Update: No charges for Judge due to statutes of limitations

[Open Minded]

  Quote

McALLEN, Texas (AP) ? A Texas family law judge whose daughter secretly videotaped him savagely beating her seven years ago won't face criminal charges because too much time has elapsed, police said.

Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams likely would have been charged with causing injury to a child or other assault-related offenses for the 2004 beating of his then-16-year-old daughter, but the five-year statutes of limitations expired, Rockport Police Chief Tim Jayroe said Thursday.

"We believe that there was a criminal offense involved and that there was substantial evidence to indicate that and under normal circumstances ... a charge could have been made," Jayroe said. He said the district attorney determined he couldn't bring charges, and that police would discuss the case with federal prosecutors even though he doesn't believe federal charges would apply.

Hillary Adams, now 23, posted the 8-minute clip on YouTube last week that shows her father viciously lashing her with a belt and trying to force her to bend over her bed to be beaten despite her wails and pleas to stop. The clip had received more than 2.4 million hits as of Thursday, and police began investigating Wednesday after hearing from concerned citizens.

William Adams, 51, issued a three-page statement Thursday saying his daughter posted the clip to get back at him for telling her he would be reducing the amount of financial support he gives her and taking away her Mercedes. The statement did not include an apology for the beating, but he told Corpus Christi television station KZTV on Wednesday that the video "looks worse than it is," that he had already apologized to his daughter and that he was just disciplining his child for stealing.

Full story:

http://news.yahoo.com/police-judge-wont-charged-over-video-beating-044701682.html

Lets hope the karma police charge him.

[Aethec]

"he was just disciplining his child".

Riiiiiiight. This guy is obviously a sadist, and just needed someone to beat.

Cases like these make you wonder why statutes of limitations even exist.

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

He was wrong in doing what he did and he should be removed from the bench at the minimum.

[ILikeTobacco]

  On 04/11/2011 at 19:11, Grinder said:

He was wrong in doing what he did and he should be removed from the bench at the minimum.

Because what he did (and yes I agree it was 100% overboard and wrong) has any effect on his job performance? He is a judge. He is smart enough to know that if he got fired for something completely non work related, he could sue the hell out of the whoever does the firing and win thanks to ADA. Do I think it is fair? Hell no. But it is the system.

  Quote

William Adams, 51, issued a three-page statement Thursday saying his daughter posted the clip to get back at him for telling her he would be reducing the amount of financial support he gives her and taking away her Mercedes.

Assuming that part is true, the daughter doesn't seem to be very bright. How is trying to get her father fired going to keep him from cutting her off financially and taking the Mercedes? No job means no income. She'd lose the Mercedes just so he could pay his bills and he wouldn't have any money to support her with anymore anyway. Not saying she wasn't wronged as a child, but she didn't think that through very well.

[Billmaster]

Someone beat him with a belt, film it and post it on youtube.

Eye for an Eye!

[soldier1st]

He should be punished even after 7 years. Getting away with it will only encourage others to do it. even a judge should not get special treatment.

[ylcard]

  On 04/11/2011 at 19:44, soldier1st said:

He should be punished even after 7 years. Getting away with it will only encourage others to do it. even a judge should not get special treatment.

He should be punished, but according to their own law, he can't be. Please, by all means go ahead and petition to modify the law, or whatever is the procedure there.

No, it doesn't encourage people to do it, unless you have a convincing argument supporting that claim.

People are not going to be all "Hey, if I beat the **** out of my kid and he/she doesn't tell anyone for 7 years and 1 day it'll I'll be off the hook !!!"

[mokthraka]

Don't some states have no requirment for firing you. I know in Oregon you can be fired with no reason at all. If your boss doesn't like you he can fire you and you can't do a damn thing

  On 04/11/2011 at 19:22, ILikeTobacco said:

Because what he did (and yes I agree it was 100% overboard and wrong) has any effect on his job performance? He is a judge. He is smart enough to know that if he got fired for something completely non work related, he could sue the hell out of the whoever does the firing and win thanks to ADA. Do I think it is fair? Hell no. But it is the system.

Assuming that part is true, the daughter doesn't seem to be very bright. How is trying to get her father fired going to keep him from cutting her off financially and taking the Mercedes? No job means no income. She'd lose the Mercedes just so he could pay his bills and he wouldn't have any money to support her with anymore anyway. Not saying she wasn't wronged as a child, but she didn't think that through very well.

[McCordRm]

  On 04/11/2011 at 19:22, ILikeTobacco said:

Because what he did (and yes I agree it was 100% overboard and wrong) has any effect on his job performance?

As a matter of fact, it does.

A sadist judge who, himself, practices child abuse cannot be expected to uphold

justice against other child abusers. This, alone, should get him fired.

[x-scratch]

any other state charges would of been filed regardless

2 mins alone with him he would be regretting hitting his kid

[seta-san]

i got spanked with a belt. what seperates this from what i got is that the he did it in anger.

[Skin]

ok. separate the outrage of what he did... and then think about something....

why would the daughter release this and hit the media circuit after SOOOOOO long?

[DocM]

Impending independence - getting close to when she can be free of any reliance on the SOB. Often this is delayed with sufferers of CP because of their handicaps. A relative of mine who had it wasn't independent until he was 25.

[ylcard]

  On 05/11/2011 at 03:20, DocM said:

Impending independence - getting close to when she can be free of any reliance on the SOB. Often this is delayed with sufferers of CP because of their handicaps. A relative of mine who had it wasn't independent until he was 25.

She clearly wants to be dependent on him, that's why she released it.

[Nick H. Supervisor]

  On 04/11/2011 at 23:58, Skin said:

why would the daughter release this and hit the media circuit after SOOOOOO long?

  Quote

his daughter posted the clip to get back at him for telling her he would be reducing the amount of financial support he gives her and taking away her Mercedes

[tiagosilva29]

I'm not going to discuss this particular case, but as a whole I do not approve the existance of a statute of limitations (specially when evidence exists and is not corrupted).

[ylcard]

  On 05/11/2011 at 11:18, tiagosilva29 said:

I'm not going to discuss this particular case, but as a whole I do not approve the existance of a statute of limitations (specially when evidence exists and is not corrupted).

Agreed.

In fact, I can't think of a reason to have that in the first place.

I mean, for criminal offences, not contract/business stuff.

[DocM]

Just for the record - in most states the only crime without a statute of limitations is murder.

[Dusco25]

He was wrong for the way he was yelling at her and the **** he was saying.. But taking a belt to your childs ass is not child abuse.. Now I do not mean use a belt till someone bleeds or any **** like that. But there is nothing wrong with a few wacks...

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

  On 05/11/2011 at 13:50, DocM said:

Just for the record - in most states the only crime without a statute of limitations is murder.

This is indeed a fact but never the less, this Guy should be removed from the Bench and disbarred.

[DocM]

Totally agree - he's slime and shouldn't be judging others. Zero credibility.

An addition to the no limit list: fraud upon the court by an officer of the court (prosecutor, defense attorney etc). Courts here view that with disgust.

[jakem1]

  On 05/11/2011 at 11:18, tiagosilva29 said:

I'm not going to discuss this particular case, but as a whole I do not approve the existance of a statute of limitations (specially when evidence exists and is not corrupted).

Agreed, especially in relation to crimes like child abuse.

[Amarok]

  On 04/11/2011 at 23:32, QUAD2500K said:

any other state charges would of been filed regardless

2 mins alone with him he would be regretting hitting his kid

So basically you want to punish violence with violence. And I'm pretty sure that charges wouldn't have been filed in quite a few other states.

[DocM]

Hmmm....was just thinking - I thought the Federal PROTECT Act of 2003 removed all statutes of limitation on child physical abuse as well as sexual abuse for the life of the child. Same law that enacted Amber Alerts.

18 USC 3283