By Arthur M. Jaggard

Anderson resident

It was good to see John Gunter’s letter in The Herald Bulletin, regarding the Hardin family. He’s right. First, Jeff is a treasure, and so is the whole family. Second, the police should not have been called; the so-called “friend” who called them is not a friend at all. She put the police in a no-win situation, and she compromised the Hardin family’s effort to do what was best for their daughter.

When a girl, who is a junior in high school, runs away because she is unhappy with her parents, things seldom turn out well. When the girl’s parents discover where she is, the right thing to do is go and get her; especially if she is with someone who is encouraging her to do poorly. If she resists, good parents should make a real effort to bring her home. Sadly, this event has been politicized, partly by The Herald Bulletin and partly by others. This has placed an additional strain on good people who are trying hard to be good parents. My prayers are that the grand jury will drop the charges, and find Jeff guilty only of trying to be a good dad.

The police who were called cannot be faulted for doing their job, just as Jeff and Suzan cannot be faulted for trying to be good parents. The fact that the girl occasionally behaves like a teenager in high school should not be considered a crime. She also often proves that she has a beautiful heart. Let her family handle the problem. The person who called the police owes everyone involved an apology. And, so do those who revel in the misfortune of a good family.

Jeff, Suzan and kids — we love you and we’re praying that, in the end, Jesus will use this tough time to draw your whole family closer to him.