The footage was undeniable.

At 4:30 a.m., after reviewing the video and consulting the on-call magistrate, the officers approved a temporary removal order while the protective request moved forward. Mason arranged the locksmith, and I authorized a same-day security reset since the property was legally mine and both Eric and Diane were there by permission, not ownership.

So when Diane opened the door that morning in her robe and slippers, she was met by officers telling her to step outside.

According to Mason, her first words were, “This is my son’s house.”

It wasn’t.

Eric stumbled into the hallway moments later, disheveled and pale, looking like someone whose decisions had finally caught up with him. He kept saying, “Can we just talk about this?” Funny how people discover the importance of conversation only after consequences arrive.