JD and his wife Jessica had their daughter, Laci, when they were just in high school. Needless to say, becoming teen parents put a strain on their relationship early on. The bickering and discontent festered over the years until JD realized that he had spent the vast majority of his free time away from home. He worked long hours and went to the bar most nights, coming home only after Jessica and Laci had gone to bed.

Once Laci was old enough to be left at home alone, Jessica started staying out more and more as well. Unbeknownst to JD, during Laci's pre-teen years, Jessica was developing a pretty bad drug problem. It wasn't until she was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison that JD started coming home after work.

By the time this happened, Laci was an 18 year old high school senior, and JD barely knew her.