A Cautionary Tail, err Tale...

“Little by little, we went beyond what was allowed and what we should have done.”  

-Damacio Diaz.

Last year's movie, McFarland, USA,  was a feel good movie starring one of Hollywood's biggest stars.  It told the story of a migrant town's, and a coach's redemption and all was centered around Cross Country Running.

And it was a relatively "true" story, with just a little bit of embellishment involved.  I enjoyed it and considered its running scenes as predominantly authentic.

The Diaz family's three brothers were the heart and soul (or sole!) of the team. Danny, David and Damacio Diaz worked hard at running and even harder in the fields.  Their triumph as Team Champions in California became our triumph too.

The movie's Diaz Brothers.

But real life sometimes interferes in our triumphs, as it did for Damacio Diaz this past year.  He has become a convicted police officer in the Bakersfield PD when he plead guilty to narcotics crimes involving distributing methamphetamines.  He was recently sentenced to 5 years in prison for his crimes, a lenient sentence because of his cooperation in unraveling other deficiencies in the police ranks.

The real Damacio Diaz.

The Arrest

The Confession

The Sentence