A Zealous Prosecutor of Drug Criminals Becomes One Himself

New York Times ^ | February 14, 2005 | RALPH BLUMENTHAL

[Scenic Sounds]

PAMPA, Tex., Feb. 9 - No one prosecuted the war on drugs in the Texas Panhandle more zealously than Richard James Roach. As the blustery and hot-tempered Republican district attorney for five counties overrun with methamphetamines, he had eked out an election victory in 2000 vowing a crackdown and was soon gleefully reeling off the harsh sentences he had wrung from juries: 36 years, 38 years, 40 years, 60 years, 75 years - even 99 years. "I think it's quite clear that the good citizens of this district are fed up with drugs," he said.

He had barely missed riding the issue to victory in an earlier race. "My campaign is centered around doing something with the dope dealers," he told a local newspaper in 1996, complaining that "it's kind of hard to fight drugs when you've got dirty law enforcement."

But of all the quarry brought down by drugs in the district's 4,600 square miles of achingly flat oil fields and cattle rangeland northeast of Amarillo, the biggest by far was the stunned figure clapped into handcuffs by F.B.I. agents in the Gray County courthouse here one morning last month: the $101,000-a-year prosecutor himself, Rick Roach.

[Scenic Sounds]

"I just sort of, you might say, went nuts; I made irrational and wrong decisions," he said . . .

[bassmaner]

WOD ping

[Mr. K]

oooooooh he is going to have a hard life in prison

[ClintonBeGone]

This article is sure to warm the hearts of the pro-drup crowd.

[ClintonBeGone]

That should be pro-drug.

[One Proud Dad]

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Small town DA's have enormous power and are relatively unchecked except for elections in which most people just see the bottom line numbers.

[Stone Mountain]

he had eked out an election victory in 2000 vowing a crackdown and was soon gleefully reeling off the harsh sentences he had wrung from juries: 36 years, 38 years, 40 years, 60 years, 75 years - even 99 years. "

So he gets sentenced in a few months and I'm sure he gets a slap on the wrist. And of course, he'll be begging for mercy like all of the other drug addicts who he put in prison for the rest of their lives... I hope he gets as much mercy as he was willing to give.

[goldstategop]

Roach, huh? The name sorta fits. This is straight out of "The Dukes Of Hazzard." J.D Hogg would be proud of this boy's gumption. He nearly got away with it.

Denny Crane: "There are two places to find the truth. First God and then Fox News."

[thoughtomator]

*Disclaimer - this is not an endorsement of vigilantism

However, it would be divine justice to see him killed in jail by some of the drug users he put there. 99 years for using a drug, that's not justice, that's fascism.

[Wolfie]

Karma ping.

[coloradan]

Pro-drug and pro-freedom are not the same thing.

[MisterRepublican]

And dopers of the world rejoice!

[Wolfie]

However, it would be divine justice to see him killed in jail by some of the drug users he put there.

Doubful. He pled guilty to possesion of a firearm while being a drug user. Three other charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement, including possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Those charges could have brought an additional 41 years and $2.25 million in fines.

So it goes for the wealthy and well-connected.

[mugs99]

This article is sure to warm the hearts of the pro-drup crowd.

Just one more WOD crook. You like to call anyone who opposes the corrupt WOD pro drug. When will dupes wake up to the fact that the WOD is a corrupt criminal assault on the Constitution? The WOD protects drug dealers and the criminals like this guy who support them. This guy wasn't protecting your children...He was getting rid of the competition!
...

[jmc813]

to Scenic Sounds; Dane; Cultural Jihad

Dane was a bad boy and is currently on a time-out from FR.

[Scenic Sounds]

And dopers of the world rejoice!

From the article:

In a chain of events that Mr. Roach said in an interview "makes absolutely no sense," he injected himself with methamphetamine in the presence of his office secretary, who was secretly working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration and who, he has since learned, was wired with a hidden recorder.

[muggs]

Damn, this pisses me off.

[Wolfie]

DAs don't go down hard. Its like the guy busted last month with "distribution" quantities of weed. They pinned it on his wife, and let him off the hook.

[ClintonBeGone]

Dane was a bad boy and is currently on a time-out from FR.

Thats ok, there are still plenty of sane folks around to take on the pro-druggies.

[MileHi]

He pled guilty to possesion of a firearm while being a drug user.

Then will he be sentanced under Project Exile guidelines? He deserves it more than many others who have.