Yesterday I posted about Circuit Court Judge John Rochester's son, John Alexander Rochester, being charged with drug trafficking in Ashland, AL. According to the Ashland police department Rochester is charged with Trafficking in Cocaine, Possession of Controlled substance, Possession of Marijuana first degree, Unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and trafficking in illegal drugs.
Those are some very serious charges.
It just so happens that Ashland, AL is my hometown. I grew up there and know virtually everyone. Three people are currently feeding me information on the case and all are watching to see if the judges son gets special treatment. My sources are telling me that John Alexander Rochester will turn states evidence and that arrangements are being sought for a treatment bed for him.
Rochester's son should not get special treatment because of who he is or because his daddy can afford to buy him a slot in a treatment center. If he does then I will organize a very rowdy protest on the steps of the Clay County Courthouse along with some or perhaps all of the following people and anyone else I can round up. Should be quite a crowd seeing as about half the population of Clay Co. has had someone sent to prison by Judge Rochester for drugs.
The kid I went to church with who got a five year prison sentence from Judge Rochester for possessing one Xanax. He wasn't trafficking. His family will attend too. They are well respected.
My brother, who Rochester has sentenced twice, ten years each, for being an alcoholic. He has never been a trafficker.
My sister-in-law, who is in jail with Judge Rochester's son. She is accused of having pills without a prescription. She has never been a trafficker
This is a chance to expose the blatant hypocrisy that is the criminal justice system. It will show that you can have about as much justice as you can afford in this country.
I think drug use/sales of any kind between consenting adults shouldn't be a crime and please don't think I am advocating for jail or prison for the young Rochester or the Yates kid. I am not. But, if one deserves a shot at a treatment bed then they all do and it shouldn't be based on how much money one has, and if it is then it is unconstitutional because it is discriminatory in nature. Only the rich can get in treatment. The poor go to jail.
I'll keep everyone posted on new developments and if you are reading from Clay County then start rounding up folks that have felt the wrath of Judge Rochester to join in our potential protest.
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8 comments:
Is Alex still in jail even though a bond has been set and could have been out a few weeks ago?? What if the family bonds him out and sends him to rehab, then he gets sentenced and goes to jail? Obviously he needs it. Daddy dearest is aware that he can't get him out of this nor has he tried, and if you say anything different you are a liar. You have no idea what you are talking about. You're rats are feeding you the wrong information. He is absolutely not turning states evidence for a deal. You sound like you are familiar with family that breaks the law and act like idiots. Is that a reflection of who you are or are they there own people and make their own poor decisions?
Hi kt,
Thanks for reading the blog.
Last I heard Alex was still in jail. That is meaningless, of course, since the Judge would want to give the appearance of impartiality. As in, 'Let him sit in jail for a while so it really looks like we are gonna let him go up the river'.
As to whether or not I am a liar...well I haven't stated anything I have said as unvarnished truth other than the fact that John Alexander Rochester is in jail in Ashland for trafficking, that his father is a Judge who hands down incredibly harsh sentences for simple possession cases and a few other things that are fact that are related to different people.
No where did I say anything like "I know for a fact" that he will get treatment or that he will turn states evidence. I said those are things I am hearing. There is a difference.
As for my family members...yes a couple of mine them act like absolute fools every chance they get. Every family has one or two and what they are is not a reflection on who I am, nor is what Alex is a reflection on you. Since we don't get to pick and choose who our family members are I don't bitch too much about mine. I love them dearly even if they act like jackasses moreso than not.
As I explained in a different reply to you in a different post this isn't about wanting to see your relative go to prison. Or about taking joy in the pain of others. I fight every day in the field of drug policy and prison reform. I don't think anyone should go to jail for using, selling or possessing drugs. Not even Judge Rochester's son. But, I do think that Judge Rochester's son should be treated like everyone else who comes up on similar charges in Clay County or any county. Justice should be blind and I intend to see that it is.
Okay folks, I want you to know this much. John was signed out of the Clay county jail by someone who appeared to be his mother.
The bond amounts were VERY SMALL concerning the charges. For the Distribution of Cocaine and Meth, he had $20,000 bonds- POSTED by one person. Not the way it usually goes. When a bond is posted, it is supposed to have TWO signers, and the property must be worth double what the bond is, liens are counted, and you can only have four bonds signed out at one time. There were at least five charges to my recollection.
People with the same charges have had much larger bonds. Someone accused of not registering as a sex offender got a bond that size.
I am having to go anonymous here because if it is known that I leaked this out, I might make someone angry at me and loose my job.
Don't take my word for it. Demand the public record. You will see it's true.
A few days ago, I heard him order a bonding company loose their license, because they did not come to court, and were not present for what is called a forfeiture case.
I heard later that the company's notice was sent out with only 2 business days notice, and that they sent it to the wrong address.
The law is very clear, a bonding company has 30 days to pay a forfeiture. I was very shocked. They just put someone out of business because of their own screw up, and we wonder why businesses won't come here.
I happen to like that bonding company. They didn't rip people off and only charged ten percent. They came every time they had been called, and were very professionial. I talked to the owner, who told me he had been a bail bondsman for 7 years that he was still searching vigorously for the defendant who failed to appear, and he was very distraught over the situation because his court date for the final forfeiture was set way too early.
It's a shame, I also heard that Judge Rochester had never done that before, and had given Grover Poole bonding over a year to pay a bond, and never revoked them.
Special treatment? Favoritism? You decide.
John was released on March 21, 2008 on at least 6 different charges. The person who claimed not to be trying to get him out is obviously a liar themselves.
Linda Rochester posted property bonds with her name only on each one as the property holder.
For your information, the Sherrif can allow someone to do that if they so desire. Of course, if you are poor, and have no friends in high places, the jail will require the two property owners. Only the Sherrif or Judge can over rule that.
Either way, I heard that this young man was caught with meth, pot, pills, cocaine, and drug paraphenalia. Serious charges, yes, but he doesn't need help. It sounds like he needs a legal job.
He was a dealer not a user. So what's to help him?
Why would anyone not want him to go to jail for what he was doing? Selling drugs is a crime. The law is the law. Uphold it, or fight for change if you disagree, but in the meantime, you must obey the law. No one is above it.
Another Anonymous
Once again people don't have their stories straight. Grover Poole was given a year because he was in the nursing home. And Alex's bond was not $20,000. It was a lot more. It also is not uncommon for there to be only one name on the property bond. Whoever you are should lose (not loose) your job, for spreading untruthful gossip. Also, to the person that said "he doesn't need help." How do you know? Addiction is real. If all of the charges are true, then he will be punished that's probably what he needs. Also, does anyone remember that there was another guy in the car with him?? What happened to him? No one cares because his father is not a judge that people love to hate. There is definitely no well wishers on this site. Someone needs to stop drinking so much haterade.
People get bonded out all the time, even murders.
This kinda thing is why drugs should be legal. Obviously he was selling to someone?? I would like to know all his contacts in Clay Co. If drugs were legal then this kind of stuff is regulated. And yes addiction is real, and yes usually you sell to support your habit. If it were legal, someone else could sale and not just addicted people.
I agree with the person above people only care about this because it's a judges son. Who cares!! He sounds like a wannabe drug lord gone wrong.
I hope people know that only 2% of the prison population are first time offenders. And in a recent poll 89% of the population would rather see first time offenders get rehab treatment than go to prison. Also, for the lady that said judge rochester gives harsh sentences, my brother was before him and he let him go to rehab and that changed his life. He is now a preacher, and I've been educating against drug use and for rehab. Alex is a very nice boy he just got catched up in some bad stuff. As, for his sis I saw she wrote- getum girl!! -TS
To anonymous #1.....do you know who set John Alexander Rochester's bond? How much was it? Was it done in Clay County? I will go up to Ashland next week and request a copy of the report.
There will be serious trouble for Judge Rochester if the bond was set in Clay County and it was lower than what a bond for trafficking usually is. That case should not have been heard in Clay County because of the incestuous nature of the criminal justice system in small town Alabama.
I've made a new post about this case here and I plan to ask the Judicial Inquiry Commission to open an investigation today. I hope it will lead to Judge Rochester being sacked or at the very least publicly reprimanded.
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