Legal Outrage

[mikepd]

I'm not sure how to even start this, it just boggles the mind. This is big on the news here and like the family of the victim, I don't understand why this guy is not in prison? Cut a deal? For rape of a minor by a sheriff who should be an example to our children? WTF? You have to read this story and then tell me this is not the legal equivalent of 'Alice in Wonderland'.

Unbelievable (http://www.abcactionnews.com/stories/2003/05/030522deputy.shtml)

[Steve]

Sometimes, justice is best served in a dark alley, with a large-caliber bullet delivered at close range to the back of the head.....

One small point, he's not the sheriff, he's an "ex-deputy".

[cdw]

Believe it or not, the Sheriff's Office does hire felons, judging them on a case-by-case basis.

That's a quote from the related story article. (the link is on the top of the page)
How screwed up is that?
For the past two months, Beacham has been in violation of his plea agreement.
Meanwhile, the state has taken the first steps to revoke his law enforcement certification.
What the heck is taking them so long??

[mikepd]

That always confused me. Is it a matter of supervisory duties? What is the difference between a sheriff and a deputy sheriff? Why are there different titles anyway?

[Fiona]

One is THE sheriff, (which I believe is an elected official) the others work for the SHERIFF's department :)

[Frodo Lives]

Originally posted by stevent
Sometimes, justice is best served in a dark alley, with a large-caliber bullet delivered at close range to the back of the head.....

One small point, he's not the sheriff, he's an "ex-deputy".

Holy smokes. I was going to say the same thing. Are you ok? ;)
Thats exactly what this creep deserves.


:thumbsup:

There are some crimes that can be forgiven and some criminals that can be cured. But there are some crimes that only the severest of punishments will do. We need to send a clear, stronge message that such behavior will NOT be tolerated.






"I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot the deputies."

[Steve]

I'm all in favor of brutal, violent deaths for people who deserve them, Frodo, I just want to ensure that our legal system is 100% certain such deaths are deserved. So, yeah, I'm OK, thanks ;)

[mike]

whoa wait a minute there. I did not read the article but the snippet about hiring felons? Can't be for deputies or others who would carry a firearm, as felons are prohibited from owning one.

[cdw]

yeah, it says so in this article (http://www.abcactionnews.com/stories/2003/05/030519deputy.shtml)

The department is trying to use the excuse that he "downplayed" his felony on his application. But, he did put it on there. I thinks that's pretty friggin' scary.

[ShinyTop]

WTF? How do you downplay a felon to a police force that is hiring?

[mike]

"On his employment application, Beacham downplayed his felony theft conviction and did not disclose the full extent of his crime. According to the sheriff's office, that, too, would have made a difference. "


Still, any and all felons are prohibited from owning firearms. Doesn't matter what type of felony it was (I personally believe only violent felonies and the like should bar a person from firearms ownership), he still was not allowed to own or carry a gun. WTF?

And this:
"Beacham is suing for custody or visitation when, at this point, he hasn't paid a penny in child support, nor provided an ounce of food for the baby, while the teenaged mother struggles to provide things like this crib, diapers, and childcare on a daily basis. "

WTF?!?!

[cdw]

I dunno! And it doesn't appear that anyone is up in arms about it, either. Like, no one is looking at that the policy needs to be changed. I thought, well, in NY anyway, there is a very thorough background check done and no one with a criminal record can become a cop. I don't know... is it different for sherrif's?

[ShinyTop]

I guess some sheriff deparments are more desperate than others. I think sheriff deputys start at less than 30K in my county. For working long hours and getting shot at.

[mikepd]

Originally posted by fiona_campbell
One is THE sheriff, (which I believe is an elected official) the others work for the SHERIFF's department :)

Duh! Miss, smarty pants. :)


This guy has had his own children taken away and he lost his job as a grocery clerk due to the number of children that went to the store. This case should be tossed in 2 femto seconds.

[wapu]

I agree the case should be tossed, but I am curious about something. Did the guy have a relationship with the girl? It didn't mention her age. Did he sleep with her on the eve of her 18th birthday? If he paid for an abortion, it sounds like there was more to their relationship than just him snatching her up and raping her.

And before anybody gets angry, I am not defending him, I am asking for more info.

[Copzilla]

I think there's probably some misinformation going on with the story. I don't know of any state that permits peace officers with felony convictions. He may have been CHARGED but not convicted of a felony.

[cdw]

Further investigation now reveals James Beacham's rape of his 15-year-old babysitter

I was wondering the same thing as Wapu...not that it excuses him, but I think perhaps he was convicted of statutory rape?

He committed larceny in Michigan, which is also a felony. Beacham downplayed his felony theft conviction and did not disclose the full extent of his crime.

They are saying convicted, not accused. I'll see if I can find out more on the guy.

[Wacko]

Here is more of the story: Investigation uncovers former deputy's history of sexual abuse (http://www.abcactionnews.com/stories/2003/05/030516rape.shtml)

Some quotes from the article:

Before he became a Hillsborough County deputy, Beacham worked as a prison guard in Michigan. Michigan's child protective services found that he sexually molested his 3-year-old daughter.

No criminal charges were ever filed, according to the child protective worker, because Beacham had personal ties to the detective who investigated the case.

The plea was the best option, according to the state attorney, because the teenage victim repeatedly lied during the investigation. She told ABC Action News, though, that she lied out of fear.

Beacham's plea has 26 conditions, and his corrections officer swore in court Beacham hasn't violated any of them. Action news found that to be untrue; Beacham is supposed to be paying child support, and according to his victim, he is not.

However, Beacham still has not done the right thing. Under his agreement, he had to file a civil petition acknowledging paternity. Court records show he has not done that either.

This case seems to have allot of twists, and turns such as Lying by the plaintif. Not good if you want to see justice done. Still the plea agreement was made, and agreed to by the defendant, and yet he violates it's twice. First by not paying child support, and second by not filing a civil petition acknowledging paternity. This guy should be jailed for his failure.

Still looking for more info...

[Wacko]

Found more on this: How did Hillsborough sheriff's office hire sex-offender felon? (http://www.abcactionnews.com/stories/2003/05/030519deputy.shtml)

It seems that the Hillsborough Sheriffs department does hire fellons. I'm now wondering if they issue firearms to these fellons, and if so why the Feds aren't crawling all over them for violating federal law. This whole case from start to finish is shamefull.

Oh, and it seems that now the guy has started meeting his plea agreement. Still a shame this guy isn't in prison.

[yazdzik]

Originally posted by wapu
I am asking for more info.

Dear Friends,
Although one can hardly imagine this instance being more that it appears, Wapu's attitude is that which makes our justice system work.
I read article after article posted here from news sources, and, once or twice read the court papers associated with the "news." More often than not, the news is as far from the truth as is necessary to sell the paper or the news programme.
While in this case, there appears to be no real issue, if Wapu's attitude were more common, our society would be far less a matter of profit motivated gossip and far more a culture of law and reason.

Yazdzik