Atchison's death closes case file
FROM STAFF REPORTS Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Atchison

The truth about allegations surrounding former federal prosecutor J.D. Roy Atchison may never be fully understood. Atchison died of an apparent suicide Friday, Oct. 5 at a low security detention center in Michigan.

Gulf Breeze Mayor Lane Gilchrist was at a loss for words over the prosecutor's death and expressed his sympathies for the Atchison family.

"Now they'll never know what happened to him in the first place," Gilchrist said. "It's a shame it didn't go through [the justice system]. Just the fact that he was accused of it was enough to ruin his life."

The community rallied around the family and a private memorial service was held early in the week

Federal authorities said the case against Atchison is now closed.

When asked if Atchison was on a suicide watch at the time of his death, Federal Bureau of Prisons Spokesperson Felicia Ponce said: "That is not public information."

A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons said Atchison, 53, was found unresponsive in the special housing unit of the Federal Correctional Institute in Milan, Mich. and was transported to a local hospital via ambulance and was pronounced dead at 10:17 a.m.

Atchison died after the second suicide attempt in less than two weeks. He attempted suicide previously on Sept. 20 while being held at the Sanilac County Jail in Michigan, only one day after a suicide watch was lifted by a federal magistrate.

Atchison was arrested Sept. 16 after flying to Detroit, Mich. Atchison was charged with using the Internet to solicit illicit sex with a minor and crossing state lines to engage in sexual contact with someone younger than 12.