Posted on 03/12/2007 6:42:26 PM PDT by Dutchgirl
Frank D. Atherton appeared in court last month on child molestation charges. What's he going to do now?
He's going to Disney World.
Atherton, accused in Boone County outside Rockford of sexually assaulting three children under the age of 13, was given approval by a judge Feb. 26 to travel to Florida for a two-week vacation.
Then Tuesday, when Atherton provided the court clerk with an itinerary, Associate Judge R. Craig Sahlstrom was called and authorized the 46-year-old felon's plans to spend three days of his trip at Walt Disney World.
Atherton's vacation was scheduled to begin Tuesday, court records show.
Lise Lombardo, the assistant state's attorney prosecuting Atherton, said she objected last month when Atherton asked the judge to go to Florida.
"I said he has three Class X felonies pending," said Lombardo. "Basically, the judge granted it over our objection."
Lombardo said her office was not consulted on Atherton's desire to go to Disney World, which court records mistakenly listed as Disneyland, which is in southern California.
"We would have objected further had we known that was where he was going," Lombardo said. "Certainly, Disney World is a place known to be frequented by children."
Atherton's attorney, Michael Haughan, defended the trip, saying, "He is going with his family [to Florida], and he is presumed innocent."
Atherton is free because he paid 10 percent of his $100,000 in bail. One of the conditions of bail was that he not have contact with "any minor children," Lombardo said.
Long list of convictions Atherton has served prison time for armed robbery, burglary, theft and resisting a peace officer, records show. In 2005, he was indicted on a charge of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child for allegedly having intercourse with a girl under 13 in 2003, Lombardo said. Last year, he was indicted for allegedly having intercourse with a girl under 13 in the late 1990s and for allegedly sodomizing a boy under 13 in 2001.
Last year, Judge Sahlstrom disclosed he represented Atherton in a previous case, but prosecutors did not object, records show. Through an assistant, the judge said he could not comment on the pending case.
fmain@suntimes.com
Someone should investigate the Judge to see if he has any child porn on his computer (I'm betting that he does).
In 2005, he was indicted on a charge of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child for allegedly having intercourse
with a girl under 13 in 2003, Lombardo said. Last year, he was indicted for allegedly having intercourse with a girl under 13 in the late 1990s and for allegedly sodomizing a boy under 13 in 2001.
Last year, Judge Sahlstrom disclosed he represented Atherton in a previous case, but prosecutors did not object, records show. Through an assistant, the judge said he could not comment on the pending case.
I researched a little further. Apparently the judge was getting inundated with calls after this article appeared and decided not to allow the suspect to travel...
Numbnuts: One who has lost the circulation in his testicles due to the stretching of his anus by his head. Usually used in the USMC as a term of disapprobation.
Is this an old story or did the judge Kerry again? Last I heard, he reversed his order. Since the cited media outlet is small, perhaps this is time lag?
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzttt! Wrong!!!!!
There's TONS of places in this country to go on vacation. If some poor kid gets molested by this scum again, I hope the parents have that perps and judges hides on their wall.
To Pedophiles, Disney World is the equivalent of a "nudie bar."
Thanks for the update.
Outrageous. At the least, parents taking their children there should be given his photo.
dutchgirl....the judge may or may not have actually changed his mind, but atherton did indeed go to florida. someone should do some serious checking where he actually went, who he went to see and who he went there with. family oriented trip? not even close. what a scum bag
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