A sick judge in a Arkansas used his power to exploit men who appeared in his courtroom as defendants. According to documents found by a state commission, Judge Joseph Boeckmann had nearly 5,000 images of nude men on his computers and the majority of those men were once defendants in his courtroom.
The photos were mostly taken at Boeckmann’s home and his yard. According to KARK, Boeckmann would meet the men in court and would hand them notes with his phone number. When the men would arrive at his home, many thought they would be participating in community service. However, Boeckmann forced the men to strip nude and he would paddle them while naked.
One victim said that he had a sexual relationship with Boeckmann while he paid off fines. Another man said he was handcuffed while naked in a courtroom and told to bend over as the judge took pictures of him. There was also a victim who was under the age of 18. Boeckmann became upset when one young man brought his mother to his home after he invited him over for “community service.” When Boeckmann saw the young man’s mother, he made the woman stand outside while he took her son into his home.
In November, the state commission filed its first complaint against Boeckmann. He initially denied wrongdoing, but the evidence was too overwhelming. Boeckmann decided to submit a letter of resignation and agree that he would never seek to obtain a position as a public official.
However, Boeckmann should not be allowed to go home after years of such abuse. The Arkansas State Police have the findings that were gathered by the commission, but they have yet to formerly charge Boeckmann for his criminal actions. By not charging Boeckmann, law enforcement in Arkansas are choosing to allow a career criminal to remain unscathed while the victims and their families continue to be effected by his actions.
