Court character reference letter (felony)

I have dictated this letter myself and would like input on its contents or how it could better be summed up. For the purpose of brevity I left it to one page but would very much appreciate any kind of corrections to be made, as this letter is extremely important for the person I am writing it for. Below are the contents of the letter,

"Your Honor,
My name is ##### and I’ve resided in ## ## since 2012. I am currently employed with ### and have continually served within the military for eleven years.

I provide this character reference on behalf of a friend, Jane, who is facing felony charges. I have been a close and personal friend of Jane for over three years and have known her to be a kind and loving person who truly cares for those around her. I’ve gotten to know Jane well over the past three years and I believe it puts me in a position to provide a rather unique, albeit personal assessment of her character.

Hearing of these charges against Jane, I was taken aback as she is always hard at work to care for her daughter (Joan) and two young grandchildren (Keri and Jeni). Jane is extremely loyal and dedicated to her family and spends most days with them and exhibits how a positive lifestyle is led; working long hours, 6 sometimes 7 days a week. With Melissa providing help for her family, her grandchildren are able to maintain a healthy and stable lifestyle.

Her concern for others surpasses that of her own as she is goes well out of her way to care and sympathize for others. My own mother, who has always resided out of state, had very limited arm movement. Jane, with her professional experience in massage therapy, was able to massage my mother’s arm and provide information to help heal it. She consistently checked how my mother was doing along the healing process and is to thank for her recovery.

Jane’s selflessness extends beyond that of friends and family, as she has helped others in the community with issues ranging from personal, to health, to animals within need. Jane encountered a stray dog roaming her neighborhood with no identification. Having rescued numerous dogs over the years and two rescues of her own, she knew what needed to be done. Clearly having been mistreated, she immediately took the dog in to care for while searching for its owner. She contacted me and asked if I would adopt a mistreated dog, I accepted and Melissa has since regularly checked in on the rescued dog’s health and well-being.

It was definitely a surprise to have learned about Jane's charges and I personally understand the gravity of such charges and possible imprisonment time. Taking Jane away from her family and work will literally ruin them. As you may now know, she has important people in her life that rely on her for stability and positive reinforcement. Placing Jane in such an environment would do little for her family, the community and herself. Jane’s character is of a loving, caring, selfless, hardworking, and respectable person. I ask that Jane’s life and time with her family not be taken away and hope for the best outcome for this case.

Should any of the above statements need any further clarification please feel free to contact me via my mobile phone at ####

Sincerely,

Bob"

Please let me know what corrections can be made or how it can be better worded. Thank you in advance for your time and help