In this limited series, Pay Love Back: Cops, Robbers, and Rappers, we focus on the interconnected story of leadership, mentorship, and redemption surrounding a young man named Koa Hutchinson.
Three men, Officer Brett Hilde, Coal Hill, also known as Killa C, and myself, have each invested in Koa in very different ways. When I first moved to Billings, I worked in a group home at Youth Dynamics. That is where I first met Koa. I worked with him for several years. I took him fly fishing and rock climbing. I cared deeply about him. And then, as often happens in the system, I lost track of Koa. His story did not stop. He became a prominent gang member in Billings. He was an enforcer and recruiter for one of the most notorious and dangerous gangs in our city before being arrested by Officer Brett Hilde.
Years later, while I was sitting in the hospital with my son Gentry, battling his leukemia, Koa called me from prison. In many ways, we were incarcerated together during that season, him behind bars and me beside a hospital bed, as our mentoring relationship resumed.
What Koa did next was one of the most courageous decisions I have ever witnessed. While still in prison, he left the gang. Because of the risk this put him in, he spent much of the nextseveral years in administrative segregation, isolated from the general population and trying to survive the bounty placed on his head by the gangs he once worked for. Over the remainder of his sentence, I spoke to Koa every single week. I believe the phone calls meant as much to me as they did to him.
Six months before recording this podcast, Koa was released from prison. Since then, I have watched him make one difficult and disciplined decision after another. Reentry is not kind to former inmates. The world does not rush to welcome them home. But he has continued moving forward.
On January 29th, 2025, Koa stood before fifty community leaders at United Way and spoke about how mentorshipchanged the trajectory of his life. In that room, our community saw something powerful, the possibility that those we once counted out might return and help rebuild the very neighborhoods they once harmed.
This series tells the story of how we got there. It is a miracle we did. Recorded on Father’s Day, June 21st, 2026, this is and will be one of the proudest and most meaningful moments of mylife. Thank you, Koa for being willing to share your story. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your journey. What you shared and the courage it took to make it to where you are now is going to bring more healing and hope than you can possibly understand. I love you like a son. I am so proud of you. And we are just getting started.
