John Atchison
John David Roy Atchison | |
|---|---|
 Booking photo of Atchison taken by the Macomb County Sheriff's department | |
| Born | August 28, 1954 |
| Died | October 5, 2007 (aged 53) Milan, Michigan, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Suicide by hanging |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | J D "Roy" Atchison J.D. Roy Atchison Roy Atchison John D. Atchison |
| Alma mater | University of Florida Cumberland Law School |
| Occupation(s) | Prosecutor Attorney |
| Political party | Republican |
John David Roy Atchison (August 28, 1954 – October 5, 2007) was an American assistant U.S. Attorney in Florida's northern district who gained notoriety when he was arrested for suspicion of soliciting for sex with a 5-year-old girl. Atchison was arrested in a sex crime sting operation, and charged with "enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity using the Internet", "aggravated sexual abuse," and "traveling across state lines to have sex with someone under the age of 12". Atchison committed suicide by hanging himself in his prison cell in Milan, Michigan.
Early life and education
Atchison was born in 1954 and held a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and a law degree from Cumberland Law School at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.
Career
Atchison was admitted to the Florida Bar in June 1984[1] and the Georgia Bar in June 1985.[2] He worked in the U.S. Attorney's office in Pensacola, Florida,[3] working on tax and financial crime cases.[4] he was a member of the Republican Party.[5]
Legal issues and death
On September 16, 2007, Atchison was arrested at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport in a sex crime sting operation undertaken by the FBI and Macomb County. He was charged with "enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity using the Internet", "aggravated sexual abuse" and "traveling across state lines to have sex with someone under the age of 12".[6] At the time of his arrest, he was carrying presents for his intended victim, including a doll and a pair of earrings. Also in his possession was a jar of petroleum jelly. Following his arrest, he tried to kill himself via hanging with a sheet in his jail cell on September 20, 2007. Atchison had been removed from a suicide watch the previous day after assuring his lawyer and a judge that he would not harm himself. He was not injured in the suicide attempt, which another inmate reported about 4 a.m.[3]
On October 5, 2007, Atchison committed suicide by hanging himself in his prison cell in Milan, Michigan.[4][7]
Personal life
Atchison was married and had three children that lived in Gulf Breeze, near Pensacola.[8][9]
References
- ^ "John David Roy Atchison".
- ^ "Mr. John D Atchison". Archived from the original on May 10, 2007.
- ^ a b Bunkley, Nick (September 21, 2007). "Prosecutor Tries to Kill Himself After Arrest in Pedophile Case". The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- ^ a b "Fed Caught In Sex Sting Found Dead In Cell". CBS News. October 5, 2007.
- ^ "J. D. Roy Atchison".
- ^ http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/14132485/detail.html Archived January 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Abby Goodnough (October 6, 2007). "U.S. Prosecutor Held in a Child Sex Sting Kills Himself". The New York Times. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ^ Bunkley, Nick (September 21, 2007). "Prosecutor Attempts Suicide After Arrest in Pedophile Case". The New York Times. pp. A16.
- ^ Walter, G; Pridmore, S (2012). "Suicide and the Publicly Exposed Pedophile". The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences. 19 (4): 50–6. PMC 3629679. PMID 23613648.
- 1954 births
- 2007 deaths
- Florida lawyers
- People who committed suicide in prison custody
- Suicides by hanging in Michigan
- American people who died in prison custody
- Prisoners who died in United States federal government detention
- University of Florida alumni
- Cumberland School of Law alumni
- People from Gulf Breeze, Florida
- State and local political sex scandals in the United States
- 2007 suicides
- 20th-century American lawyers