John Atchison

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Booking photo of John Atchison taken by the Macomb County Sheriff's department
Booking photo of John Atchison taken by the Macomb County Sheriff's department

John David R. 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.

Atchison was born in 1954 and held both a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and a law degree from Cumberland Law School at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in June 1984[1] and the Georgia Bar in June 1985.[2] Since the late 1980s, he worked in the U.S. Attorney's office in Pensacola, Florida,[3] working on tax and financial crime cases.[4] He was married to and had three children with Barbara Atchison and lived in Gulf Breeze, near Pensacola.[5]

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.[6] 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".[3] 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 commit suicide via hanging 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.[7]

On October 5, 2007, Atchison committed suicide in his prison cell.[8]

[edit] References

  1. ^ John David Roy Atchison.
  2. ^ Mr. John D Atchison.
  3. ^ a b Wernowsky, Kris (September 18, 2007). Atchison Indicted. Pensacola New Journal.
  4. ^ Nelson, Melissa (September 21, 2007). Prosecutor's arrest worries Florida town. Associated Press.
  5. ^ Bunkley, Nick (September 21, 2007), “Prosecutor Attempts Suicide After Arrest in Pedophile Case”, The New York Times: A16 
  6. ^ Arboscello, Christy (September 18, 2007). Hearing for federal prosecutor accused in sex sting delayed. Detroit Free Press.
  7. ^ Prosecutor Tries to Kill Himself After Arrest in Pedophile Case. The New York Times (September 21, 2007).
  8. ^ Fed Caught In Sex Sting Found Dead In Cell. CBS News (October 5, 2007).