AUSTIN CATOE

Austin Cline Catoe was born December 7, 1997 to parents Sammy and Kim Catoe. He’s spent his entire life in Houston County. A place that he loves, despite how he’s been perceived to the community.
We all know what happened the morning of June 26, 2016. It’s a day we all wish never happened. It’s tragic. Lives were lost, and our community will never be the same. What happened was a terrible accident, yes, an accident. A young man, with his best friend, girlfriend, and friend in a vehicle, that was out of control. A tragic mix. Austin’s life will never be the same. Neither will it be the same for anyone involved or associated with either of the families. As a tight-knit community, we are all in some way affected by this.
Rumors say ‘they’re going to make an example out of Austin’, but of course, as family and friends to the Catoes, that’s not what we want.
Should he be punished? Absolutely.
Should he spend the rest of his life in jail? Absolutely not. A lengthy jail sentence, won’t, by any means, fix what has happened. Austin deals with this every second of every single day. Austin made a frantic 911 call the morning of the accident, doing his best to follow the orders of the dispatcher. The events and images of that night will forever be burned into his memory.
Austin has received a lot of criticism over the last 14 months, as expected. Somehow, Austin manages to let it go in one ear and out the other. Austin has a very close relationship with his mother, Kim, who has been his biggest supporter through all of this.
Here’s some more background on Austin.
Austin ranked 23rd in his class of 40, grade average of 93.283. He received district honors all 4 years of high school for sports he played. He graduated with a Gold Cord Honor for academic excellence in his welding class. He was involved in basketball, baseball, golf, and FFA. He was also on the Ag Mechanic Team that built and showed trailers at the Houston Livestock Show and Houston County Fair. He did 4H shooting his junior year and competed in several tournaments with the 4H. He volunteered for LYB as a coach and also helped with Latexo booster club as needed. He was nominated for homecoming king and prom king his senior year and was well liked by his classmates.
What if he were your child? How would you feel then? Would you want your son, or daughter to spend years and years in jail, because of an accident?

The family would like to thank you all for the prayers and support. All we are asking of you, is to sign the petition, to not let Austin spend the rest of his life in jail, some leniency. There are other options out there that will better suit Austin. That don’t involve a lengthy jail term. He’s our friend, he’s our son, he’s our older brother, and we love him. Unconditionally.