Posted on 05/29/2006 1:18:17 PM PDT by Graybeard58
STAMFORD -- Carl "Harry" Roesch liked to stay in touch by postcard. Trouble is, authorities say, he sent hundreds of them. To judges. Filled with insults.
The former U.S. Air Force captain sent so many postcards to Connecticut's top judges that he was finally arrested in 2004 on eight misdemeanor charges of harassment and breach of peace. A prosecutor agreed to drop the charges this month as long as Roesch would leave the judges alone, said Philip Russell, Roesch's attorney.
Roesch, a 69-year-old Ridgefield resident who has never been convicted of a crime, argued that the postcards were harmless and that he was exercising his free speech rights.
"He was disappointed the case did not go to trial," Russell said. "He wanted to exercise his constitutional right to subject the chief justice to cross examination on whether he felt threatened or harassed by the content of the post cards."
Roesch sent the postcards to four judges, including recently retired Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice William J. Sullivan. He was upset with how he was treated by the judges during his divorce and domestic disturbance cases dating back to the 1980s.
Sullivan and the other judges declined to comment. Telephone messages were left for prosecutor Michael Weber.
Roesch sent about 200 postcards to the judges at their offices, according to his arrest affidavit. The cards contained vulgar language, ethnic and racial slurs and even insults to the wife of one judge.
The postcards were signed "SS Harry," "Harry Fourth Reich" and other names.
"These postcards are coming with increased frequency and appear to be more threatening," one judge wrote. Another judge asked police to arrest Roesch "and perhaps stop this annoyance."
Russell sought to have the charges dismissed, saying naming the judges in the arrest affidavit put "undue pressure" to prosecute Roesch.
Asked about the racial slurs, Russell said, "This is America and speech is free."
Roesch has not sent any postcards for about two years, his attorney said.
"He's chilled out now and we hope he stays chilled out," Russell said.
That won't be easy.
Roesch, a large man with a long white beard, once wore a Santa Claus outfit to court. Another time he paraded around the Ridgefield Police Department on a horse with a "Don't Tread on Me" flag, Russell said.
"He's a patriot and he feels very strongly about his right to petition his government and his right to express himself to government officials," Russell said.
Russell estimates he has received 500 postcards himself from Roesch over the years. Most are amusing, he said.
"I'm afraid if I don't get Harry convicted of something soon, he will lose confidence in my abilities," Russell said.
So what's his screen name? :')
We can stop this kind of stuff by requiring that all judges be given a mental competency test before allowing them to take a spot on the bench.
This guy isn't a "retired soldier," but I guess that's too complicated for a headline writer to understand.
"These postcards are coming with increased frequency and appear to be more threatening," one judge wrote. Another judge asked police to arrest Roesch "and perhaps stop this annoyance."
I'm sure Congresscriter Hastert will want to add the Judicial Branch to the list of elites who can ignore the Constitution...
Sure sounds like something A+Bert would have done.
The Republican Party is scamming my mail box--Maybe I should ask that they be arrested.
ping
"The fact that he doesn't use his real name turns it all into harassment."
There you go. And plus the slurs, etc. That is not "petitioning the gov't."
Oh I do get tired of the insane. I know it is not Christian of me, but I do.
LOL
I was thinking the same thing.
A Foxnews infobabe kept referring to sailors as "soldiers" on a report once--and we wonder about accuracy in reporting these days? Sheesh.
Yeah, and I guess the Constitution/Bill of Rights are worthless rags because Hamilton, Madison, and Jay wrote as "Publius"... Yikes, what a view, that we must turn ourselves over to the government to petition it!
Usually it really bugs me when the press makes such simple errors. But for some of the Fox News infobabes, I have different rules!
Using a nome de plume (spelling??? it's French!) for a publicly published article is hardly comparable to this situation.
Yeah, what errors?? (with Foxnews infobabe)
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