An Arkansas judge has resigned after the alleged discovery of thousands of sexually explicit images of young men who had been defendants in criminal cases over which he presided.
Former Cross County District Judge Joseph Boeckmann submitted his resignation to the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, saying that his resignation would be effective immediately. In his resignation, he agreed never to seek employment as a state, county, or local employee.
The allegations against Boeckmann were revealed when the Commission said that it was investigating and in the process of recovering up to 4,500 sexually explicit pictures that Boeckmann had allegedly taken of young men as part of their "community service" for minor offenses that brought them to his courtroom.
Earlier this year, Boeckmann denied the allegations, saying that any photographs he had of defendants were simply documentation to "corroborate participation in community service."
However, some of the young men pictured in the photos say their "community service" was not what one might expect. Several testified that at the conclusion of their cases, the judge slipped them a handwritten note with his phone number on it and told them they would serve "community service" at his home.
They say when they appeared at the judge's home, he would photograph them in various poses--sometimes naked. In one case, a young man told police that the judge told him to bring three bags of cans to his house. When the young man arrived, the judge allegedly offered him a drink, which the witness says he declined. The judge then allegedly told him to bend over to take three cans out of the bag, and then gave him instructions on how far to spread his legs and how to pose as he bent over to retrieve the cans.
Investigators also say that numerous pictures depict young men naked after an "apparent paddling." The Commission ordered Boeckmann's attorney "to not destroy [or] otherwise dispose of this paddle."
One of the witnesses against Boeckmann says that he engaged in a sexual relationship with the judge in order to obtain extensions on paying his fines.
The case against Boeckmann began as the Commission was investigating a possible conflict of interest in an unrelated elder care case. In the course of their investigation, court employees asked, "Have you heard about the boys?" spurring an investigation into the sex scandal.
As of this writing, criminal charges have not been filed against the judge, who has still admitted no wrongdoing in the case. According to his attorney, Boeckmann's resignation comes at the end of his term for a position he was going to soon vacate, regardless of the allegations:
“He does not want to get into a big fight about the veracity or inaccuracy of the allegations over an office that he was going to vacate anyway, and that is why he decided to resign. He did not admit any wrongdoing, and he is not going to admit any wrongdoing. . . . If a criminal charge is brought, he will be fighting that vehemently.”
At least one accuser is said to be under the age of 18, in which case the former judge could face a child pornography charge.
Image Credit: April Killingsworth
