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Above: Ronald Polk
By Peter Day
Senior Reporter
SAN DIEGO — Today, 31-year-old Ronald Polk can gaze at the Pacific Ocean, see seagulls soar over a picturesque sea and envision a happy tomorrow.
But that wasn't always the case.
In 1999, a distraught, confused 15-year-old aimed a gun at Art Bishop, Sr., a Lucerne Valley retiree who farmed pistachios on his Highway 18 property, and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit its mark, but as the boy peered through bushes he was surprised to see Bishop wasn't laying on the ground.
"He crawled into his car and drove himself to the fire station," Polk said.
Soon, law enforcement arrived at the location, and Sgt. Errol Bechtel, who served as commander of the Lucerne Valley Substation before transferring to nearby Big Bear, arrested the teenager.
Polk's reasoning for shooting the man who lived just over the hill from where he was currently living seems irrational today, but at the moment it seemed like an answer to a life without normal emotional security or parental guidance.
TUMULTUOUS LIFE
One of seven children, Polk lived in foster homes for several years. Then, at 14, his mother and father regained custody and the family moved to Lucerne Valley. A student at Lucerne Valley Middle School, his life was in turmoil.
"Everywhere you look for trouble you're going to find trouble," he said recently.
One Lucerne Valley teacher did make a difference, however. The teacher, Mr. Baker, would give the troubled boy a ride home and touch base with his parents.
"He took the time out of his day to talk to me and ask how I was doing."
When Polk turned 15, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. He got his girlfriend pregnant, ran away from home, and his parents moved to Wisconsin. His mother died within a month.
Soon after, he stayed in Lucerne Valley with a man named Ed, a friend of his father who Polk looked up to as a grandfather figure. For some reason, Ed had a grudge against Bishop. Using a gun that Ed gave him, Bishop did the unthinkable.
"I wanted to prove my love," Polk said. "I didn't want to lose my grandfather."
Polk was tried as a minor, found guilty and sentenced to serve in the California Youth Authority until he was 25. For five years he was held at the OH Close Correctional Facility in Stockton and was part of the "youth boys program."
"At a young age I grew up. I didn't experience what young kids experience. I had to grow up fast and be ready for whatever comes my way."
While he was incarcerated, firefighter Ben Van Wyk, who retired last year as a captain after decades of service at Station 8 in Lucerne Valley, would visit Polk, who had served as a fire explorer under Van Wyk.
"His family would come and visit me when I was incarcerated. That's a long drive from Lucerne Valley to Stockton. I had no family to come visit me."
At the age of 20, he was given parole. Living at a group home, he was faced with choices: take the wrong path, or embrace a new reality and move forward.
"It's time to be responsible," he said to himself. "This is life. I had no family to go to or anything like that. I saw where life could take me if I made wrong choices. I sure didn't want to go back there."
In 2009, at the age of 25, he was honorably discharged from parole. For a while, he worked at Walmart in Apple Valley and occasionally would see the son of his shooting victim, Art Bishop, Jr., who was a fire chief and eventually mayor of Apple Valley. (Art Bishop Sr. died at the age of 79 in November of 2006 while working on his tractor at the Bishop's Pistachio Tree Farms).
"I never had the courage to talk to him and apologize. We never had that closure together. That would be awesome if I could."
Polk, who had received his high school diploma while serving his time in Stockton, attempted college, but struggled in the college environment. He landed in the service and fast food industries and is looking to get vocational training to go into a heating and air conditioning career.
"I really love hands on."
Among the most important people in his life are his girlfriend of nine years and her family. He also credits an older sister who lives in Lucerne Valley as playing a role in his turnaround, and he wants to serve as encouragement for a younger sister. He also is in communication with his daughter, who is 16 now.
"We talk on Facebook. She understands life happens. She's got a good head on her shoulders. That's the best mistake I made in my life is having a child."
Doors are opening for Polk. He shared his story with his pastor, who encouraged him to help others, especially youth.
'THE ROAD IS NOT OVER'
Nowadays he takes the San Diego Trolley system, which transports passengers through Old Town, Mission San Diego and other regions of the city. When the situation seems right, he talks to young passengers.
"You can be your own leader," he tells them. "I don't want kids to get involved with drugs. I want kids to be their own person, know right from wrong, make their own choices. They can live a happy life if they be themselves."
He shares the hard, cold truth — and hope.
"It was scary in there. I don't want any kid to go in there. I did it for them. I learned to sacrifice what you are for what you can become. The road is not over, it's just getting started."