Hopefully what he did caught him in time before something like what happened like with the shooter a week ago.
Aaron Roden doesn't remember much of that August night last year, but he wishes it never happened.
If he could go back, he wouldn't have taken 57 Adderall tablets, a handful of Xanax or 10 hits of LSD. He wouldn't have gone on a destructive rampage through Westview Elementary School, causing an estimated $60,000 in damage before being tased by police.
Aaron Roden appears for a status check before Judge Gary Starnes at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Courts Building on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The 22-year-old wishes he hadn't thrown a fire extinguisher through a glass door at an officer, or attempted to evade arrest while sweating profusely and wearing only his boxer shorts. If he could go back, he wouldn't have vandalized the Erlanger hospital room either, or threatened to burn the elementary school to the ground.
Roden regrets each of these events that took place on Aug. 12, 2014, and after spending nearly a year in jail, he says he wants to change and leave his lengthy criminal record in the past.
He wants to get treatment for his bipolar disorder. He wants to apologize.
"I have had almost an entire year to reflect on my actions, and, as a man, I take full responsibility for what I did," Roden wrote in an email. " I would just like for it to be know[n] that I am completely ashamed of what happened that day last year."
After months of delays, Roden was released from jail Thursday after pleading guilty to two charges of aggravated assault and vandalism over $10,000. He will serve 10 years of probation and is required to attend a behavioral health treatment center in Utah. He also owes $16,420 in restitution.
"I plan on contacting the school when I finish rehab and tell[ing] them how sorry I am and how much I regret what I did," Roden wrote in the email. " I also want to apologize to all the deputies and officers and Erlanger staff for putting them through this."
Margo Williams, principal of Westview Elementary School, said she has been praying for Roden and his family since the incident and is elated to hear that he is doing better and getting the help he needs.
"All along I told the children [at Westview] he is not a monster. He is a human being, and he is someone's child and he was crying out for help," Williams said. "We have to forgive; we all make mistakes. I truly believe that it wasn't his heart's intention to do what he did."
Williams said while she's not proud of Roden for vandalizing the school, she is proud of what he has done in this last year and his desire to get help.
"Hopefully, what he did caught him in time before something happened like what happened with the shooter a week ago," Williams said, referencing Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez, who family and friends described as suffering from mental health issues as well as addiction before killing five servicemen on July 16.
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Roden's parents, Michael and Laura Roden, are relieved that their son is finally released from jail, but say they are not satisfied with the local legal system their son was forced to endure.
"While we are grateful for the legal process to be over, his mother and I are not pleased by the outcome, nor by the way the case was handled," Michael Roden said in a written statement to the Times Free Press.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 8/12/14. Safety Inspector Frank Bilbrey, left, and Assistant Principal Ruthie Panni examine "extensive damage" caused by a vandal inside of a portable classroom at Westview Elementary School on August 12, 2014. Aaron Roden, 22, was apprehended and charged by police at the scene early Tuesday morning. Michael Roden, an assistant U.S. attorney in Nashville, said he and his wife don't want to point fingers at a person or group, but they're frustrated with the state's criminal justice system, which they say failed their son.
"Reforms are desperately needed to address this situation," Michael Roden wrote to the Times Free Press. "[My son] needed treatment, not incarceration."
The Rodens say their son's process through Hamilton County General Sessions and Criminal courts was frustrating, and the "absurdly high bond" of $400,000 kept him from receiving needed treatment outside of the Hamilton County Jail.
Sessions Court Judge Gary Starnes previously echoed some of the Roden's sentiments, saying he, too, was frustrated with the amount of time it took for Aaron Roden to receive a mental health evaluation.
Michael Roden said it is his "sincere hope that Tennessee will join other states in recognizing that proper mental health treatment, particularly for those who find themselves in the criminal justice system, is not a luxury, but a necessity."
A solution may be coming.
On Thursday, Hamilton County will open its mental health court, which is designed with people like Aaron Roden in mind. The new program works similarly to drug court here, and offenders will be eligible for reduced sentencing or parole as long as they commit to intensive mental health treatment and monitoring.
Aaron Roden said he hopes his story will spur change.
"At first I wished this hadn't been made so public," Aaron Roden wrote. "But now I'm glad it was because I hope it can help someone who has issues such has mine."
Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.