John David Roy Atchison
| John David Roy Atchison | |
|---|---|
 Booking photo of Atchison taken by the Macomb County Sheriff's department | |
| Died |
October 5, 2007 (aged 53) Milan, Michigan |
| 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 |
Prosecutor Attorney |
John David Roy Atchison (August 1954 – October 5, 2007) was an assistant U.S. Attorney in Florida's northern district who gained notoriety when he was arrested for suspicion of soliciting sex from a 5-year-old girl.
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]
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 Macomb County Sheriff's department.[5] 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".[5] 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][6]
Personal life
Atchison was married to, and had three children with, Barbara Atchison and lived in Gulf Breeze, near Pensacola.[7][8]
References
- ↑ "John David Roy Atchison".
- ↑ "Mr. John D Atchison". Archived from the original on May 10, 2007.
- 1 2 Bunkley, Nick (September 21, 2007). "Prosecutor Tries to Kill Himself After Arrest in Pedophile Case". The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- 1 2 "Fed Caught In Sex Sting Found Dead In Cell". CBS News. October 5, 2007.
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ "Suicide and the Publicly Exposed Pedophile". PubMed Central. Retrieved 14 September 2015.