When Alex Denning was 16 years old, his family traded in California’s endless summers for Minnesota’s never-ending winters. Alex’s ambition was to be a professional skateboarder, and the move felt like the death of his dream.
“Our life was good. We would always take vacations; my parents are still together. We had such a wonderful upbringing,” he recalls.
Still, Alex was unhappy—and acted on those negative feelings. He ended up getting expelled from his new high school. His older brother had stayed behind in California, and Alex’s expulsion motivated him to return to his home state.
But after his return to California, Alex’s teenage rebellion went from bad to worse. Alex looked up to his older brother and wanted to do everything he did. Unfortunately, that meant partying, drinking, and smoking weed. It wasn’t long before Alex was involved in crime.
