Greenbud

Judge Busted for Buying Pot

By JACK MORAN | Mail Tribune | June 17, 2004
Submitted by Kannibal


Gold Hill’s longtime justice of the peace will appear in Jackson County Circuit Court on marijuana possession charges, after police orchestrated a meeting in which he allegedly bought the drug.

Robert H. "Bob" King of the 400 block of Sixth Avenue in Gold Hill, faces one count of misdemeanor marijuana possession. Jackson County sheriff’s deputies cited and released King last Friday night, after a traffic stop revealed he was in possession of one-eighth ounce of marijuana, Sheriff Mike Winters said.

King was unavailable for comment Wednesday. A woman who answered the telephone at his home, which is also the number for Justice Court, said King was "on vacation."

Winters said an investigation was launched when a drug informant told Jackson County Narcotics Enforcement Team agents about previous drug sales made to King.

On Friday, the informant wore a body wire — an electronic recording device — during a meeting with King where the judge allegedly purchased marijuana, Winters said.


Police allowed King to leave the home before pulling over his vehicle a short time later. Winters said deputies confronted King about the drugs, at which point he "relinquished" the marijuana.

Winters said his department’s use of the body wire was necessary to prove King was involved in drugs on a misdemeanor level.

"This is a judge we’re dealing with," Winters said. "We do use a lot of body wire, and felt it was necessary (because King is) a public official."

King has worked the past 26 years as Gold Hill’s elected justice of the peace. In 2002, he easily won a fifth six-year term on the bench.

The judgeship is a county position. Dave Kanner, Jackson County’s deputy administrator, said there is "no administrative way" to remove King from office because of criminal allegations.

"He’s elected, so there’s not a whole heck of a lot we can do," Kanner said.

King also serves as the appointed municipal court judge for the city of Butte Falls. Mayor Steve Harvey said Wednesday that city officials were unaware of the citation, but that they would discuss the matter and see if any city policy addresses the situation.

__________________
"I believe in the near future, the government will use anti-drug hysteria to set up a police state."
-author William S. Burroughs, 1947

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highdingout

How many drug cases has this man handled? More specifically, how many misdemeanor cannabis possesion cases has this man judged/sentanced that resulted in another human be caged for it?

Only the insanity of cannabis prohibition could create a scenario where a judge can be caught with his hand inside the cannabis cookie jar.

StewScum

I wonder what kind of deal the informer made to give up such an esteemed customer. The judge probably wasn't going to help him get out of it.

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Life is like a pot of stew, if you don't stir it up every once and a while, all the scum rises to the top -Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins.

j1znosh

i bet he was a pretty lenient judge when it came to misdemeanor drug charges and such.

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Drugs arn't my problem...they're my solution.

PsYch0siS

Maybe not. I can recall another time when a judge was busted for drugs...one of the "toughest" on drug users, especially in marijuana cases...hypocrites!

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I Toke and I Vote!

Rich

If the judge was leinient on marijuana possession or selling than it may be grounds for him to be terminated from his position as a judge.

bryan adams

its about time the higher people in life get caught with those kind of things because all the people that live in a house trailer know that buying weed is a big deal but some one like that who thinks he can change the world gets caught with it. its about time and we need more people like that to get caught.