Rod Jetton
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Rod Jetton (born September 9, 1967) is an American politician, author, and businessman. He was a Republican member of the
Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...
who represented
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
's 156th District from 2001 to 2009 and was
Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives Speakers of the Missouri House of Representatives are (listed by year they assumed office): * 1820 James Caldwell Democratic-Republican - St. Genevieve * 1821 Henry S. Geyer Democratic-Republican - St. Louis * 1826 Alexander Stuart Democrat ...
from 2005 to 2009. Jetton has authored four books about biblical teachings and how to recover from personal crisis.


Personal

Jetton is a member of
Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States Armed Forces, United States war veterans who fought in wars, Military campaign, campaig ...
(VFW) Post 5900, the
American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...
,
Farm Bureau The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), more informally called the American Farm Bureau (AFB) or simply the Farm Bureau, is a United States–based 501(c)(5) tax-exempt agricultural organization and lobbying group. Headquartered in Wash ...
,
National Rifle Association of America The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...
and
National Federation of Independent Business The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is an association of small businesses in the United States. It is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. The stated goal of NFIB ...
. The Bollinger County Chamber of Commerce gave him the "One Year VIP Business Achievement Award" in 1998 for his leadership and service to the community. He was married to the former Cassandra (Cassie) James from 1988 until their divorce in October 2009. He has three children, Callie, Elaine and Will. Jetton told ''The Southeast Missourian'' newspaper in July 2011 that he had remarried and is working for
civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...
company in
Poplar Bluff, Missouri Poplar Bluff is a city in Butler County, Missouri, Butler County in southeastern Missouri, United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as "The Gateway to the Ozarks" among other names. The population was 16,225 at the 2020 ...
. He also serves as a contributing blogger for a political website, The Recovering Politician, and has written several books. In 2017, Jetton moved to
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
to pursue a Master of Arts degree at the
University of Macedonia The University of Macedonia (UoM; , ΠΑΜΑΚ, ''Panepistímio Makedonías'', PAMAK) is a public university in Thessaloniki, Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, Greece. Founded as School of Higher Industrial Studies of Thessaloniki (in Greek Langua ...
. The master's program focused on the politics and economics of eastern and southeastern
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
with sections on the how refugees are impacting the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
Jetton is a member of the evangelical Christian group,
Gideons International Gideons International is an evangelical Christian association for men founded in 1899 in Janesville, Wisconsin, whose primary activity is distributing free copies of the Bible worldwide. It distributes complete Bibles or portions thereof in over ...
.


Early life

Jetton was born in
De Soto, Missouri De Soto is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 6,449 at the 2020 census and the city is part of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The Van Metre family were first to settle in 1803. The town was organized in 18 ...
, to Bill and Judy Jetton. His father is a
Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...
minister. Jetton graduated from Charleston High School in 1986 Missouri House Biography - missouri.gov - Retrieved December 12, 2009
/ref> and from
Southwest Baptist University Southwest Baptist University (SBU) is a private Baptist university in Bolivar, Missouri, United States. It is affiliated with the Missouri Baptist Convention, which is part of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 2023, it had a total enrollment ...
in
Bolivar, Missouri Bolivar is a city and county seat of Polk County, Missouri, United States. The city derives its name in-part from the South American revolutionary Simón Bolívar. According to the 2020 United States Census, Bolivar had a population of 10,772. ...
in May 1990, with a double major in history and political science and was student body president his senior year. After graduating, Jetton joined the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
and served as an Infantry Officer for four years. He was stationed at
Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ( or ) is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( ...
, North Carolina and was involved in the
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
and
Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
operations. After finishing his tour in 1995, Jetton received an honorable discharge. After leaving the Marine Corps, Jetton started Jetton James Real Estate Company.


Political career


Bollinger County Commissioner

After college, Jetton joined Congressman
Bill Emerson Norvell William Emerson (January 1, 1938 – June 22, 1996) was an American politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri from 1981 until his death from lung cancer in Bethesda, Maryland in 19 ...
's campaign team as a field coordinator, and gained valuable experience in local grass roots politics. In 1996, he was elected to the
Bollinger County Bollinger County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 10,567. The county seat, largest and only city, is Marble Hill. The largely rural county is suppor ...
Commission. He was the youngest County Commissioner in the state at that time During his time as County Commissioner, Jetton worked with other commissioners to eliminate the county's $350,000 debt within his first term.


Speaker of the House

In 2000, Jetton was elected to the
Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...
where he served until 2009, when term limits required that he leave the legislature. In his second term, he was chosen Speaker pro Tempore of the Missouri House. On January 5, 2005, he was sworn in as the 70th Speaker of the
Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...
. He served on the Agriculture, Judicial, Banking, and Natural Resources committees. In 2002, Jetton led political efforts for the minority Republican caucus. He assisted in re-drawing House legislative districts and developing plans to recruit and train Republican candidates. These efforts contributed to the Republicans picking up fourteen new seats and establishing a majority for the first time in 48 years. As speaker, he proposed and passed rules changes giving the minority equal debate time and establishing other policies that more evenly distributed power between the House minority and majority. These changes were opposed by some elements of his own party. In Jetton's first term as speaker he launched Common Sense Conservative Consulting which advised some people who were seeking legislation in the state. The Missouri State Ethics Commission said it was a legal but questionable practice.Former Missouri House speaker charged with assault – Kansas City Star – December 7, 2009
Accessed December 8, 2009.
In 2007, he unintentionally voted for a rider to repeal Missouri's law banning gay sex. The rider was attached to a
Jessica's Law Jessica's Law is the informal name given to a 2005 Florida law, as well as laws in several other states, designed to protect potential victims and reduce a sexual offender's ability to re-offend which includes a mandatory minimum sentence of 2 ...
bill. Jetton said he did not know about the rider. While Jetton acknowledged the ban was unenforceable because of the Supreme Court's ''
Lawrence v. Texas ''Lawrence v. Texas'', 539 U.S. 558 (2003), is a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that U.S. state laws Sodom ...
'' ruling, he said, "Thanks to that deletion, it is now legal to engage in deviate sexual intercourse with someone of the same sex here in Missouri." In response, Jetton removed state representative Scott A. Lipke of
Jackson, Missouri Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, United States. It is a principal city of the Cape Girardeau-Jackson metropolitan area Area. The population of Jackson was 15,481 at the 2020 census. History In 1813, ...
, as chair of the Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety because he thought Lipke should have told lawmakers about the rider. In 2007, Jetton proposed and passed one of Missouri's largest tax cuts. The cut eliminated taxes on Social Security benefits. During his tenure he helped to convert a $600 million deficit into a $500 million surplus. Jetton also increased nutrition program funding during his time in the House and was an advocate for Missouri's
ethanol fuel Ethanol fuel is fuel containing ethyl alcohol, the same type of alcohol as found in alcoholic beverages. It is most often used as a motor fuel, mainly as a biofuel additive for gasoline. Several common ethanol fuel mixtures are in use aro ...
mandate and the development of Missouri ethanol plants.


2009 assault arrest

On December 7, 2009, Jetton was charged with felony assault related to an incident that occurred on November 15, 2009 in which Jetton allegedly "recklessly caused serious physical injury" to an unnamed woman. Jetton originally met the accuser while attending high school in Charleston Missouri. The woman reported that she had renewed contact with Jetton via
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
to push for legislation on behalf of victims of sexual abuse spurred by her affiliation with the
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is an American nonprofit anti-sexual assault organization, the largest in the United States. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, as well as the Department of Defense Safe Helpline ...
. The initial reconnection was followed by what both parties described as flirtatious or sexual communication over the phone and text messages. Jetton's lawyer in a February 24, 2010 hearing released
text message Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile phones, tablet computers, smartwatches, desktop computer, des ...
s from the woman implying that she might be open to rough sex. The woman at the hearing said the texts were meant to be playful and had been taken
out of context Quoting out of context (sometimes referred to as contextomy or quote mining) is an informal fallacy in which a passage is removed from its surrounding matter in such a way as to distort its intended meaning. Context may be omitted intentionally or ...
, however it has been shown that she and Jetton established a
safeword In BDSM, a safeword is a code word, series of code words or other signal used by a person to communicate their physical or emotional state, typically when approaching, or crossing, a physical, emotional, or moral boundary. Some safewords are use ...
of "green balloons", a common practice when engaging in
sadomasochistic Sadism () and masochism (), known collectively as sadomasochism ( ) or S&M, is the derivation of pleasure from acts of respectively inflicting or receiving pain or humiliation. The term is named after the Marquis de Sade, a French author known ...
sex. According to the complaint Jetton met the woman, with whom he had previously engaged in "rough sex", on November 15 and 16, 2009 in
Sikeston, Missouri Sikeston () is a city located both in southern Scott County and northern New Madrid County, in the state of Missouri, United States. It is situated just north of the "Missouri Bootheel", although many locals consider Sikeston a part of it. By w ...
to have sadomasochistic sex. The woman said that she began 'fading' in and out and remembered losing consciousness several times" after drinking a glass of wine that Jetton had prepared for her. He is accused of "hitting her on the head and choking her, resulting in unconsciousness and the loss of the function of a part of her body" during the encounter. The woman claimed that her hands had been bound during a segment of the encounter and that she had struggled against the restraints, but photos of her wrists after the incident did not show any bruising on her wrists. Jetton is accused of telling the woman the following morning, "You should have said 'green balloons," a reference to the safeword they had established before meeting as a safety measure. The woman reported the case two days after the incident.Assault case to proceed against Jetton, former speaker of Missouri House - Kansas City Star - February 24, 2010
/ref> The
Missouri Highway Patrol The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) is the highway patrol agency for Missouri and has jurisdiction all across the state. It is a division of the Missouri Department of Public Safety. Colonel Michael A. Turner has been serving as the 25th S ...
initially recommended that the accuser file rape and assault charges against Jetton, however this recommendation was dropped after the accuser's story changed and investigators examined text messages that had been sent between the accuser and Jetton. It was also found that the accuser had a history of filing sexual assault charges and restraining orders before dropping them. While seeking full custody of his children, the accuser's ex-husband was quoted as saying that the accuser, who had attempted to file a restraining order against him, "suffers from various and sundry mental diseases and defects" and "is at risk of exposing the minor children to inappropriate behavior on her part and that of men with whom she continues to have casual sexual relationships with." Following the arrest he closed Rod Jetton & Associate, which catered to many high-profile clients, including
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
. A trial on the case moved from October 2010 to February 3, 2011. and then to June 2, 2011. In May 2011 it was reported that he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault, was placed on probation. He is to pay $950 in restitution, and $300 in court costs.Former House Speaker Jetton gets probation in assault case
by Jake Wagman, in St Louis Today, published May 26, 2011; retrieved December 19, 2018


2010 bribery investigation

In early 2010 various state officials said they testified before a
grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...
investigation in the
United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri The United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri (in case citations, W.D. Mo.) is the federal judicial district encompassing 66 counties in the western half of the State of Missouri. The Court is based in the Charles Evans ...
in Kansas City. Some of those testifying said they questioning the handling of a 2005 bill regulating
adult entertainment The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related se ...
. The bill introduced by Matt Bartle would have enacted a $5 per customer admission fee for strip clubs, adult movie houses and other
sexually oriented business In United States law, a sexually oriented business (S.O.B.) is a business that is part of the sex industry, such as sites of erotic performance and erotic paraphernalia stores. Often regulations of SOBs enter law as part of zoning regulations by jur ...
es, along with a 20 percent tax on the revenue. After the bill was introduced a political action committee with connections to Jetton adviser Don Lograsso accepted a $35,000 donation from the adult entertainment industry.Rod Jetton says strip club bill was doomed because he didn't like Matt Bartle - Kansas City Pitch - February 3, 2010
/ref> Jetton assigned the bill to a committee chaired by Robert T. Johnson of
Lee's Summit, Missouri Lee's Summit is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri and a suburb of the Kansas City metropolitan area. It resides in Jackson County (predominantly) as well as Cass County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 101,108, making it the 6th ...
and Johnson killed the bill. Jetton has said there was no
quid pro quo ''Quid pro quo'' (Latin: "something for something") is a Latin phrase used in English to mean an exchange of goods or services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other; "a favor for a favor". Phrases with similar meanings include: " ...
and that he assigned the bill to an unfriendly committee because he did not like the bill. The Grand Jury adjourned without filing any indictments. Missouri law says the
statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In ...
is 5 years in bribery cases and 2010 was five years after the event took place.


Electoral history


Post-Politics

After leaving politics, Jetton fell into financial trouble, stating "I got an application in to drive a garbage truck, and I got turned down to sell appliances, ... I've got no reputation. I have no money. I've got nothing" to Tony Messenger of the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the '' Belleville News-Democra ...
. These difficulties were eventually rectified when he joined Schultz Surveying and Engineering Inc. He has since continued to have a career in content marketing and crisis management. He has also become the author of several books on biblical teachings and how to recover from personal crisis. Jetton attributed his failings to alcoholism, disconnection from his faith, and a lack of balance in his life. He has said that his time in the House of Representatives was a hectic self-indulgent period, that increasingly led him to a lifestyle standing in opposition to his personal beliefs. The restoration of personal Christian values and a more balanced lifestyle are reoccurring themes in his writing. He has credited support from his family and his returning faith in God for helping him to rebuild his life.


Schultz Surveying and Engineering Inc.

Jetton was the director of marketing for Schultz Surveying and Engineering Inc. from 2010 to 2013. During this period, the company made the Inc. 500/5000 list three times, increased federal revenue from $800,000 in 2009 to over $3 million by 2011, and reached #54th on the ZweigWhite Hot Firm's List, making it the second fastest growing engineering company in Missouri to be placed on the ZweigWhite Hot Firm's List. The company's owners, attributed much of the company's success to Jetton's aggressive marketing efforts, especially the customer database he created, the revisions he made to the company's website, and the contact plan that he helped to develop. For his work, Jetton was recognized as the top Marketing Director in Southwest Missouri by the Springfield Business Journal.


Missouri Times

In 2013 Jetton co-founded ''The Missouri Times'', a newspaper intended to report on
Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...
politics in an unbiased and bipartisan manner. The paper was marketed to lobbyists, political insiders, trade associations, and others involved directly with the Missouri political process; to that end, the newspaper featured a lobbyist, trade association, or staffer in every issue. The paper was presented both online and in printed form.


Second Act Strategies

Jetton is a partner in Second Act Strategies, an organization that provides team building seminars focused on crisis management. The seminars are led by a bipartisan collection of "recovering" political figures, who have experienced professional crises. Instruction, based on The Recovering Politician's Twelve Step Program to Survive Crisis, leads participants through a simulated crisis scenario that is developed based on an organization's specific mission and culture. The skills presented during the seminars include: crisis assessment techniques, resource planning, on-camera media and message development training, ethics instruction, advice on building strategic alliances with opinion leaders and repairing reputation damage, leadership training on how to remove emotion from decisions during high-stakes-crisis situations, strategies to rebuild trust post-crisis, and online strategies for crisis diffusion.


Targeted Communications

In 2012, Jetton opened Targeted Communications, a content marketing company that focuses on connecting with customers and building customer relations. Targeted Communications assists with the development of digital marketing strategies and the authorship of targeted content. Their speciality is the development of contact plans that assist with customer acquisition, retention, and relations.


Authorship

In 2013, Jetton co-authored ''The Recovering Politician's Twelve Step Program to Survive Crisis'' along with thirteen other authors. The book, featured on
MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
's "
Hardball with Chris Matthews ''Hardball with Chris Matthews'' is an American television talk show hosted by Chris Matthews. The program premiered on the now-defunct America's Talking network in 1994 (as ''Politics with Chris Matthews'') before moving to CNBC, and then to M ...
" and HuffPost Live, featured a number of "recovering politicians" writing about how to manage personal crises. His first book was followed later in 2013 with ''Son of a Preacher Man: Growing up in the Seventies and Eighties,'' an autobiography that detailed Jetton's struggle when trying to follow the teachings of his father who was a
Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...
preacher. ''Success Can Kill You: One man's story of success, failure and forgiveness'', published in 2014, explorers Jetton's political success and eventual disgrace; examining the causes of his behavior and his eventual return to
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
teachings. Jetton's 2016 book, Prayer Warrior Bootcamp, examines
biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...
teachings about
prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...
and prayer techniques. Cussing Christians, written in 2017, looks at biblical references to
profanity Profanity, also known as swearing, cursing, or cussing, is the usage of notionally word taboo, offensive words for a variety of purposes, including to demonstrate disrespect or negativity, to relieve pain, to express a strong emotion (such a ...
.


Bibliography


Awards


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jetton, Rod 1967 births Living people Southwest Baptist University alumni People from De Soto, Missouri People from Cape Girardeau, Missouri Speakers of the Missouri House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives Missouri politicians convicted of crimes People from Charleston, Missouri State and local political sex scandals in the United States 21st-century members of the Missouri General Assembly