from where?
He said, Henry County, do youknow anything about it?
I said, yeah, they ain't going.
They don't want me.
They don't want me.
I said, they didn't want me inbarber.
They didn't want me in Russell.
I know they ain't gonna want mehere man.
Look at here.
Did you know you can be acertain distance out and they
would not come and get youbecause it's too far out of
their jurisdiction really.
(16:56):
But yes.
But in Lee County, I was rightthere.
Lee County put them cuffs on me.
Took me to jail.
I went and signed them.
Expedition paper.
I went to jail that that Sunday,that Monday night, Henry County
came and got me.
I'll never forget my judge upthere, judge Maria Marias.
That was him.
I went back in front of the sameman,
Phil (17:14):
the same judge.
The same judge.
So did he remember you?
George (17:17):
Oh no.
'cause he told me if I came backhe was gonna gimme them 10
years.
But that DA up there.
Oh my, I was up in Henry Countyfor about four months and they
took me to court.
So I'm telling my, I'm tellingmy my public defender, you know,
listen to the guys and them,which is true.
I said, Hey man.
I said, what's she talkingabout?
He said, well, Mr.
(17:38):
Jackson, she's talking about twoyears.
You know those two years thatyou supposed been reported?
I said, yeah.
He said, she thinking aboutgetting you them two years.
She said, talking about gettingthem two years.
I said, look, do me a favor.
He say what?
I said, go over there and askher can she give 24 months?
See, it's a different cause seeif you get 24 months, you can do
'em in jail.
But if you get two years, yougotta go to prison.
Phil (17:57):
Yeah.
Why?
Even though it's the sametimeframe.
George (18:00):
Yeah, you can do 24 months.
See, that's not prison time.
No.
If you get it 24 months, I couldhave did it right there in Henry
County.
And Henry County was gettingfour for one.
'cause I was on trustee.
I could have did six months andcame out.
That's
Phil (18:12):
so that was
George (18:13):
a little loophole.
Yeah.
Just loophole.
A technical
Phil (18:15):
way that they worded it.
George (18:16):
Yes.
But she said no.
Tell him I'm again, two yearsshe going to prison.
Phil (18:20):
Yep.
George (18:20):
I said, okay.
Suck it up.
Oh man.
For real prison, two years inprison, clean time, everything.
Phil (18:27):
So when you was in prison, you didn't do drugs?
No.
Were they, could
George (18:31):
you
Phil (18:31):
have
George (18:31):
Yes.
Seen plenty.
Phil (18:32):
So you made a decision to say that I'm, I don't wanna do
this anymore.
George (18:36):
It was all around me in prison.
You see all that,
Phil (18:39):
so what made you want to stop doing drugs then in pri
during that time?
Because
George (18:43):
I didn't want it, none.
Phil (18:44):
I
George (18:44):
wanted to stay, cry, to stay clean.
Phil (18:46):
You realized it was messing up your life?
George (18:47):
Yeah, man, it had to mess my life up.
For real.
Phil (18:51):
Wow,
George (18:51):
for real.
So
Phil (18:52):
what was, what was that time in prison like then?
Well, was it super hard to likethe withdrawal to get off the
drugs?
George (18:59):
No.
'cause every time I went to jailnor prison, I would sleep for
about two days.
Oh.
And then after that I'm finnawork out and start back to my
Bible.
It looked like every time he satme down, tried to make me say,
Hey, this is the way.
Phil (19:12):
Wow.
George (19:13):
Yeah.
Came outta prison two years.
Phil (19:15):
So did you stay away from the wrong crowd in prison then?
You, you tried to kind of keepto yourself or?
George (19:20):
Mm-hmm.
Phil (19:20):
It was all around.
You can see him selling it.
I
George (19:23):
just didn't want it.
You know what I'm saying?
Phil (19:24):
Yeah.
You just kept your head down anddidn't worry, bother with
anybody.
I didn't.
Did anybody bother with you?
George (19:29):
No.
Yeah.
No.
I got into it,
Phil (19:30):
oh yeah.
It happened.
George (19:31):
You know what I'm saying?
Yeah.
You will be tried up in prison.
Trust me.
Phil (19:35):
Was it, were there some pretty scary scenarios?
George (19:38):
No, I wasn't scared at all.
Oh man, I was way bigger thanthis one.
I was in prison.
Phil (19:42):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that, those people didn'twanna mess with you?
George (19:45):
No, because I know some peoples, I got hooked up with
the right peoples, you know whatI'm saying?
So I went too much.
I went too much concern.
Then they sent me outta Jacksonto up there to where you call
Alberta's, you know Alberta's,that's the police academy.
Phil (20:00):
Okay.
George (20:00):
Yeah.
I was wake up at the print shop.
Thank you Mr.
Glen.
He was at the print shop, so Iwas like, minimum security.
Yeah.
And it was real nice.
So I didn't, you know, when Iwent to my job, I didn't have a
guard with me'cause I wasminimum security trust, like
they trust me.
So I walked around the policeacademy delivering all the books
that we print for.
(20:21):
Really?
Yeah.
Police academy sheriffdepartment, GBI, fire
department, uh, gma, fema.
We, I printed all those books.
Wow.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Learned a lot in prison.
Got outta there two years, wentstraight back to the same thing,
Phil (20:38):
To back to the drugs again.
Yes.
Yes.
So you, you wanted to be cleanin prison.
Yes.
But then you're, you just didn'tcare anymore when you got out,
George (20:46):
man.
No.
Went back to the same people.
Phil (20:49):
The, the draw was too strong.
George (20:50):
Didn't renew the mine.
Phil (20:52):
Oh, see.
George (20:53):
Never would've renewed the mine.
No.
Just went straight back.
Oh man.
Hey, what's up?
How you doing?
Come on in.
There it is.
Rock on at.
That was 2019 when I got out.
Now.
Now.
Wow.
God introduced me to the SafeHouse.
I never forget it.
I was on the street.
When was this?
Oh man, it was 2019.
Phil (21:12):
So 2019 was your first introduction to the Safe House
Ministries.
That's
George (21:15):
when I got introduced to the Safe.
I didn't know Pastor Eric,pastor Paul, Chad, none of them.
I was coming there just to eat.
Okay.
Yeah, just to eat.
This guy said, Hey man, where wecan go around here to eat?
He said, man, you can go thereto the say house.
He said, well, you know, Ialready got a safe id.
I'm gonna take you up there.
You gonna have to get, say Idsafe house ID to get in.
I said, what a safe house ID toget something to eat.
(21:37):
He said, yeah.
And I was sneaking down on theconcrete.
Damn.
Phil (21:41):
So you were literally on the literally like, no bando
this time, no bando
George (21:44):
out, down that concrete.
He took me up there.
I got the idea.
I went in there, ate, I said,this is all right.
So then what I started doing, Isaid, when can I go back?
He said, you can go back 5, 5, 7days a week.
I said, what?
He said, yeah.
So I started going there,started going there and then I
got me a little job with thisguy named Reggie.
Come through morning, I mow thegrass and I was working with
(22:07):
him.
I was doing pretty good, but Iwas still in
Phil (22:10):
the streets, still on the concrete.
Now
George (22:11):
here where it's Finn to get rough, I had moved over
Panama.
This guy had met, so he said, Ican move anyhow, so I'm going
back and forth to the safe housee then it rock on.
I'm doing all right, yeah.
I haven't met Pastor Eric yet.
Yeah.
So look, met around 2020.
2020.
That's the year.
Yeah, man.
(22:32):
2020 came through.
I'm still working.
I'll never forget the day I gotshot.
Yeah, I got shot twice.
Yeah.
It was 20, 20.
October the 26th.
2020 at 9 45 it was a Mondaynight.
I got off from work.
Okay.
Yes, I got off.
I got off by eight 15, got inthe store, got me some dope,
went in, but prior back me andthis guy had got into it and um,
Phil (22:57):
this is the guy you're living with?
George (22:58):
No, no.
There was a young man, the onewho shot me in the leg.
Phil (23:02):
Just somebody on the street?
George (23:03):
No.
I had met him.
You know, we had been talking,you know, he's from East Side.
I'm uptown, I'm Phoenix city.
See we call it different.
He east side.
That's uptown.
I'm pc.
I'm across that muddy water.
So, um, what happened?
He got to talking.
We got to talking, he said, andhe asked me, he said, where you
from?
I said, across that water.
He said, well, what you doinguptown?
(23:24):
I said, I've been uptown beforeyou were born just like that.
He said, really?
I said, yeah.
I said, but what?
I can't understand you eastside.
What you doing up here?
Just like that.
I said, you running just likethat.
So we had to squabble aboutthat.
And uh, the next day when I gotin, I don't know, was he, how
what?
But I was scrap and man, hestarted running off at the mouth
(23:45):
and we got into it, you know,whoop, whoop, whoop.
He started running in mouth.
He walked outside and I walkedbehind.
He spit in my face.
I went and grabbed the knifemouth and killed me.
If it had to been for cab, ohyeah, he'd be mines.
But Cabby told me, you gottathink about your kid.
You, you stab him.
Who now who told you that?
My friend of mine, Kevin.
He tried, when he grabbed me, hetold me, think about your kids.
Yeah.
Okay.
(24:05):
You been, you've beensocializing with'em.
If you stab him, you gone.
Wow.
I told him, Hey, thank Godthat's a God.
So he came back, man, I walkedback over there.
The next day he came back.
He said, you know, I'm sorry.
Wow.
When he came back andapologized, he said, I was
hijacked.
I said, okay man, I accept yourapology, but I have, you have to
understand, did he go to Godfirst or did he come to me?
He came to me.
(24:25):
He didn't go to God, so Iaccepted his apology.
So I said, okay.
I'm thinking it's cool.
And that is the end of part twoof George's story.
Next week we'll be back and findout that things were not cool
between him and that otherfella.
In fact, that other fella comesback and finds George in his
house and essentially busts intothe bathroom and shoots him.
(24:49):
He will tell you that story nextweek, and he'll also tell you
how God finally.
It gets him to the place wherehe wants to get rid of the drugs
and get clean forever.
Come back next week.
We look forward to being backwith you, and thanks for being
with us again today.
06-21-23 SAFEHOUSE-CH2 (25:06):
We look forward to being with you again
next week as we share anothertestimony about the power and
the goodness of God to changelives through Safe House
Ministries.
if you are someone listening tothis podcast that loves to hear
these stories of the greatthings that God is doing in
changing people's lives for thebetter, and if you would like to
be a part of that work, pleasereach out to us You can reach us
(25:29):
at 2101 Hamilton Road, Columbus,Georgia, 31,904.
You can call us at seven oh sixthree two two.
3 7, 7 3, or you can email us atinfo@safehouse-ministries.com.
Microphone (Samson Q2U Mi (25:43):
Thank you so much for being with us
this week for the renew restoreand rejoice podcast of safe
house ministries, we pray thatGod will bless you this week.
And we look forward to havingyou back with us again next week
for a new episode.
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