Love And The Third Degree

Photography and Text by Jennifer Whitney

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Alexis Homan, 20, decided to take the fall for her boyfriend, Lannis McAlpin, 26, when the two were charged with felony drug possession. She said she is in love and doesn’t want to be away from him.

Homan and McAlpin were arrested at their home in southern Macon, Mo., on Sept. 25, 2010. Police responded to a call that a man fitting McAlpin's description had stolen $500 from a home just four houses down from the couple's trailer. Police said that when they arrived to question McAlpin, they found drugs and drug paraphernalia out in the open. The pair allegedly had more than 35 grams of marijuana and some pain pills.

Drug abuse is a chronic problem in the Macon region. Special programs have been established in recent years to battle the issue. Homan had never been in serious trouble before that night. After 24 hours in jail, she explained, “I just don’t want to be away from [McAlpin]. We’re going to go straight to the courthouse and get married as soon as we’re both out at the same time.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was produced by Jennifer Whitney for the 62nd Missouri Photo Workshop in Macon, Mo.

Jennifer Whitney is a freelance photojournalist based in San Antonio, Texas, but is a proud fourth-generation Floridian. She has worn bifocals since she was 2. She loves monster trucks, designer jeans, green vegetables and the great outdoors. [Full Bio Here]

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 at 8:05 pm. It is filed under People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.