Dear Constance Addison,
I am writing this to you as
a father. I don’t know how else to say the things that I need to say to you except
through an open letter. On October 7, 2019 my child lost their friend, Alec
Flores. You hit Alec with your car while he was walking to school, the very same school my
child attends. You were drunk, with your own 3 kids in the car. Your blood alcohol
was 3 times the legal limit. Recreational drugs were later found in your system. You fled the
scene and the police had to track you down at your home. You hit Alec and left
him on the side of the road.
When Alec died, so did my child’s
innocence. Since then, my family and I have struggled to create some sort of
semblance of normal. My child asks:
- How could that lady leave Alec on the side of the road? Why didn’t she stop?
- Why isn’t she in jail after she was caught drinking and driving?
- How can she say she's not guilty after she hit Alec and he died?
- What if she’s driving again while I’m walking to school?
So
many people know what you did, and yet they protect you by bailing you out,
dragging out the legal process in the aftermath, making excuses for you -- depriving
a grieving community a sense of closure and peace.
My kid also wants justice for
Alec. If you had killed my child while driving drunk in a hit and run, would I
be handling this as honorably as the Flores family? What message is Constance
Addison sending to my child, to Alec’s school mates, and to her own children - when
she pleads not guilty?
How can we teach our children
right and wrong when you have yet to serve any time for driving drunk, killing Alec,
endangering the lives of your own children, and running from the scene? How can
we teach our children to respect the legal system?
I want you to know that I don’t
hate you. But I sure as hell hate what you did after you fatally hit my child’s
friend. You fled the scene. With your kids. Leaving Alec on the side of the
road like a piece of trash.
I hate what you, your husband and
your friends did that eventually led to Alec’s death. Many people saw you, your
husband and your friends drinking heavily throughout Sunday at the Mather Air
Show, the day before you killed Alec. There’s just no way around it. The killing of Alec started then, on that
Sunday with you, your husband Sean Addison, and Shelly Stone and Jonathon Stone.
Here's a photo your buddy Shelley Stone posted on FB of you guys partying it up at Mather on October 6, 2019. Several people saw you and your friends drinking to excess on October 6, 2019. One of the many canned alcoholic drinks people saw you and your friends downing that day is peeking up in the bottom of the photo. You killed Alec driving your car drunk on the morning of October 7, 2019. And several days after October 7, 2019, your BFF Shelley Stone decided to post the pic below onto Facebook of you guys having a great time drinking together on October 6, 2019.
Let me say that again - Shelley Stone posted that pic after you killed Alec in a DUI hit & run on October 7, 2019. Several days after October 7, 2019, your friend Shelley Stone's great big thought was to show the world how much fun you guys had getting drunk at Mather on October 6, the day before you plowed drunk into Alec Flores. These friends you continue to surround yourself with? The ones whose FB post essentially says: didn't we have fun drinking ourselves silly that Sunday just hours before you killed Alec Flores in a DUI hit & run?
Yes, that's the same Shelley Stone and her husband Jonathon Stone who came to pick you up when you bailed out the day after you killed Alec. The same Shelley Stone and her husband who, perhaps realizing their complicity in Alec's death, very recently put their rental property up for sale - probably to to hide their assets in case things go sideways legally and they face a civil suit. Your long time drinking buddies who came with you to court on November 4, 2019 in support as you pleaded not guilty.
For anyone who says we should remember that there is another family who is going through a really tough time - the kids of Constance Addison -- I completely agree. Your kids were in the car and saw what you did. You struck Alec so hard you literally crushed him. I cannot imagine the terror your kids experienced at that moment. The violent impact that made to the car was undoubtedly shocking and terrifying to them.
Unlike you, your kids were sober - they experienced the horror of that without the numbing effects of the alcohol and drugs that were in your system. Be honest, for their sake. Think of the message your "not guilty" plea sends to them. It's one thing to make a horrible, fatal mistake with your own kids as direct eye-witnesses. It's quite another thing to then lie to try to get away with it in front of them.
Here's a photo your buddy Shelley Stone posted on FB of you guys partying it up at Mather on October 6, 2019. Several people saw you and your friends drinking to excess on October 6, 2019. One of the many canned alcoholic drinks people saw you and your friends downing that day is peeking up in the bottom of the photo. You killed Alec driving your car drunk on the morning of October 7, 2019. And several days after October 7, 2019, your BFF Shelley Stone decided to post the pic below onto Facebook of you guys having a great time drinking together on October 6, 2019.
Yes, that's the same Shelley Stone and her husband Jonathon Stone who came to pick you up when you bailed out the day after you killed Alec. The same Shelley Stone and her husband who, perhaps realizing their complicity in Alec's death, very recently put their rental property up for sale - probably to to hide their assets in case things go sideways legally and they face a civil suit. Your long time drinking buddies who came with you to court on November 4, 2019 in support as you pleaded not guilty.
For anyone who says we should remember that there is another family who is going through a really tough time - the kids of Constance Addison -- I completely agree. Your kids were in the car and saw what you did. You struck Alec so hard you literally crushed him. I cannot imagine the terror your kids experienced at that moment. The violent impact that made to the car was undoubtedly shocking and terrifying to them.
Unlike you, your kids were sober - they experienced the horror of that without the numbing effects of the alcohol and drugs that were in your system. Be honest, for their sake. Think of the message your "not guilty" plea sends to them. It's one thing to make a horrible, fatal mistake with your own kids as direct eye-witnesses. It's quite another thing to then lie to try to get away with it in front of them.
Unlike you, your kids were sober - they experienced the horror of seeing Alec violently struck by your car without the numbing effects of the alcohol and drugs that were in your system. Be honest, for their sake.I have asked my child hundreds of times what Alec would want us to do to handle this situation. Alec Flores was a loyal young man, a champion of his friends. Here’s what all the kids have said in some way or another - Alec would stand up and fight to make sure that you never do to anyone else what you did to him.
You need to show our children, including
yours, that you will take responsibility for your actions that led to this tragedy.
The fact is that the vast majority of drunk driving cases are settled in plea
agreements. You have it in your power to spare the Flores family the pain and suffering of a trial.
Your reckless drunk driving killed a kid and endangered your own kids. You fled
the scene. You bailed out of jail the next day. Your plea of "not guilty" to all charges one month later is a shameless denial by you of your reckless and dangerous actions. Everything you are doing is no more than an attempt to
delay taking responsibility for your actions.
You can never fill the void left
by Alec Flores’ death. You cannot bring Alec back to life. But you can take
responsibility for your recklessness in breaking the law.
You are choosing to spend your family's money, time and emotion on continuing to deny what you've done. Your kids especially are paying a heavy price for this. Despite the fact that you have other options -- your kids attend Alec's school on an inner district transfer -- you have chosen to keep your kids enrolled at the school that Alec attended.
You are forcing your kids to daily face other kids and families who were directly affected by the death of Alec while you drag this on and on. The emotional trauma this is causing to your kids is unimaginable. You could be spending your money and time on counseling and support for your kids. Instead, you hide away at home and consult with an expensive criminal lawyer on how to evade the charges. And your husband Sean Addison is trying to sell off stuff to pay for a criminal lawyer to deny your responsibility.
You are forcing your kids to daily face other kids and families who were directly affected by the death of Alec while you drag this on and on. The emotional trauma this is causing to your kids is unimaginable. You could be spending your money and time on counseling and support for your kids. Instead, you hide away at home and consult with an expensive criminal lawyer on how to evade the charges. And your husband Sean Addison is trying to sell off stuff to pay for a criminal lawyer to deny your responsibility.
The responsible thing to do is to come clean about what you did and plead guilty. For those who say that's not how the legal system works, you are sadly ill-informed. Most drunk driving cases are settled by plea agreements. In fact, the vast majority are settled by such pleas.
You can do this today, right now -- do something meaningful to make sure that the healing needed isn’t delayed by unnecessary court proceedings. It will give a heartbroken community a start on getting closure, and it will afford you the chance to finally put your children first.
You can do this today, right now -- do something meaningful to make sure that the healing needed isn’t delayed by unnecessary court proceedings. It will give a heartbroken community a start on getting closure, and it will afford you the chance to finally put your children first.
Sincerely,
Yuba City Dad
PS - I am publishing this letter and blog under a pseudonym. I am unapologetic about this. My child does not deserve any scrutiny or attention from me speaking up. My child has been through enough in losing their friend Alec.
PS - I am publishing this letter and blog under a pseudonym. I am unapologetic about this. My child does not deserve any scrutiny or attention from me speaking up. My child has been through enough in losing their friend Alec.