Prosecutor jailed on child sex charges commits suicide

[mvccd1000]

From the Detroit Free Press:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?Dato=20071005&Kategori=NEWS06&Lopenr=71005048&Ref=AR&imw=Y

-----------------------------------------------

October 5, 2007

By DAVID ASHENFELTER

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

J.D. Roy Atchison, the federal prosecutor from Florida who was jailed two weeks ago after allegedly flying to Detroit to have sex with a child, committed suicide, authorities said today.

He hanged himself this morning at the federal prison in Milan, where he was taken after trying to commit suicide last month at Sanilac County Jail, authorities said.

Officials said Atchison, 53, of Gulf Breeze, Fla., had been housed in solitary confinement and was under close supervision, adding that he had shown no signs of despondency.

-----------------------------------------------

[MADem]

1. I am unable to muster any empathy. He was after a five year old, so he thought.

Creepy looking feller, too.

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. Hmm... no presumption of innocence? nt

[cali]

5. None from me. Nor am I under any obligation to

do so. Presumption of Innocence is a legal principle, not one that applies outside in the real world. I've read enough to conclude that he was guilty of being a predator of very young children. Having said that, i believe it's negligence on the part of prison authorities. He'd attempted suicide before.

[Smarmie Doofus]

7. Please tell me you don't do jury duty. nt

[MADem]

10. That's a rather goofy thing to say to Cali. Or anyone, in this circumstance.

Having fun up on that soap box?

This is an internet discussion board, where people put forth their OPINIONS.

Anyone who has to wait for the prosecutor and defense to speak before giving a personal opinion on a newspaper article is precisely the person I wouldn't WANT on a jury--because they have no fucking common sense!! They're excessively rigid, unable to "deliberate" outside of a specific setting. The WORST possible juror, really.

But really--in case you didn't know--this forum ain't a jury box, and we're under no obligation to follow guidelines from a nonexistent judge. I sure don't hear a judge giving us instruction on how to deliberate....if you do, you might want to seek help...

[cali]

13. Assinine thing to say.

I've twice been on a jury. And listened to the judge's instructions, and taken my duty seriously. DU is not a court room. Or hadn't you noticed?

[Smarmie Doofus]

22. I'd say you're pretty quick with your judgments. nt

[cali]

33. And I'd say I was well informed. Why are you bothering to

go out of your way to defend this guy. I find that strange.

[Smarmie Doofus]

36. "Well informed". On the basis of *this*?

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?Dato=20071005&Kategori=NEWS06&Lopenr=71005048&Ref=AR&imw=Y

It's 10 paragraphs. Most of the paragraphs consist of one and *only* one sentence. Reported exclusively from the prosecutor's POV. On a commercial media outlet.

"Well informed".


>>Why are you bothering to
go out of your way to defend this guy. I find that strange.>>

Your premise is wrong. I haven't "defended the guy". ( I'm also not going out of my way, BTW) I've questioned the rush to judgment re. the case on your part and other contributors to the thread.

>>> I find that strange>>

Really? How and why?

[cali]

38. What makes you think that that's all I've read about this case.

Clue: It's not.

[Smarmie Doofus]

40. So the answer to my question: "On the basis of this?" is....

...."no, not on the basis of this alone but also on the basis of....".

It's not a snark contest, or shouldn't be. We're all adults here. ( I've got my fingers crossed.)

Feel free to fill in the blank and maybe we can shed some light on this otherwise impenetrable darkness.

[cali]

42. There have been numerous stories about

Atchinson. They contain such info as this:

<snip>

From Aug. 31 to Sept. 13, Atchison chatted online “almost daily” with the sheriff’s detective posing as the mother of the girl Atchison planned to have sex with, according to an FBI affidavit.

During at least one point in his discussion with the undercover officer, Atchison implies that he had had sex with a child before.

“I can be absolutely sure (I won’t hurt her); just gotta go slow and very easy is how; I’ve done it plenty,” the affidavit says.

<snip>

http://community.emeraldcoast.com/articles/atchison_18634___article.html/page_myspace.html/

And this:

<snip>

The F.B.I., which is working with Macomb County in the investigation, said that in one of his last e-mail exchanges with the undercover agent, Mr. Atchison told her to tell her daughter that “you found her a sweet boyfriend who will bring her presents.”

<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/us/29florida.html?ref=us

He was caught at the airport on his way to meet a child he thought he was purchasing for sex. They have evidence in his own words. I feel comfortable deciding that he was a sick man who had no qualms about sexually assaulting a child.

[Smarmie Doofus]

57. Let's stick with the Times account as probably the most reliable:

You place a great deal of credence in allegations that are preceded by qualifications such as " "The authorities there ( Detroit) said...."; "The police in Michigan said..."; "The FBI said..."

You know... I'm pretty sure.. that "the authorities", the "police" and "the FBI" have been known to ,( on occasion) let's say, *exaggerate* evidence in high profile cases where they have an unsympathetic suspect whom they genuinely believe ( or have convinced themselves to believe) to to be a danger to the public. Then there's the *excitement* of being involved in a lurid, high profile prosecution. Lot's of potential motivation for mischief at the prosecutorial end, right off the bat.

In some cases it may be a case of 'framing a guilty man'. Perhaps Atchinson is such a case, perhaps not. We'll never know. You're 'comfortable' with that; I'm not.



>>He was caught at the airport on his way to meet a child he thought he was purchasing for sex.
They have evidence in his own words.
I feel comfortable deciding that he was a sick man who had no qualms about sexually assaulting a child.>>

So let's consider some *improbabilities* ( no, I'm not trying a case in court; I'm merely suggesting that due caution... in the sense of *logic* and *reason* be applied.) in the story as reported. The Times account is all about the IMPROBABILITIES. Once you get past the 3 or four " The authorities said"s.

So I would suggest re-reading this with a more critical eye:


GULF BREEZE, Fla., Sept. 25 — To neighbors here, J. D. Roy Atchison was a deft federal prosecutor, an involved father and a devoted volunteer, coaching girls’ softball and basketball teams year in and year out.
Skip to next paragraph

J.D. Roy Atchison.

His wife is a popular science teacher; his youngest daughter, an honors student who was on her high school homecoming court last year. Their house, with rocking chairs on the porch, oaks in the yard and a wrought-iron fence, is among the prettiest in town.

But in an instant last week, the community pillar became an object of community loathing. Mr. Atchison, 53, was arrested getting off a plane in Detroit on Sept. 16 and charged with the unthinkable. The authorities there said he was carrying a doll and petroleum jelly, and that he had arranged with an undercover agent to have sex with a 5-year-old girl.

Now Mr. Atchison is awaiting trial in a federal prison in Michigan, and the people of Gulf Breeze, an affluent bayside suburb in the Florida Panhandle, are outraged, baffled and repulsed.

“He had an excellent reputation,” said Barry Beroset, a criminal defense lawyer in Pensacola who has known Mr. Atchison for 15 years. “He was very businesslike and appeared to be a very good man, no question about it.”

Ronald Johnson, a defense lawyer in Pensacola who has worked with Mr. Atchison, described him as “fairly intellectual,” adding, “Sometimes he was a little eccentric, but nothing perverted or weird. Just a little different.”

Pressed, Mr. Johnson could not elaborate. In fact, no one could describe Mr. Atchison in a way that transcended generalities. In interviews around this town of 6,450, the phrase “nice guy” came up a lot. Edwin A. Eddy, the city manager, said he was “no more charismatic than anybody else” and “not any quieter or more gregarious than anyone else.”

Mr. Eddy said he had scoured his memory for any clue that Mr. Atchison, who he said seemed “as straight as they come,” was not.

“I constantly think about all the interactions I had with Mr. Atchison over the years,” said Mr. Eddy, who coached softball with him, “and I think, ‘Should I have been able to see something?’ ”

What the authorities saw in the Internet sting operation that led to Mr. Atchison’s arrest was a man who led a second life as “fldaddy04,” the moniker on a Yahoo profile traced to him. “I adore everything about young girls,” the profile says, “how they talk, think, act, walk, look.”
>
The police in Michigan said Mr. Atchison had been chatting online for two weeks with an undercover detective for the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department, who posed as a mother offering to let men have sex with her young daughter. When she expressed concern that sex could injure the girl, according to court documents, Mr. Atchison responded, “I’m always gentle and loving; not to worry; no damage ever; no rough stuff ever ever.”

He added, “I’ve done it plenty.”

People here found that statement especially chilling, though the Gulf Breeze Police Department said that so far, no one here has come forward with accusations of abuse.

“There’s so many unanswered questions,” said Deputy Police Chief Robert Randle. “So many people had children involved with him. But unless somebody steps forward and lodges a complaint, we have nothing to go on.”

Mr. Atchison has worked at the small United States Attorney’s Office in Pensacola since the 1980s, most recently handling asset forfeitures in criminal cases as an assistant United States attorney. In one high-profile case, Mr. Atchison oversaw the government seizure of a popular beach bar at the center of a cocaine-trafficking ring.

His is considered one of the most conservative United States attorney’s offices in the country, known for refusing plea agreements and seeking the stiffest sentences.

Mr. Johnson said Mr. Atchison was close with the other prosecutors in his office, going with some on an annual lobster-diving trip in the Florida Keys. A big white fishing boat sat in his otherwise-empty driveway this week. His interests, according to the Yahoo profile that the police said was his, include “surfing, skiing, diving, boating, young girls, petite girls, skinny girls.”

* 1
* 2

Next P

[Smarmie Doofus]

58. And I'd nominate this as the most glaring "improbability."

>>People here found that statement especially chilling, though the Gulf Breeze Police Department said that so far, no one here has come forward with accusations of abuse.

“There’s so many unanswered questions,” said Deputy Police Chief Robert Randle. “So many people had children involved with him. But unless somebody steps forward and lodges a complaint, we have nothing to go on.”>>

No complaints lodged . And he's been there since 1980-what?!

[MADem]

9. The Dora The Explorer doll, the PETROLEUM jelly, the emails between

him and what he thought was the mother of a five year old girl....

Normally, I go for that presumption. But by his own suicide, he pretty much convicted himself. That noose was a guilty plea.

I have no time or temperament for child molesters. And certainly no sympathy.

[Smarmie Doofus]

21. Sorry. Don't wanna make you mad again, but....

... you're jumping to conclusions.

You're basing all of the above... far as i know ...on a MSM account, 10 paragraphs in length... the majority of which ( paragraphs) are ONE SENTENCE in length.

That's why we have a court system. The "evidence" is held-up to scrutiny. Sometimes it withstands the scrutiny... sometimes it does NOT.

Re. suicide: (assuming it was suicide): might be evidence of guilt; might , OTOH, be evidence of severe depression and/or fear of being singled out in prison by other inmates as an *accused* child molester and/or former prosecutor.

[MADem]

28. Yes, I AM jumping to conclusions.

And I, unlike you, apparently, fully realize that my conclusions have NO FORCE OF LAW.

See, I know the difference between an INTERNET DISCUSSION BOARD and a COURT OF LAW.

You might work at divining the difference, yourself--see, I actually DO know why we have courts of law, there, Professor. And I actually know the difference between one and a website where people chew the fat about the events of the day, and put their two cents in.

You apprently can't make the distinction.

But hey, if you're unable to discuss this topic because there's no judge here, you haven't gone through jury selection and been seated, and we haven't heard from the prosecution or defense, well, why the hell are you bothering to stick your beak in at all?

You're the only one who seems hung up on being unable to discuss this without a full trial (of a dead guy).

Of COURSE we're basing all of this on the newspaper article--that is what we're DISCUSSING, see? News reports, current events...

:eyes:

You must win the Dilbert Downer Award at any coffee shop you wander into!!! What an attitude....

[Smarmie Doofus]

37. You're so bitter. Are you in pain?

"Jump to conclusions" to your heart's content. Just don't expect anyone here with half a brain to take anything you say seriously.

[MADem]

52. Not at all--are you projecting? Sure seems that way.

See, I know the difference between a discussion forum and a courtroom, there, professor. You might want to sort that out in your OWN mind.

Anyone with half a brain ought to be able to manage that.

Seriously.

[MADem]

53. ,,,

[Blue_Roses]

45. "jumping to conclusions"?

It's pretty obvious the guy was guilty.

[Nimrod2005]

46. NO, fuck that

[Xenotime]

20. the ass was guilty. He just took the easy way out.

[rzemanfl]

3. Make no mistake, he was ALLOWED to commit suicide. n/t

[BadgerLaw2010]

11. Or killed outright. Strangulation hanging is a very unpleasant way to die.

The goal in hanging executions, at least once they cared about unconsciousness, was to break the neck via the drop. It's rather unlikely any jailhouse method short of jumping off a tier will produce that result.

[rzemanfl]

34. Are you a first-year student at UW law? If so, I was in your shoes

at this time of year in 1968.

[BadgerLaw2010]

35. Yep, I am. My hand hurts from midterms. n/t

[mentalsolstice]

41. Lucky you, at least you have mid-terms

All we ever had was finals...one shot to make a good grade.

[rzemanfl]

44. Yeah, I don't remember any mid-terms either. I remember getting

drunk with a bunch of other first year students after our first final, we were all sure we were going straight to 'Nam after that test (except for the women). I got a 92-go figure.

[mentalsolstice]

49. Well, I went law school in the late 80s

Graduated in '90, but there were a lot of changes even when I went. When I entered, 3rd years were courted with plane tickets, expensive hotels with jacuzzis, champaign, etc. Three years later (under Poppy Bush), to get an interview you had to already pass the state bar exam, pay for your travel, board, and you were still treated like a criminal. I had one law firm (in a small city) suggest in their rejection letter that I had done something criminal during my interview...I had paid for my transportation, stayed with my grandparents overnight, had a one hour interview with the partners (which I had many interviews under these circumstances). However, in this one particular rejection letter, the wording was "we no longer wish to have any contact with you".

Fortunately, my focus has always been non-profit, and I always interviewed very well for those jobs...

[rzemanfl]

56. Law school was much less competitive when I went. Now I

understand they even make you go to class. I quit the profession almost eleven years ago and don't miss it.

[rzemanfl]

43. When I was there I hurt elsewhere from all the sex I was getting

in the swinging '60s. Times change. Good luck, too bad we no longer have a functioning judicial system.

[Octafish]

30. Ends the chance of him talking at trial about others who share his interests.

Even with this big shot's passing, there still appears to be a lot of perversion in the GOP.

[Katherine Brengle]

4. Child RAPE, not "child sex."

Seriously.

[BoneDaddy]

55. Amen

Great point.

[glowing]

6. Well, I suppose he saved the tax payers a lot of money.

[Heidi]

8. Not necessarily. He was on suicide watch when he killed himself.

His survivors could very well seek a civil remedy that could be quite costly to taxpayers.

[MADem]

12. He was? Where did you hear that?? It isn't in the article.

Officials said Atchison, 53, of Gulf Breeze, Fla., had been housed in solitary confinement and was under close supervision, adding that he had shown no signs of despondency.

[cali]

15. He attempted suicide about a week before

and was found before he could achieve it. I'll try and find a link.

[Heidi]

17. Morning, cali!

Here's the link: http://www.local6.com/news/14279166/detail.html

:hi:

[cali]

18. Thanks so much Heidi.

And good morning to you. It's gorgeous day here, I'm about to go down to the Grange bake and book sale. Hope you have a wonderful day.

[Heidi]

19. Unseasonably warm here, too.

Would be a beautiful day to go down to Italy, but I can't face the Saturday afternoon shopping crowds. :scared:

Have fun at the book sale, especially. *envy*

[MADem]

24. Heidi provided one...how strange is that? The Free Press piece goes out of its way

to say the guy showed no signs of despondency.

[Heidi]

27. The most recent AP coverage says Atchison assured a US Magistrate that he wouldn't harm himself,

and the US Magistrate lifted suicide watch was lifted at the request of the defense.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5icZT2eJIwU5VjIl_EPmFCLPSSu4AD8S3FM900

ETA: He apparently tried to hang himself two days after the suicide watch was lifted. No idea whether the suicide watch was then reinstated after the suicide attempt.

[Heidi]

16. Here:

"John D.R. Atchison, 53, was put on suicide watch after he used a bed sheet in an attempted suicide in September."
http://www.local6.com/news/14279166/detail.html

[MADem]

23. Isn't that odd, that this fact isn't in the Free Press piece at all? And is refuted, really? NT

[Heidi]

26. The AP story says the suicide watch was lifted at the request of the defense,

so I stand corrected: he apparently was not on suicide watch when he successfully killed himself.

"After his arrest Atchison was placed on suicide watch, but it was lifted at the request of the defense, after Atchison assured a U.S. magistrate he wouldn't harm himself."
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5icZT2eJIwU5VjIl_EPmFCLPSSu4AD8S3FM900

[MADem]

29. Hmmm...

It does sound like he pled Guilty by Noose, then, if he had his lawyer/himself take that step.

[havocmom]

47. good info here

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/us/06suicide.html?ex=1192334400&en=979b130677bcd0be&ei=5043&partner=EXCITE

[rug]

51. Absolutely correct. And when the charges are dismissed his federal pension should be intact.

[Nimrod2005]

14. I like happy endings

[shadowknows69]

25. May flights of devils carry him to a proper Hell

"and that's all I have to say about that."
-Gump

[cgrindley]

31. Good (nt)

[geek_sabre]

32. Good riddance

I hope his family finds the strength to cope with this whole situation.

[mwb970]

39. It's unfair, but when I read something like this I think "Republican".

Few of the articles I've seen mention Atchison's background or politics.

{Atchison's} was considered one of the most conservative United States
attorney’s offices in the country, known for refusing plea agreements
and seeking the stiffest sentences.

John David Roy Atchison was an assistant U.S. Attorney in Florida, and
according to the posters at DailyKos is a registered Republican:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/9/17/161247/155

Read more here.

[opihimoimoi]

50. Its a related Disorder...Pubs and Pervies....

[girl gone mad]

48. I think it's too bad.

From statements he made during the sting, he had raped little girls before. I guess he his secrets to the grave and denied those girls a chance to get help.

[BoneDaddy]

54. Oh well

sorry can't even muster up an ounce of compassion.