Clayton's Survival Story
PAGE 12
Clayton says he hasn't seen Carmen or Joseph since he was rescued—and doesn't want to. "I don't consider [Joseph] my father," he says. "I have way better parents now."
Still, he says he'd like to someday ask his father why. "They should have spent forever in jail as far as I'm concerned. My dad got half his time knocked off and then another six months for getting his GED," he says. "I don't think that's fair to get a free education and then get time taken off of your sentence."
Clayton says he never got an apology from Carmen or Joseph. The last time Clayton saw him was when he was taken away in handcuffs. "He said, 'Look what you did to me. I hope you're happy,'" he says. "He blamed it on me. I was six and I was a little boy. He was supposed to be my father."
Because of Joseph and Carmen, Clayton says he lost his innocence. "I was adopted, and I kind of got a little bit of a childhood afterwards," he says. "But that chunk of my life, it just seems like from when I was born all the way up to being 6 there was no childhood for me."
Still, he says he'd like to someday ask his father why. "They should have spent forever in jail as far as I'm concerned. My dad got half his time knocked off and then another six months for getting his GED," he says. "I don't think that's fair to get a free education and then get time taken off of your sentence."
Clayton says he never got an apology from Carmen or Joseph. The last time Clayton saw him was when he was taken away in handcuffs. "He said, 'Look what you did to me. I hope you're happy,'" he says. "He blamed it on me. I was six and I was a little boy. He was supposed to be my father."
Because of Joseph and Carmen, Clayton says he lost his innocence. "I was adopted, and I kind of got a little bit of a childhood afterwards," he says. "But that chunk of my life, it just seems like from when I was born all the way up to being 6 there was no childhood for me."
NEXT STORY
