Largest drug bust in Clay County History?

The Clay Times Journal is reporting the largest drug bust in Clay Count History. That is a title I thought for sure was held by Clay County Circuit Court Judge John E. Rochester's son, Alex Rochester who was arrested in the Ashland City Park in March of 2008 after he was found to be in possession of the following;

1. Two baggies, envelope, one vial, crack cocaine, powder cocaine Total: 32 grams (1 ounce give or take)
2. Two 1 gallon bags containing marijuana
3. 5 sandwich baggies containing marijuana. 4 were corners of bags packaged for resale.
4. 1100 Extacy pills in 11 baggies (Alex said he had bought 2500 in Atlanta the week before and had already sold 1400 at $10 a piece)
5. 2 straws, 2 rolled up dollar bills and two pipes.
6. 26 Xanax pills


The online version of today's Clay Times Journal article does not list amounts of drugs recovered...only that there were 34 arrests. I'll be in Clay County later today and will pick up a copy and see what other details are available.

Alex Rochester only got his name mentioned in the police blotter after his arrest. He also was only given 5 years probation even though he admitted dealing, interstate drug trafficking and was caught with all those drugs at the park and within three miles of schools, churches, daycare centers and public housing facilities.....each of which carry an additional 5 year mandatory minimum sentence. There was also a 19 year old in the car with him. He was not charged with anything in connection to his passenger.

I hope that the lawyers for these defendants will use the Alex Rochester defense in John E. Rochester's courtroom.

I plan to write a letter to the editor about the unfair and downright unethical 'journalism' practices taking place at the Clay Times Journal. At any real newspaper the story of the Judge's son getting busted for that amount of drugs and the preferential treatment he received would have been front page news for months. But, in the Alex Rochester case, that is a story that was never written. Yet, every other person to be arrested for drugs in Clay County since that time has been front page news. I encourage all of my readers to send them an email as well.

Here are the contact email addresses. I tried to use the online form for sending an LTE, but it has never worked and does not work today.

Ray Stansell - claytimes@centurytel.net

Sherry Mattox - timesjournal@centurytel.net

Tammy Griffin - timesjournal@centurytel.net