Affixing Blame in Teen’s Death

After reading article after article recently painting Chad MacDonald as a young, innocent teenager whose use by the Brea Police Department as an informant was a horrible miscarriage of the criminal justice system, I was pleased to read the article in The Times (“Chad MacDonald’s Short, Tragic Life,” April 5, 1998) that finally showed the real picture of this young man.

Yes, Chad’s death is a crying shame, as is anyone else’s life that ends as a result of drug use. If the facts in this article are accurate, and Chad was indeed in possession of nearly 11 grams of methamphetamine when he was stopped and arrested on Jan. 6, then a great deal of light is shed on both Chad and the entire situation. Quite simply, 11 grams of methamphetamine is a huge quantity of drugs, and is very strong evidence that Chad was also dealing drugs and was not just involved in drugs for occasional personal use.

In other words, at age 17, Chad was already in the “big leagues” of the drug world. He (and his mother) previously made a conscious decision to work as an informant with the Police Department. This was not forced on him, but rather presented to him as an alternative to jail. At that time, Chad knew that the people he would be “snitching on” were not the kind of people that most of us would invite over to the house for a family picnic and would easily forget trespasses against them. These people are hard-core drug dealers/users who will do anything to keep their “enterprise” intact.

All too often in today’s society, blame is cast upon the wrong group and there is never any mention of personal responsibility or accountability. Unfortunately, the MacDonald family has chosen to follow this route. The Brea Police Department, Orange County district attorney, California attorney general, nor you or I are to blame for this tragic example of how drugs can affect a life, family, community and, ultimately, a county.

It is time to stop blaming easy targets for society’s evils. Sadly, Chad alone is to blame for this outcome. He never should have allowed himself to become so deeply involved in the drug world that he would be forced to make a decision to have to become a police informant to temporarily make his problems go away.

STEVEN RAMSEY

Cypress

* In regard to Dana Parson’s column (“Blood of Slain Teen Informant Could Be on Police Hands Too,” April 3): Simply put, Chad MacDonald was a drug dealer. A high school dropout, he repeatedly sold methamphetamine, an extremely dangerous and addictive drug, to students at a local high school. When finally caught by police, it was Cindy MacDonald who consented to her son’s participation with the Brea Police Department as an attempt to shield him from the consequences of his illegal activities.

Sadly, you and the editorial staff at The Times want us to believe that Chad was a victim of the police. How pathetic, really.

What of the damaged lives Chad created through his drug sales? What of their families? Other than scapegoating the Police Department, what will Cindy MacDonald, her attorney Lloyd Charton or The Times do to bring justice to these true voiceless victims?

JEAN-JACQUES DALPE

Anaheim Hills

* Let’s face it, teenagers aren’t exactly the patient type. They are always looking for the fastest way out. And, being an informant, Chad MacDonald was more than likely looking for the same thing.

I know that if I were an informant that I too would feel pressured to supply big names, hopefully reducing the time I had remaining to work off my crime. Frankly, I don’t feel that children should even be able to make the decision that may determine the length of their life.

It sickens me to think that this young boy had to die before even getting a true taste of life.

LEEAH BORNER

Dana Point