When you need to let go, you're like, 'Who's my daughter now?' It's the hardest part, letting go." He had to release his daughter even though he "had feelings" about her choice to become a prostitute. He believed she was better off not working as a prostitute and should have pursued some other profession instead. "To be honest with you, she didn't want it. It was an escape for her," Hector said. That's when he knew he needed to walk away, because it was his daughter's decision and it would not be appropriate to talk about or question her choices as a child. "I don't tell her what to do," he said. "She was 18 when she started." The mother of the 16-year-old was more supportive, while her father was not, Hector said. The mother even threatened to take Hector to court over being left out of the decision. "The relationship between her and me was very strained. The relationship between us isn't very good," Hector said. His wife did, however, respect the decision he made about letting his daughter make her own decisions, because it is what he believes a father is supposed to do. Since her daughter's arrest, Hector has kept the family together but is "very disappointed" in the decision she made, he said. She is still in custody and will stay in custody until the day she turns 18, he said. It was not known when she was released from custody how much longer she would serve, but Hector said he is happy he did what he believed was right for his daughter at the time. "It was a parent's decision," he said. "It's tough for any parent to let go of your child." He was, however, sorry to hear about what happened after she started making her money as a prostitute. "I had a few phone calls with her, and she was crying," Hector said. "She didn't want to be like that, I know that. She didn't want to be this type of girl." Her mother used to support her and did her best to make sure she was taken care of, he said. "She was a good kid," Hector said. All of his children have graduated from high school and have "a future," he said, which makes him proud. He believes there is hope for his daughter, who has made bad choices. "I still think she can get it together. I think she's still got the potential," he said. "She needs the chance, and I think I'm her only chance right now." It's what he believes his late wife would want him to do. "She said she always wanted the best for her and her kids," he said. He is happy with how he raised his children, he said, but sometimes he feels guilty that he was not able to give his two oldest children, who now live with their fathers, a better life. "Sometimes I think it's my fault," he said. But he doesn't get down about it, he said. He keeps busy and tries to do what is right for his family, he said. He has two other children who are grown up and married with kids of their own. He also has a son who still lives at home with him. He is also married for the second time, but he and his wife haven't been together very long. "The relationship between my husband and I is great," he said. "It will be great when we get married." His wife is good about being supportive of his decisions, he said. She is a "little disappointed" in him for what he believes is the right decision in letting his daughter make her own choices as she did. If it hadn't been for him, she said, her daughter would not have to "spend this time behind bars." She also believes that her daughter made her choices in her life because she was trying to find her place in life, even though her daughter had every opportunity in life. "It didn't have to be prostitution," Hector's wife said. "It's just one of those things that happened. It could have been so much different. There was no reason for this." "A lot of people could make choices that would never turn out that way. I think God is punishing her because she didn't live right. I think he's giving her a chance," she added. She has no regrets about raising her daughter, she said. She and her daughter's father did a good job raising her, she said. "She had a good childhood," she said. "We provided her with everything she needed." The family spent Christmas with a "beautiful, healthy, happy family," she said. Her daughter was going to spend the holidays with Hector and his family. "Everything was really good until something happened in our community," she said. That's when Hector had to let his daughter go, she said. "You've got to let them make their own choices at their ages. In our community, in our neighborhood, there are so many choices for women out there," she said. "We as parents need to let them make their own choices. There are many more choices that would have benefitted our daughter more." Hector's other children do not know he was involved in their sister's prostitution, his wife said. She will not reveal her side of the story, she said, but said she doesn't believe Hector knew about what her daughter was doing. "The only thing I want you to know is he has nothing to do with it," she said. "I told you everything." She believes her daughter will get out of jail and go on with her life, she said. "She will get out," she said. "She will have a future." Hector said he had to "man up" and was willing to take the fall for the whole thing. "I do not regret my daughter's decision," he said. "It could have been so much worse. There were