No offense to the Rome News-Tribune, who have done a good job of covering the Gordon Lee case over the last few years, but I’m kind of hoping this is the last time I have to link to them on the matter. In any event, they report on the closing of the case, noting that Lee wrote a letter of apology to the family that received the offending copy of Alternative Comics’ Free Comic Book Day book back in 2004:
Charges against local comic book store owner Gordon Lee have been dismissed, according to Floyd County District Attorney Leigh Patterson.
“I’m still catching my breath from it,” Lee said Sunday. “(The announcement) hit me so quick that everything is still a blur.”
Patterson said the case was dismissed after her office met with Lee’s counsel and decided a measure other than prosecution could be taken in resolving the case.
“He did a written apology to the victims in the case,” said Patterson.
Congrats to Lee and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund on the end of the case.
Update: A press release from the CBLDF adds a little more context on the letter Lee wrote:
Following the mistrial, Rome District Attorney Leigh Patterson vowed to bring the case back for trial on the next misdemeanor calendar. Last winter, CBLDF counsel filed a motion to dismiss on grounds of prosecutorial misconduct. That filing detailed the history of the prosecutor’s errors up to and including the mistrial. Last February, the next trial calendar came and went without Gordon’s case being called and without that motion being heard. Shortly afterwards, Patterson’s office contacted Lee’s counsel, and said they would be willing to drop the case if Gordon wrote a letter of apology. Lee had always been willing to write such a letter, and promptly delivered one to Patterson’s office, where it sat for several weeks. After multiple attempts to bring the matter to a close, CBLDF counsel finally succeeded in moving Patterson’s office to live up to their end of the agreement and drop the case last Friday.
April 21st, 2008 at 9:06 am
So, will fund get money back? They used years and thousands of manhours to defend Lee.. if Fund wouldn’t have come forward, Lee would now be in jail or tens of thousands in dept.. right?
April 21st, 2008 at 10:17 am
This whole case enrages me, I guess because as a rule I forgive mistakes and I dont care for children I dont believe comics are for kids anymore ,of course their are still some made for them. I digress all this amounts to is some posturing by an idiot attorney seeking relection and some “wonderful” parents waiting to see what happened before they begin their civil action for stress and whatever else they think they can get money for.
April 21st, 2008 at 11:14 am
An apology? Years and thousands of dollars wasted and the DA asks for an apology, she should be disbarred. This shows an egregious abuse of powers. How many times was she reelected during this period? Did she use this hot topic to keep her office? She should be ashamed and not to cause PArkin anymore work, but I hope he still has to link to the Rome paper as an investigation is launched into how Patterson could be allowed to abuse her power and waste tax dollars on this farce.
April 21st, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Well an apology is better than prison, right? Still, wasn’t having his name, reputation and business dragged through hell enough of an apology?