John David Roy Atchison (August 28, 1954 – October 5, 2007) was an American assistant U.S. Attorney in Florida's northern district who was arrested on suspicion of soliciting sex with a 5-year-old girl. He was also a volunteer coach for girls' softball and basketball teams, and president of a youth sports association. He was arrested in a

sex crime Sex and the law deals with the regulation by law of human sexual activity. Sex laws vary from one place or jurisdiction to another, and have varied over time. Unlawful sexual acts are called sex crimes. Some laws regarding sexual activity are ...

sting operation In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person attempting to commit a crime. A typical sting will have an undercover law enforcement officer, detective, or co-operative member of the public play a role ...

, 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 Suicide by hanging is the intentional killing of oneself (suicide) via suspension from an anchor-point such as an overhead beam or hook, by a rope or cord or by jumping from a height with a noose around the neck. Hanging is often considered ...

himself in his prison cell in Milan, Michigan, three weeks later.

Early life and education

Atchison earned a bachelor's degree from the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

degree from

Samford University Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama. In 1841, the university was founded as Howard College by Baptists. Samford University describes itself as the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United St ...

Cumberland Law School in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% f ...

. Early on, he lived in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal c ...

Career

Atchison was admitted to the Florida Bar in June 1984, and to the Georgia Bar in June 1985. He worked as an Assistant

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

federal prosecutor in the

U.S. Attorney's Office United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

, in northern Florida, working primarily on tax and financial crime cases. He was also a volunteer coach for girls’ softball and basketball teams in his hometown of

Gulf Breeze, Florida Gulf Breeze is a city in Santa Rosa County, Florida. It is a suburb of Pensacola, and is in the Pensacola Metropolitan Area. The population estimate was 6,900 in 2020. Gulf Breeze is located just north of Pensacola Beach, and south of Pensa ...

, and president of a youth sports association there, the Gulf Breeze Athletic Association. In the association, girls as young as 4 could participate in a soccer program, and its programs included cheerleading, basketball, football, soccer, and softball.

Arrest

On September 16, 2007, Atchison was arrested at the

Detroit Metropolitan Airport Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport, or simply DTW, is a major international airport in the United States covering effective December 30, 2021. in Romulus, Michigan. It is the primary ...

in a

undertaken by the FBI and the Macomb County Sheriff's Department. Authorities said that he had chatted online for two weeks with an undercover detective posing as a mother offering to let men have sex with her young daughter. He wrote that he wanted to have oral, vaginal, and anal sex with the girl. Atchison promised that he would not hurt the girl during sex, writing: “I’m always gentle and loving ... I’ve done it plenty." At the time of his arrest, he was carrying presents for his intended victim, including a doll and a pair of hoop earrings. Also in his possession was a jar of

petroleum jelly Petroleum jelly, petrolatum, white petrolatum, soft paraffin, or multi-hydrocarbon, CAS number 8009-03-8, is a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons (with carbon numbers mainly higher than 25), originally promoted as a topical ointment for its h ...

that he planned to use in the sexual encounter. He was charged with three felonies. They were: "enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity using the Internet", "aggravated

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

," and "traveling across state lines to have sex with a child under the age of 12".

Suicide

Two weeks after his arrest, Atchison tried to kill himself by hanging himself with a bed sheet in his jail cell in the Sanilac County Jail in

Sandusky, Michigan Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,679 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sanilac County. Geography * According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. * It is ...

, about 75 miles north of Detroit, on September 20, 2007. Atchison had been removed from a

suicide watch Suicide watch (sometimes shortened to SW) is an intensive monitoring process used to ensure that any person cannot attempt suicide. Usually the term is used in reference to inmates or patients in a prison, hospital, psychiatric hospital or militar ...

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. On October 5, 2007, Atchison committed

himself in his one-person prison cell in the special housing unit, for prisoners separated from the general population, of a prison in Milan, Michigan, about 36 miles southwest of Detroit, where he was on suicide watch. He was 53 years old.

Personal life

Atchison was married and had three children, and he and his family lived in

, near Pensacola.

References

External links

''Atchison v. Cruz''; "Report and Recommendation"
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, Case No. 10-10545, Gerald Rosen, District Judge, R. Steven Whalen, Magistrate Judge, January 24, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Atchison, John David R. 1954 births 2007 deaths People from Chapel Hill, North Carolina People from Pensacola, Florida People from Gulf Breeze, Florida United States Attorneys for the Northern District of Florida Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers People who committed suicide in prison custody People charged with sex crimes 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 2007 suicides 20th-century American lawyers