Expert on Stopping Teen Violence: "The Columbine Killers Could Have Been Me"

Stopped on the way to attacking his high school, Tim Hutchinson spent years on the wrong side of the law, always one step from prison or the grave. And his roommate turned out to be a serial killer now serving a life sentence. Then his life was changed around by an unexpected mentor: a man who had survived an extended encounter with Hitler. Now he reaches out to troubled teens through talks at high schools and his book, 'Battle Scars' which has already been credited with preventing two Columbine-style school shootings.

(PRWEB) October 25, 2004 -- Long before the Columbine shooting, Tim Hutchinson put on military fatigues, stole some assault weapons, and started out to "get even" with some kids at his local high school.

Hideously humiliated at a party the night before, raised in an abusive household and constantly using violence-the only tool he understood-Hutchinson saw no other options that day than his plan to set off explosives and then shoot people as they fled. Fortunately, he was stopped just minutes before the attack.

Hutchinson continued a life of crime for several more years: kidnapping, assault, drug dealing, and attempted murder, to name a few. And his roommate turned out to be a suspected serial killer, now serving a life sentence. Hutchinson even assumed a new identity and became a coordinator of high-level events like visits by foreign heads of state and national sports events. But then a series of amazing events turned his life around.

Tim Hutchinson shares in his memoir:
· How his journey of discovery and love helped him rebuild relationships with his mother and with the son hed been told was dead
· His determination to complete this book before succumbing to a terminal illness -- much of 'Battle Scars was written from what he and his family were told was his death-bed"
· Stories of his two personal turnarounds: first, to break the cycle of violence and rediscover his joy and faith in the good of himself and others...and second, beating the odds after being told he had only 60 days to live, and refusing to take no for an answer from an unsympathetic medical establishment

With the love he found through his wife, Jennifer, and the couple's children-and guidance from a mentor who had survived an extended encounter with Hitler-he resumed his own name, survived a life-threatening illness, learned to advocate within the system to get what he needed, and became an EMT who has saved lives. He even co-founded a successful nonprofit that teaches self-sufficiency and organizes donation of food, clothing, and medical supplies in Zambia.

Now, he speaks to groups of teens and parents about stopping the cycle of violence. Hutchinson has also taught his own children the importance of loving others. His 5 yr-old daughter showed this lesson had taken root when she saved a friend from being hit by a school bus -- and she did so knowing that her actions would cause her to be the one who was run over by the school bus, instead of her friend. Fortunately she survived, and became the youngest person ever to receive the 'Medal of Valor.

"My daughter, Rachel Scott, was the first student murdered at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. The book 'Battle Scars' by Tim Hutchinson is a book every parent and student should read. It is the compelling, dramatic story of a man who found his solution through, not religion, but genuine personal faith. This is what carried us through the pain we suffered when Rachel was killed." --Darrell Scott

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