Albert Lea man overcomes drug addiction, turns to tattoos

Tattoos illustrate Shane Hill’s past and the present. 

His past was rocky with drugs and alcohol, and his present is absent of both.

In 2006, Hill said he faced seven years in prison for first-degree possession of methamphetamine and was held for 107 days in lockup.

At the time, he didn’t have many tattoos other than his initials on his right forearm in the shape of a dollar sign.

“That was my thing back in the day,” Hill said. “I used to sell drugs, and I was all about money. But my life’s totally changed now.”

Instead of the prison sentence, Hill pleaded for rehab and years on probation, he said.

It was a step forward in his rehabilitation.

“I just had to make a decision that it’s probably time to get my stuff together and do something else,” he said.

When Hill was released in March of 2007, he said he had nothing. His apartment had been burglarized, and he only had the clothes on his back. He worked a variety of jobs including waiting tables and road construction, and he now works at Alamco Wood Products in Albert Lea.

Getting tattoos gave him a positive hobby.

“I’m just kind of switching my addictions,” he said. “I’m going from doing bad things to things that they’re not going to arrest me or throw me in jail for.”

One of Hill’s treasured tattoos is a date, which was a turning point: the moment he decided to go clean and sober, which was more than eight years ago.

“This signifies my journey and the things that are important to me and the people who are important to me,” he said. “They’re reminders to keep moving in the right direction.”

Along with his tattoos, Hill also has both ears pierced. He said his employer hasn’t mentioned either in a negative light and that both are becoming more socially acceptable.

“Back in the day it was only gang members and bikers who had tattoos,” he said. “Now it’s totally different. Everyone has tattoos from police officers to doctors to nurses. I’ve even seen a grandmother getting a tattoo.”

Most of Hill’s tattoos were done by Gilbert Johnson Jr., who has owned The Chapel in Albert Lea the last 15 years.

“He’s very talented,” Hill said. “The biggest thing is he does great work, and it’s at such a reasonable price.”

Johnson said he does piercings as well.

“The two go hand-in-hand,” Johnson said. “Plus, when you’re licensed, you’re licensed for both.”

In addition to tattoos, Hill said he spends his free time cheering for the Iowa Hawkeyes football team and controlling Traxxus remote control trucks. His brother has a track for the remote control trucks on his farm in Clear Lake, Iowa, he said.

“I’m into the ones that go 70 mph, speed past your car and you wonder, ‘What was that?,’” he said. “The fast ones, not the little piddly ones.”

The dollar-sign tattoo is still visible in the middle of his sleeve, but it’s meaning has changed.

“I thought maybe I’d cover it up, but it’s kind of a reminder,” Hill said.