- [Interviewer] All right, Shane? - Yes, sir. - [Interviewer] Shane,
where'd you grow up? Where are you from originally? - Mingo County, West Virginia. - [Interviewer] And tell
me about your childhood. You had both your parents
when you were a kid? - Yes, I have both my parents. My mother was a hard worker, my father was an alcoholic. But my father died when I was
15, from drugs and alcohol- - [Interviewer] I'm sorry. - It's okay. And that just put a big
ole hole in my world. Everything negative, it made
in my whole life negative. Everything, I just fed into that. I become a drug addict like that. - [Interviewer] Is that when
drug use started for you? - Yes, sir. - [Interviewer] And you
guys were very poor? - Oh, very poor. My mom was a CNA, which they
make like 10, $11 an hour. And that's what we lived off of. - [Interviewer] How many kids? - Five. - [Interviewer] Wow. - Four boys and a girl. - [Interviewer] How far
did you go in school? - To 11th grade. Well, midway through the 11th. - [Interviewer] Where'd
your life go after that? - Nowhere, I became a drug addict. Then by the time I'm 20, I'm locked up. I'm 33 right now, just got off. Just got released today. - [Interviewer] How many
years were you in prison? - Seven straight. - [Interviewer] Seven straight years? - Seven straight years. - [Interviewer] Wow, did those seven years change you in any way? - Yeah, they did. They made me grow up a lot. Made me stop taking
everything for granted, and realize that life does go on. While I was in prison though, I had to have that GED
class to make a job, right. I would go to GED class and
I would sleep every day. And the teacher, he came back there and he woke me up one day. He's an old man. He said, he called me boy. And he said, "Boy, won't you do me a favor and make your GED, man." He said, "You're a smart kid." He said, "I'm getting ready
to retire in six months." He said, "If you don't make the GED, you're going to be stuck here. And it's just a hell hole." It's Huttonsville West
Virginia Penitentiary. It's like top notch Guantanamo Bay shit. And so I took him serious
and I went back the next day. I said, "Denny, you know what? I'm gonna try and make my GED." So I made my GED in 63 days. And I made it with a 3,174 score, which is a scholarship
anywhere in America. I've not pursued it though, but I did make my GED
and I did become a man. When I got out, I went to Texas. I found a nurse, she's never been high. We've been together for two years now, and we have a four month
old son, doing good. - [Interviewer] How were you together? You were in prison? But you were with her? - No, I met her from in prison. - [Interviewer] Oh, I see. - My sister lives in Texas. - [Interviewer] You were dating her while you were in prison. - I talked to her. We didn't date, we just talked- - [Interviewer] Yeah, that's what I mean. - (indistinct) I shook
her hand when I met her, it was a whole new vibe. (interviewer laughs) She's a blessing, her
name is Rocio Bocanegra. I'm trying to have another baby with her, as soon as I go home. - [Interviewer] What are you
gonna do with your life now, you've been out for one day. - Yes, I want to go to Texas, and I'm gonna go to work for
this construction company where I redo the piers on the
freeways, the concrete drains. And I'm going to start my own
pressure washing business, once I can get there, where
I go around to these car lots that have all these cars. I say, "Sir, I'll wash
your cars once a week for $2 a car, wash them and dry them." That's my goal. So hopefully I get it. - [Interviewer] But you were telling me about being a pastor. - Yes. That's gonna be on my free time. I'm going to become a pastor. I got arrested on the church steps. I fell asleep on a porch,
praying for my wife and my son. I got so tired I couldn't move. I fall asleep and I wake up, and the police is standing
over me with a flashlight. - [Interviewer] This is
what you got arrested for? - No, they thought I was dead. This is how they brought me back here. - [Interviewer] Oh, I see. - On my parole. But yeah, I'm gonna become a pastor. Here's what I said. I said, I wanna become a pastor and see what it takes to become a football and basketball coach. Because once I got in prison, I realized I was really good at sports. Like I would go months and be the only white person on any team. And they have real leagues in there. They keep stats. I won two championships. It's not a lot but it's amazing because they give you fresh favorites, which is burger from the street. I was good. And I want to become a coach out there and there's plenty of opportunities, but I want to become a pastor at this church Legacy
where I got arrested at. I went there, me and my
wife had been bickering because me smoking marijuana, she didn't agree with it. I hadn't seen my son all day. So I went to that church that
evening and I started praying. I said, "God, please give me my son. What I gotta do to get my son? I want my family." I just want to be a family...
That's all I ever wanted. I got so tired, I couldn't move. I fall asleep. I wake up and the cop standing over me. He arrest me and brings me back here. So I'm going to that church
to give him that testimony and see what it takes to
become a pastor there. - [Interviewer] Good for you. - God's like... He's gave me a whole new life out there. They are trying to build
us a new house now, habitat for humanity? I got a whole new blessing,
a whole new life ahead of me. The kid I was I don't have to be anymore. I became a man, I don't have
to worry about my dad anymore. because I get to be a dad. - [Interviewer] That's great. - Something I never could have did here. There's nothing here,
but drugs and dope hoes. You know anything about them? - [Interviewer] Yeah,
everyone I've talked to is- - I went out there and
found a real woman, man. She's a hospice nurse. It's a blessing. My mom lives out there now, we got a whole new life ahead of us. And I just keep praying to get there to take advantage of it. - [Interviewer] You
got money to get there? - No, I'm waiting on them
to Money Gram me money. - [Interviewer] How much
you need to get there? - The bus tickets $118 - [Interviewer] I'll take care of that. - I called them from the store
over here, just awhile ago and they're probably
running wild right now trying to get me there. - [Interviewer] Yeah, I'll help you out. - Thank you. - [Interviewer] Show me
what you showed me earlier. Those two pieces of styrofoam
that you wrote in prison. - Yeah, this is from dinner trays, where they feed you, trays in the jail. And this is Bible verses. Can I read them? - [Interviewer] Please. - This is Jeremiah 29 11 it says, for I know the plans I have
for you, declares the Lord. Plans for welfare not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 33 verse three says, call on to me and I will answer you and tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. Then Psalms 41 says, verse one, blessed is the one who considers the poor in the day of trouble,
the Lord delivers him. And then John ten two says, but he who enters by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep. And then Romans five one says, therefore, since we have
been justified by faith we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ. But here's the best one ever. It's Romans 10, 10 it says, brother my heart's desire and prayer to God is that we all may be saved. And then this is my goals, I
was writing down for out there. It says looking to start my own business. Take half the money it grosses in a month and start a trust fund for my son. Get my job back at WS Construction, marry my wife as soon as possible. Be the best dad possible,
and have another baby. And enjoy life, don't have to look over my shoulder anymore. Get me a race car and get to having fun. Be moved in my own house by Thanksgiving, so we can have Thanksgiving
dinner at my house. Take my wife on a cruise shortly somehow, and wake up Christmas
with Rocio and Chase, is my wife and my son, just would be the best Christmas ever. And then phase two says,
make every plan work out. Don't get frustrated and give
God time to fulfill it all. Find time to become a coach for football and basketball. Become a pastor preferably at Legacy and enjoy the rest of
my life being humble, kind and grateful and blessed. And knowing that every
sinner has a future, and every saint has a past. - [Interviewer] That's beautiful. Thank you for sharing that. - You're Welcome. - [Interviewer] What got you
into prison in the first place? - Armed robbery. I was on Oxycontin's and I woke up July 13 and I didn't have any money. And I went and robbed the store for $500. And they gave me 30 years
for robbing a store. - [Interviewer] 30 years? Yes, and they used my
brother to testify on me. He worked for that store. - [Interviewer] Your brother
testified against you- - Yes. And then while I'm in prison, he robbed the same store for $10,000. And they only gave him one to three years, which is 18 months. It just broke me down. I watched him come and leave, while I'm there for the same
thing that he told on me for. But I forgive him, that's my brother. And he taught me how to tie my shoes. I can never hold it against him, because it's drugs, it's the devil. - [Interviewer] Do you think the pain that you felt from that, watching your brother come
and go for something worse, and you getting punished
unfairly, perhaps. Do you think the pain that you felt is what's gotten you
to where you are today? - Yes, it gave me the
drive to never give up. It makes me understand that I'm tough. Because I was dependent on all of them, I never really had a job or anything. All I did was get high and this showed me that I can count on myself. And it made me just
drive harder every day, whatever I was doing, I wanna win at it. Because I feel like I lose at everything. - [Interviewer] Yeah,
I've heard so many stories in Appalachia... From people who have gone
through extreme adversity. Everything about living in
Appalachia is difficult- - It's hard. - [Interviewer] From just
carrying your groceries into the house is difficult
because every step is up a steep hill or- - It's a stepping stone- - [Interviewer] Yeah, It's
just a very difficult life for many different reasons. And it seems like the people are... They're just so kind and
compassionate and strong and- - They are, they're very strong-willed- - [Interviewer] And modest- - And they're very
honest, they don't have- - [Interviewer] I've given
money to so many people here that I've interviewed and
they just jumped back. They won't accept it. I gave a man a hundred bucks yesterday for talking with me
and he just jumped back like, what are you doing?- - I've been there- - [Interviewer] Yeah,
he wouldn't accept it. And he never did, and that's
happened so many times here. - You'll find many more like that. It's the way we're raised, its- - [Interviewer] Whereas I'm
so used to people saying, they'll take my money and run- - It's the morals instilled in us. I see that a lot down in Texas. - [Interviewer] Yeah, I would think Texas has some of this too. - People is just different,
it's a different caliber here. - [Interviewer] Yeah, it's so
beautiful to hear your story. - Thank you, man. It's been a long story, but I don't have to look
over my shoulder anymore. You hear me, I'm free now- - [Interviewer] How old are you? - I'm 33 years old. - [Interviewer] 33, you're still young. - I got my whole life ahead of me. I want to become a coast guard. That's what I want to do eventually. Somehow I want to become a coast guard. I would even become a police
officer if they let me, but they won't let me. Because I don't want my
son walking on the rocks that I stumbled on. I don't want that. I want a better life for him, and I will do whatever it takes to see that he has a better life. - [Interviewer] Were you religious before you went to prison? - Some, but not really, no. I found God in prison. He found me, should I say. And he's real. - [Interviewer] All right, Shane. Thank you so much for sharing your story- - Thank you. - [Interviewer] And I
wish you the best of luck. - Thank you. - [Interviewer] Thank you. - I didn't mean to cry on you though. - [Interviewer] That's
all right, it's all good. - I don't have to do this no more, man. - [Interviewer] You had Bibles in prison? - Yeah. They gave this to me in prison. Property of inmate Shane (indistinct). (Shane exhales deeply) My favorite verses is right here.
