UPDATE: Prosecutor Accused of Sex Attempt With 5-Year-Old Tries to Kill Himself

[dallasvic]

Prosecutor Accused of Sex Attempt With 5-Year-Old Tries to Kill Himself

DETROIT (AP) -- A federal prosecutor from Florida who authorities say flew to Michigan for an expected sexual encounter with a 5-year-old girl tried to hang himself in his jail cell Thursday but was stopped from harming himself, a sheriff said. It happened only 36 hours after a U.S. magistrate lifted a suicide watch for John D.R. Atchison, which was put in effect out of concern he might harm himself. Atchison assured U.S. Magistrate Virginia M. Morgan at a hearing Tuesday afternoon that he would not do so.
Atchison, 53, used a sheet in an attempted hanging about 4 a.m., Sanilac County Sheriff Virgil Strickler said.
Another inmate yelled out to jailers, who kept Atchison from hurting himself, Strickler said.
The 119-bed Sanilac County Jail is in Sandusky, about 75 miles north of Detroit, and U.S. marshals sometimes use it to house federal prisoners. Marshals moved him after the suicide attempt, the sheriff said.
"We called the marshals office and told them what had happened, and they said, `OK, we'll come and get him,"' Strickler said. Atchison's destination was not known.
Atchison, of Gulf Breeze, Fla., is an assistant U.S. attorney in northern Florida, based in Pensacola. He also is president of a youth sports association in his hometown.
Messages seeking comment were left by The Associated Press on Thursday for defense lawyer James C. Thomas, who argued Tuesday for lifting the suicide watch order for his client.
Thomas told The Detroit News that he felt "as bad about it as anyone."
"We all operate on the best of intentions," Thomas said. "At the time, I thought it was the right decision. Apparently, it was a mistake."
Atchison is charged with three felonies, the most serious of which is crossing state lines with intent to have sex with someone under 12. Conviction carries a minimum 30-year prison sentence and a maximum of life.
Atchison, a married father of three, is president of the Gulf Breeze Sports Association. The group runs youth baseball, softball, cheer leading, soccer, football and basketball programs. It said that it placed him on leave until the charges are resolved.

[kurro07]

If I were that guy (and im glad I'm not) I'd wanna kill myself too. Being a child molester in prison...... he's gonna get it if convicted that is.

[dallasvic]

If I were that guy (and im glad I'm not) I'd wanna kill myself too. Being a child molester in prison...... he's gonna get it if convicted that is.

Hi K07,

I agree. I do not want him to take the easy way out. He needs to be used as an example.:cuss: You can't do this to our kids:no:

[wind149]

He offed himself in the jail in Milan MI. He was found in his cell at 10:17 am. unresponsive and declared dead on arrival at hospital!!! One less dirtbag pedophile on the planet!!! One less piece of dog crap they have to spend money defending him. As a prosecutor, he knew what he was gonna face for this disgusting act,, he knew he could be attacked just for who he is and then gang raped for being a scumbag who wanted to have sex with a child. The report is at FOX NEWS. I had to gag when a co-worker says "he did a lot of good in his life and it is a shame he will only be remembered for this" What a moron!! It is bad enough when you have scumbags like Couey and Duncan, but it really turns my stomach when it is someone like him, a respected law man, the priests, the teachers, the parents. In Fla today alone at TampaBAy10.com there were two reports of sex abuse, one was a youth pastor and the other was a big wig charged with child porn. These reports came out within hours of each other, I open my papers back home in New England and some scumbag was trying to lure boys in the rest room of a McDonald's and actually fondled one. This piece of s**t spent 10 years in a MA jail for rape of a boy and had only recently got out and moved to NH, failed to register of course!! Some talking head probably told P&P he was "cured" He spent ten years waiting to get out to do it again. Now he faces life, should he have gotten life when he raped a boy ten years ago???? No, they let him out, basically unsupervised, told to register, and not live near kids, and no further action taken and now there is a 7 year old boy wondering what the hell just happened to him!!! MAKES ME SO PISSED OFF!!! So as far as I am concerned Atchison offing himself was a good thing, even though I would have liked to see him get put in gen pop for 50 years. See, I knew his plan. In the Macomb county jail, he felt threatened by the other inmates as he had a roomie ,and figured when he tried to off himself after he was arrested, he would get put somewhere else, with his own cell for HIS SAFETY. And the prick, arrogant right to the bitter end, He was not going to do the time. It does not say how he did it, but who cares??? MI don't cotton with these scumbags ,they put them away here. They have Jessie's Law in place as well as the Child Protection Act and would have been put away for so long his probation officer's parents would not have been born yet! So ,Yeah MI!!!

[dallasvic]

He offed himself in the jail in Milan MI. He was found in his cell at 10:17 am. unresponsive and declared dead on arrival at hospital!!! One less dirtbag pedophile on the planet!!! One less piece of dog crap they have to spend money defending him. As a prosecutor, he knew what he was gonna face for this disgusting act,, he knew he could be attacked just for who he is and then gang raped for being a scumbag who wanted to have sex with a child. The report is at FOX NEWS. I had to gag when a co-worker says "he did a lot of good in his life and it is a shame he will only be remembered for this" What a moron!! It is bad enough when you have scumbags like Couey and Duncan, but it really turns my stomach when it is someone like him, a respected law man, the priests, the teachers, the parents. In Fla today alone at TampaBAy10.com there were two reports of sex abuse, one was a youth pastor and the other was a big wig charged with child porn. These reports came out within hours of each other, I open my papers back home in New England and some scumbag was trying to lure boys in the rest room of a McDonald's and actually fondled one. This piece of s**t spent 10 years in a MA jail for rape of a boy and had only recently got out and moved to NH, failed to register of course!! Some talking head probably told P&P he was "cured" He spent ten years waiting to get out to do it again. Now he faces life, should he have gotten life when he raped a boy ten years ago???? No, they let him out, basically unsupervised, told to register, and not live near kids, and no further action taken and now there is a 7 year old boy wondering what the hell just happened to him!!! MAKES ME SO PISSED OFF!!! So as far as I am concerned Atchison offing himself was a good thing, even though I would have liked to see him get put in gen pop for 50 years. See, I knew his plan. In the Macomb county jail, he felt threatened by the other inmates as he had a roomie ,and figured when he tried to off himself after he was arrested, he would get put somewhere else, with his own cell for HIS SAFETY. And the prick, arrogant right to the bitter end, He was not going to do the time. It does not say how he did it, but who cares??? MI don't cotton with these scumbags ,they put them away here. They have Jessie's Law in place as well as the Child Protection Act and would have been put away for so long his probation officer's parents would not have been born yet! So ,Yeah MI!!!
\

Hi Wind,
Do you have a link to the story? I would love to read it .This make me sooooooooooooo MAD. He took the easy way out:flamemad:

[wind149]

Dallas,
Front page news on Fox News.com and the Detroit Free Press.com. Makes my day!!!:beer:

[dallasvic]

Dallas,
Front page news on Fox News.com and the Detroit Free Press.com. Makes my day!!!:beer:

Thanks , i googled it and found them. It really upset me that he took his own life. I am sure he would not have lived long in prison.

[One2Snoop]

What a coward :flamemad: I can't imagine he didn't know what he'd face if he was caught, not in today's world. Here's the latest update....

Prosecutor jailed on child sex charges commits suicide
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.

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