DETROIT, Oct. 5, 2007
Fed Caught In Sex Sting Found Dead In Cell
U.S. Prosecutor Who Sought Sex With 5-Year-Old Girl Commits Suicide In Prison
-
In this photo released by the Macomb County Sheriffs Department, John David R. Atchison, 53, is shown in Mount Clemens, Mich, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007. (CBS)
-
Interactive Protecting Children Online What to say to your child about Web porn and online predators, and how to look for signs of porn on your PC. Plus: warning signs that an adult may be communicating with your child.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John D.R. Atchison was found unresponsive, taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead at 10:17 a.m., Federal Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Felicia Ponce said.
Atchison, of Gulf Breeze, Fla., was being held in a special housing unit in the prison, about 36 miles southwest of Detroit.
The administrative detention area houses all levels of prisoners, and Atchison had a cell to himself, Ponce said.
An investigation into his death is under way, she said.
He was charged with three felonies, the most serious of which was crossing state lines with intent to have sex with someone under 12. A conviction had carried a minimum of 30 years in prison.
A statement released Friday by his lawyer, James Thomas, said Atchison had “done a lot of good in his life.”
“Unfortunately, he is going to be judged by his most recent charges and what we have read in the media, and not by the goodness, hard work or by the love of his family.”
The statement also said Thomas would file a request to have the case dismissed.
Atchison had attempted to hang himself with a bedsheet last month in a Sanilac county jail, but another inmate alerted guards who stopped the suicide attempt. He later was taken by U.S. Marshals to the Milan prison.
Three days before that suicide attempt, Atchison had assured a judge he would not harm himself.
Quote
The married father of three was a respected figure who coached girls' softball and basketball in a park a few blocks from his Gulf Breeze home. His office was in Pensacola.“Unfortunately, he is going to be judged by his most recent charges and what we have read in the media, and not by the goodness, hard work or by the love of his family.”
James Thomas, Atchison's lawyerBut authorities say he had been communicating with an undercover sheriff's detective from Macomb County, Mich., who was posing online as the fictitious girl's mother and arranged for him to have sex with the child.
He was arrested Sept. 16 at Detroit Metro Airport carrying presents, including a doll and earrings, and sexual materials, officials said.
As a federal prosecutor, Atchison mostly worked on tax and financial crime cases. According to court records, it appears he never prosecuted child sex abuse cases.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Add a Comment See all 67 Comments
- KLEWT...THere libertariains though thier leader is tring mainstream with there support he has raised 5 million so I dought it''s going to go away but even I have to blast them out out every once in a while...I miss Ross Perot{?} to tell you he was right about most things especialy NAFTA as a billionare he would know.
- Reply to this comment
- VOTE RON PAUL FOR NEXT PRESIDENT............
- Reply to this comment
- I am so sick of these Ron Paul spammers. I wouldn''t vote for the man now (whoever he is??)no matter what his stand on the issues! There is an appropriate time and place for political debate. Spamming every site on the internet tells me his supporters are disrespectful, intrusive, and annoying. NOT a group I want to be a part of!
- Reply to this comment
- He sure wouldn''t have done himself in if he hadn''t been caught. What a double life some people lead..
- Reply to this comment
- voteforpaul...found out your a dimrod libertarian and you boys do this posting everywhere they will let you type you must be lonely and dellusional!!
- Reply to this comment
- Mr. Atchison Thanks for saving is Tax payers loads in court costs. Ohh and truthspeake2 He was hired during the Clinton Administration. Just another SICKO like former Democratic Congressman Barney Frank.
- Reply to this comment
- *** STOP THE WAR & END CORPORATE CORRUPTION ***
Who Is Paying For Your Vote To Keep Control Of You And To Keep This War Going? Remember The Bankers Hold The Stock In Companies That Are Getting Billions In War Contracts!
Obama''s Contributers: Bankers / Special interest!
http://tinyurl.com/2nd4f8
Hillary Clinton''s Contributers Lawyers / RealEstate:
http://tinyurl.com/2ontpq
Rudy GIULIANI Contributors: Bankers / Hedge Funds!
http://tinyurl.com/2m2c4n
Ron Pauls Money Is From the People! We have someone who is NOT Paid Off By Special Interest or Bankers Money!!!
http://tinyurl.com/2q8vr3
If you ever want this War to End Vote Ron Paul 2008, No One Else Is Going To End It!
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues
Ron Paul Will:
** Stop Iraq War Immediately
** Eliminate IRS
** Eliminate Federal Reserve
** Eliminate Government Wasteful Spending
** Restore America''s Work Force & Values
** Restore America''s Freedom!
RON PAUL RAISES $5.1 MILLION 3RD Q!
It''s Not About Democrat Or Republican. It Is About
the People And Ron Paul Is America''s Last Hope! Vote For Ron Paul To Preserve The USA For Your Children & Grand Children!
********* VOTE RON PAUL 2008! *********
Join A ReVoLuTiOn Group In Your City:
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/cities/ - Reply to this comment
- I''m sorry that the commenter earlier feels his suicide will leave a lasting scar on his victim, but I have to believe that the suicide will prevent future harm now that he is DEAD! Good riddance! It''s not that I want anyone to suffer, I just am glad he can''t hurt anyone else ever again!
My condolences to his family who were deceived and are in pain. - Reply to this comment
- "Yes Ma''''am, Madame President Clinton!"
Posted by JackSteen1 at 06:46 AM : Oct 06, 2007
Posting 2+pages of this *** doesn''t mean she will get it. A woman president is a good thing, just not her. - Reply to this comment
- F''ing coward! He couldn''t face what he had done to little children so he took the coward''s way out.
As a survivor of prolonged child sexual abuse, his decision to end his own life is only another blow to his victims. Now they cannot look him directly in the eyes and tell them what pain he has caused them. Empowerment over your abuser is a very critical part of moving from abuse victim to survivor. When he abused those children, they were powerless against him. Being able to face him while the tables are turned helps to replace the very necessary step of regaining personal empowerment. And that b*stard took that away from them, as well!
This b*stard had no problems DOING the abuse! He just couldn''t face he CONSEQUENCES of the abuse that HE caused!
Now his victims are left to live their entire lives with the pain of what he did to them while he didn''t even have the balls to live with his pain.
Absolute, f''ing b*strd coward! It is times like this that I do hope there is a hell. - Reply to this comment
- I would have have rather seen him get his just "rewards" in prison.
- Reply to this comment
- Fed Caught In *** Sting Found Dead In Cell
Good. - Reply to this comment
- "Unfortunately, he is going to be judged by his most recent charges and what we have read in the media, and not by the goodness, hard work or by the love of his family.%u201D
Too bad Adolph Hilter will be judged for the Holocost and not remembered for being a really nice guy to his nephews and nieces. Uncle Adolph brought such good presents.. - Reply to this comment
- Obviously, one less Republican...thanks for helping to make this country a slightly better place!
- Reply to this comment
- mh4cbs1, to funny and I agree with ya. However, crzmeat has a point. Look at where G.W. has brought this countries discourse. We should never let anyone like him, from any party, ever get elected again. As for the real story, at least he did the right thing. Maybe we should give people like this the option of suicide.
- Reply to this comment
- mh4cbs1...Yes your a raving lunatic you and JACKSTEEN are using the rape of a child to push your political agenda your sick perverts blaming this on rebublicans is without merit not funny and stupid you gurs are like birds that come and feast on a corpse. your ill and need mental help.Again this was about a victumized child not politics you pea brain,
- Reply to this comment
- This guy was as sick and disgusting as D*ick Cheney, who through his deliberate lies has caused the needless DEATH of 3,800 US soliders, a few hundred thousand Iraqis DEAD, and a couple million refuges.
So when will Cheney and Bush be held accountable for their sick and disgusting CRIMES of deliberately LYING our nation into Iraq??
JAIL BUSH JAIL CHENEY for their WAR CRIMES - Reply to this comment
- Well Said waynabq:
"If Bush raped a five year-0ld on National Television, Fox News, O''''reilly, Hannity and Limbaugh would spin it and say the five year old was dressed scantily and was "asking" for it.
The 28 percenters would bite hook , line and sinker and want the five year old put behind bars. You think I''''m kidding? Look at all that''''s happened with the WMD lies, Katrina, Abu Graib torture, secret prisons, $600 billion flushed down the toilet in Iraq, 4000 dead U.S. and 23,000 maimed U.S. troops; nearly a million dead Iraqis and 2.1 million more made homeless refugees. The recent veto on the Child health care plan while approving another $190 billion more for occupying the Iraq.
Bush is a lunatic moronic monkey worshipped by 28 percent of this country. What a freakin'''' pathetic pack of morons. " - Reply to this comment
- G.O.P.= Greedy Old Perverts
- Reply to this comment
- I don''t give a hoot about his party I''d dare say there as many liberal queers and child predators well maybe a few more republicans :-). But this was a scum looking to get his jollies on a little girl and I have no pity I know ladies that have been ruined by these animals. I don''t know about you folks but it''s time we clean up this mess capital punishment to these predators lets clean up this mess it''s time to quit talking and start doing. Save the children there are our only hope.
- Reply to this comment
