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W.D. Childers Loses Round In Bribery Appeal
November 15, 2013
More than a decade after former Escambia commissioner and state Senate President W.D. Childers was convicted of bribery, a federal appeals court Thursday ruled against him on a lingering question about whether he received a fair trial.
Childers, who represented the Pensacola area in the Senate for three decades, was convicted in 2003 for actions while serving on the Escambia County Commission after leaving the Legislature.
Thursday’s decision stemmed from arguments that Childers was not able to fully cross-examine a key witness in the case — Willie Junior, another county commissioner — and whether Florida courts properly dealt with claims that Childers’ constitutional rights had been violated.
But the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 7-2 ruling, found that a state appeals court had adequately resolved Childers’ arguments about his Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses.
“It is clear to us that Childers’ Confrontation Clause claim was not ‘inadvertently overlooked’ by the (state 1st) District Court of Appeal,” the ruling said. “The claim was squarely before the court.”
Childers 79, has already served a prison term. The U.S. Supreme Court in February sent the case back to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for more consideration of the constitutional issue.
Childers was convicted of bribery and accepting unlawful compensation for official acts in connection with a Highway 29 soccer complex scandal in 2002 while he served as an Escambia County Commissioner.
The soccer complex scandal eventually resulted in charges against four Escambia Commissioners — Childers, Willie Junior, Terry Smith and Mike Bass. Junior was later found dead under a house, committing suicide the day before he was to be sentenced.
Childers, once known as “The Banty Rooster” for bringing home the bacon for Northwest Florida, was released from state prison on June 17, 2009, having served almost three years of a 42-month sentence on the charges related to the $3.9 million soccer complex purchase. Junior testified that he received a collard green pot full of cash in exchange for his vote to purchase the soccer complex.
Childers was also the first man in Florida jailed for violating the open-meeting portion of the Sunshine Law for a phone call he and Smith made to then Supervisor of Elections Bonnie Jones. Childers served about a month in jail before being released.
Most notably for North Escambia, Childers was the man responsible for securing the funding to four-lane Highway 29 to the Alabama state line.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Comments
14 Responses to “W.D. Childers Loses Round In Bribery Appeal”
Using today’s term, Childers was part of the swamp who used political office to enrich his own pocket. He did serve time.
After all is said and done. Now, It is 2016 and I am just now finding this about W.D. and Ruth Childers, whom I respected back in the 60’s and today as well.
Ruth was my Sunday School teacher at Bellview Baptist in Pensacola. I remember
she asked our class a question as she held one of her small daughters on her hip, what a good Mom. Nurturing. She asked our class,” What do you wish for your children in the future” , I was one who threw up my hand and answered, “HAPPINESS.” Now almost 50 years after Ruth’s question, that answer is still the best one . For all of us! Love one another and forgive one another. We all are going to stand before God one day. And standing before God it will be time to decide who without sin can cast the first stone. I was getting a book ready for my family and my life story and how can you leave out your younger days when you had fellowship at your local church. W.D. had the Assembly before we went to class and I still love he and his wife today as much as I did when we were all young. God Bless The Childers family!
A crook is a Crook … even worse when they hold a position of public trust. Sorry W.D. you screwed the pooch …. and have to pay the price.
What? A corrupt politician…..no way. It kind of makes you wonder, how many haven’t been caught yet.
WD Childers was one of the best, if not the best, representatives we have ever had in tallahassee. Or elsewhere. He was, and is, a friend of mine, who I very much admire and support. I continue to have contact with him, and beleive it, he is still a very connected person and respected by a lot of people. He served his time , although to this day, I firmly beleive he was not guilty of the stupid charges against him, and he is a very productive member of society. A friend then, a friend now, and a friend forever. Willie Jr., was also a friend of mine, and I supported him. He was a person you could go to, explain your position, and he would listen. Willie was truly the “at large Commissioner” He. worked for the best for all the citizens of the county. My God, compare these two with the current Board.
work on your skills at checkers while paying your debt
…W.D.
He also put a 3 way stop at Beulah Rd. and Beulah Church Rd for some unknown reason and people ran it for 2 days until it was taken down. There were no warnings or anything. I thought that was the dumbest thing I ever saw and it could have caused a bad wreck.
That post from Bob was scary. He must have been in the closet awhile or just not understand what jail time would have meant to a man with a collard green pot full of cash!
Willie was a true friend of the working class. I will never believe to this day what was his cause of death. He was the best commissioner of all time and truly a cut above what we have now.
When is he going to quit wasting his money! The biggest fish(him) in this pond got caught.
Of so many who knew him, I understand he is and was a very good person who had opportunities to do good at the government level. Like many, he succumbed to to temptation on a relatively small scale in a moment of weakness involving is own personal health and finances. We can forgive people at the national level where BILLIONS in favoritism are involved, but we seem to have no sympathy for our local politicians. I think the punishment was likely overkill while others who facilitated the crime got away with it. That is the take I get from people who knew him well.
Well…if he got highway 29 to four-lane to the Alabama line he must not have been all that bad.
I can’t believe it! This has to be the only one of the Childers clan who couldn’t beat it!
Willie had class.