{"id":65231,"date":"2020-01-15T17:47:28","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T00:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/pardoned-by-polis-mother-benefits-from-wake-up-call\/"},"modified":"2020-01-16T00:47:28","modified_gmt":"2020-01-16T00:47:28","slug":"pardoned-by-polis-mother-benefits-from-wake-up-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/pardoned-by-polis-mother-benefits-from-wake-up-call\/","title":{"rendered":"Pardoned by Polis: Mother benefits from wake-up call"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Jamie
Jamie Matthews helps her daughter, Vivienne Avila, 7, with her homework as their dog, Lowgan, watches Saturday in their Three Springs home. Matthews was pardoned by Gov. Jared Polis in December from charges that date back more than 10 years.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

As Jamie Matthews sat in a prison yard, reflecting on how her life had gotten so out of control, something clicked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had this moment where I looked around and said, \u2018What the hell am I doing here? Why am I here?\u2019\u201d Matthews said in an interview this week. \u201cAnd then I thought, \u2018What is it going to take for me to never end up here again?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Then and there, Matthews resolved to turn her life around. But little did she know her inspirational and impassioned path to recovery would culminate with a pardon by Gov. Jared Polis, which is exactly what happened in December.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a weight you didn\u2019t realize you were carrying until it\u2019s gone,\u201d Matthews said. \u201cBut then it\u2019s gone, and you know what it feels like to stand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthews grew up in Miami, and after graduating from the University of Florida, moved to Durango in 2005, where her mother moved two years before.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old new arrival took a job as a waitress at a local restaurant, and that\u2019s where her life slowly began to go off track.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe drug scene in restaurants is prolific,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it started, and spiraled from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jamie
Jamie Matthews said having a strong support system from family and friends, having a daughter and holding a job kept her focus on recovery.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Matthews, now 38, said the days of her drug use have become a bit of a blur. But what started out as taking drugs for fun quickly turned into something darker. Before Matthews knew it, her entire friend circle was drug users, and she even started to sell.<\/p>\n

On Dec. 20, 2007 \u2013 two days shy of her 26th birthday \u2013 a friend at the time said she would treat Matthews to dinner in Durango, but it was a setup. The friend was wearing a wire and recorded Matthews talking about selling drugs on the way to dinner. During a stop at Walmart, law enforcement with a drug task force were waiting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if you could call it lucky or not, but I didn\u2019t have drugs on me,\u201d she said. \u201cBut people did have wires, and they arrested me for attempted possession with intent to distribute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Officially, Matthews was charged with a Class 2 and a Class 4 felony for attempted distribution of a controlled substance, as well as driving while ability impaired. She pled guilty and was sentenced to two years in the Department of Corrections at La Vista Correctional Facility in Pueblo.<\/p>\n

From there, Matthews got caught up in a cycle so many who run afoul of the law spiral into. She would be released on bail, get into trouble, and end up back in prison. It got to the point where they wouldn\u2019t let Matthews out anymore.<\/p>\n

\"Jamie
Jamie Matthews said she got caught up in the drug scene when she moved to Durango more than 10 years ago. She was arrested for attempting to sell drugs, but since, has turned her life around.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

That\u2019s when Matthews had her big moment in the prison yard. From there, all bets were off \u2013 she set her mind to getting her life back in order and has never looked back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a strong will, and I\u2019m very determined,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I make a decision, I will do everything it takes to follow through on that decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it wasn\u2019t just lip service. Matthews was released on parole in April 2012 and came out like a force.<\/p>\n

She was required to stay at Hilltop House, a community corrections center in Durango, and immediately took a job at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. She had a daughter, Vivienne Avila. And she entered a relationship with another person recovering from addiction, and the two kept each other in check.<\/p>\n

Matthews didn\u2019t stop there. She enrolled at Colorado Community College, taking online courses during the day while watching her daughter and would then head for the night shift at work. In a small town, she\u2019d see her old friends, but instead of avoiding them, she faced them head on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to hide my face and cross the street, but now, I walk right up and say hello, but a lot of them don\u2019t recognize me,\u201d she said. \u201cRelapsing was never a problem for me because there was no way in hell I\u2019d ever go back to that life. I have way too much to lose to even consider doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jamie
Jamie Matthews applied for a pardon in December 2018 for a crime that dates back to 2007. Since then, she has quit drugs, had a daughter and held several jobs. Gov. Jared Polis granted the pardon last month.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Matthews eventually graduated with a degree in accounting from Fort Lewis College among the top students in her class. She earned her CPA license, no small feat, and interned for FredrickZink & Associates, a local CPA firm, where she worked her way into a full-time job and is employed today.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was just showing all the right signs: motivated, excited, smart,\u201d said Michelle Sainio, audit manager and owner at the firm. \u201cWe\u2019re all human, and we all make mistakes. It\u2019s the steps after the fact that are important.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Matthews, having a strong support system from family and friends was essential for recovery. But just as important, having those job opportunities provided a sense of worth and focus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t have to hire someone who was a drug felon; they could have said no,\u201d she said. \u201cBut they saw how hard I worked, and how much I\u2019ve accomplished since then and took a chance on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tina Beekmann, Matthews\u2019 parole officer at the time who is now retired, said in her 28-year career, she has never advocated for one of her parolees to receive a pardon.<\/p>\n

But Matthews, time and again, proved she was different.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the beginning, she stood out,\u201d Beekmann said. \u201cShe had goals and a clear vision. And she meant it. She was passionate about where she wanted to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beekmann said prison can affect people in different ways: Some people learn from their experience and come out better on the other end, while others fall deeper into a hole.<\/p>\n

In her line of work, Beekmann said maybe one in 10 people show flashes of strong potential. Someone like Matthews, however, comes along only so often.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would have never lasted 28 years if I didn\u2019t see people have the potential like Jamie,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Beekmann was the one to plant the idea of a pardon in Matthews\u2019 head \u2013 the fact she raised a daughter as a single mother, all while working full time and earning a college degree, made her a perfect candidate. Not to mention Matthews has a laundry list of organizations she volunteers with.<\/p>\n

Matthews submitted her application for pardon, along with more than 20 letters of support, in December 2018.<\/p>\n

Having a felony conviction on her record created several barriers \u2013 she could have been denied a CPA license, for instance. And, more than anything, there was a certain stigma of having the blight on her record in her professional career.<\/p>\n

During her court process, Matthews was able to get her conviction down to a Class 4, which meant she could have her record sealed after seven years if she didn\u2019t run into trouble. But the prospect of a pardon brought with it an idea of cleansing to her past life.<\/p>\n

\"Canning
Canning is one Jamie Matthews\u2019 favorite activities. She showed off her pantry, which is full of fruits and vegetables in her Three Springs home.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

After a year of not hearing anything back about the pardon, Matthews received a phone call on Dec. 20, 2019 \u2013 12 years to the day after she was first arrested \u2013 notifying her she was selected out of hundreds of applications.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy knees went weak and I just burst into tears,\u201d she said. \u201cI was on cloud nine for the rest of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his letter to Matthews, Polis wrote: \u201cnot everyone earns the privilege of a second chance.\u201d Only four other people received pardons as part of Polis\u2019 announcement in December.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you have demonstrated that you deserve one,\u201d Polis wrote. \u201cI hope this pardon will allow you to pursue your dreams and continue to make good choices. By doing so, you will improve not only your life, but the lives of your family and community members.\u201d<\/p>\n

These days, Matthews tells her story at events, hoping anyone in a similar position can find some inspiration.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery single person is touched by addiction in one way or another,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to destigmatize it because there doesn\u2019t need to be shame there.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the pardon, Matthews had a smile on her face that lasted days. In her darkest moments, she never thought this is how her path to recovery would end.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get to officially close that chapter of my life,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about saying, who I was at those moments when I committed those crimes is not who I am today. I am no longer defined by those moments, in the eyes of the law and our community. Instead, I\u2019m defined by everything from that time on.\u201d<\/p>\n

jromeo@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Pardon letter (PDF)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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