News, Etc.

James Auchincloss is back in jail because he violated the terms of his probation.

Now that the Medford Mail Tribune is a pay site, I had to go elsewhere for the "story," just in case anybody is interested in this nobody whose case is noteworthy only because he was and is related to a somebody.
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News

As people probably have noticed, I seldom post pictures on this site anymore unless they are my own (copyright issues, laziness, etc.), but I will say that if you are going to jail, especially for sex crimes, you should NOT be smiling when there can be photographers present.

By the way, one shouldn't pin the Kennedy or Bouvier or Auchincloss families on this. At least we know Jackie O. had NOTHING to do with her half-brother, especially after she learned he was a source for Kitty Kelley's "tell-all" book about her.

Local report:


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News

The infamous WorldNetDaily has decided to drop pundit Ann Coulter from an upcoming conference since she was scheduled to speak at a gay Republican event next month.

The "right-wing Judy Garland" remark made by the gay group is pretty funny.
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James Auchincloss, related to the Kennedy family by osmosis, will spend 30 days in jail for sex crimes.
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The weather was something else in the Rogue Valley yesterday.
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Miscellaneous News

James Auchincloss has pleaded not guilty to child porn charges.

More:

As he walked out of the courtroom, Auchincloss, who has lived in Ashland since 1995, told the Daily Tidings that he had no comment on the proceedings.
Hoppe appeared to be satisfied with the outcome of the arraignment hearing.
“Things proceeded as I expected,” he said.

A pre-trial hearing for the case has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 26.
It's possible that the Jackson County District Attorney's Office and Kaplan will strike a plea deal before the pre-trial conference, in which case the case would not go to trial, Deputy District Attorney David Hoppe said.

Hoppe said it's unclear whether an agreement will be reached, or whether either party will seek one out.

“I don't know what's going to happen,” he said.

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Calling Nancy Grace

James Auchincloss, half-brother of the late Jackie O., has been indicted on child porn charges along with another man.

Details:

Mr. Auchincloss, 62, was known for offering observations, recollections and opinions – sometimes pointed – about the Kennedy family, which has struggled to keep a privacy curtain around its members’ very public lives. Mr. Auchincloss served on the board of Oregon Stage Works, a theater program for children, prior to stepping down when news of the investigation broke in June. David Hoppe, the deputy district attorney assigned to the case, said Mr. Auchincloss is not likely to be held until the trial. “Hopefully though, due to his lack of criminal history he would be eligible for probation,” he said.

Still more:

Deputy District Attorney David Hoppe said a plea bargain is typical for the charges against Auchincloss and that he likely would remain free pending resolution of the case. Hoppe noted that Auchincloss is not charged with any production, sale or distribution of child pornography — only possession and duplication — meaning that he may not have to serve any jail time if convicted.

That should get the Kennedy haters' blood boiling, even as Auchincloss doesn't have much to do with the rest of the family.

Misc

The Ashland, Oregon, Police Department has delivered its child porn investigation involving James Auchincloss to the Jackson County District Attorney's office.

This won't be the end of it, I'm afraid.

It Appears

the Auchincloss case will go to the Jackson County District Attorney's office sometime next week:

The Ashland Police Department plans to hand over its child porn investigation involving Ashland resident James Auchincloss, half-brother to the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, to the Jackson County District Attorney's Office next week, the police chief said.

A Central Point crime lab finished analyzing electronic equipment seized at the homes of Auchincloss and Eagle Point resident Dennis Vickoren and sent the evidence back to Ashland, where it was received on Wednesday afternoon, Ashland Police Chief Terry Holderness said.

The department plans to submit the case to the District Attorney's Office as soon as possible, Holderness said on Thursday.

I doubt the media will note this until after the Michael Jackson circus subsides following his memorial service next Tuesday.

Miscellaneous Oddball News

A daughter meant well, but I can imagine she will be grounded for years:

A 16-year-old girl thought she heard her mother being assaulted by her boyfriend and rounded up some friends who beat him up, only to learn later that the couple actually were having sex, the woman and police said.


The girl misinterpreted the woman’s amorous screams, and she and four other teens went to the woman’s bedroom in the Torrington home on June 6, police Lt. Bruce Whiteley said Thursday. One of the teens beat the 25-year-old man with a bat and others punched him, police said. He suffered a black eye and several bruises.

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I get thrown on my ass over a clerical mistake, but you can bet this teacher will keep her job:

A local teacher accidentally put pornography into a DVD that was meant to be filled with school memories from the past year, and nobody caught the error until after it was sent home, shocking parents and students alike.

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The editor of the Ashland Daily Tidings gives reasons for the coverage of the investigation of James Auchincloss, even though Jackie O's half-brother hasn't been charged with anything.

A lot of locals are pissed off about the media coverage or believe he is being tried and convicted by the media. Well, if Auchincloss is arrested, they ain't seen anything yet.

Miscellaneous News

It isn't enough employers check your criminal history, your references, and even your credit history; at least one employer now wants to know whether you are a member of internet social groups and the like, such as Facebook.

This can't be constitutional.
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So much for the Chicago Public Schools idea of bribing, er, paying students for good grades.
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James Auchincloss, half-brother to the late Jackie O., has canceled his Ashland, Oregon, Family YMCA membership.

Associated Press has a somewhat long piece about Auchincloss's travails and his connection to the Kennedy family:

Friends and supporters doubt the accusations. They describe Auchincloss as a quiet, friendly man who regularly attends plays and stage productions, compiles video and film history of past presidents, and generally keeps a low profile despite his famous family ties.

...

According to some people who know the distinguished Auchincloss family, who made their money in oil and financing, James Auchincloss was considered something of a pariah by his half-sister, Jackie.

Various reasons have been given.

Kitty Kelley, who wrote a racy biography of Jackie titled "Jackie, Oh," believes Auchincloss was ostracized for serving as one of the better sources for the book.

In an e-mail, Kelley said Auchincloss was in the audience of a talk show a few years after the biography was published and Kelley was promoting another book.

"Jamie stood up, said he believed everything I had written was true" and "as a result of that book and everything he had told me, his sister never spoke to him again," Kelley said.

McManus offers another explanation for any ill will that may have existed between Jackie and her half brother.

He said Auchincloss confided that his fascination with young boys went back to his teenage years, and that Jackie banned Auchincloss from having contact with her son, John F. Kennedy Jr.

However, he does have a lot of support of friends and associates who discount the child porn accusations.

Stay tuned for the next episode.

The New York Post had a piece a few days ago claiming Auchincloss had a fixation on a very young JFK Jr..

Miscellaneous Whatever

The USSC has rejected a challenge to the Clinton era's "don't ask, don't tell" military policy.
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Although yours truly made mention of the James Auchincloss matter a few days ago, and even AP picked it up a little bit, it took days for sites like Gawker to run with it with stuff like this:

Oh well, "His willingness to talk about famous relatives has made him something of a persona non grata in Kennedy circles over the years." They must be pretty close to cutting him out of the family entirely. First it was the talking to the media, now it's the child porn. Only one more strike, James!

If the family really cuts him out, it won't matter. The media will go apeshit over yet another Kennedy "scandal," even if Auchincloss isn't a Kennedy except by proxy.

If the allegations are true, it is a hell of a note to disgrace the family in the worst possible way.
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I wrote at length about Secretariat yesterday, but I didn't hear about this tragic story at Belmont Park last month when a four-year-old colt, City On Line, crashed into the statue of Secretariat and fractured a leg and had to be euthanized.

What is truly ironical about this is the horse was trained by Hall of Famer H. Allen Jerkins, the man whose horses Onion and Prove Out defeated Secretariat in 1973 in the Whitney and the Woodward stakes races, respectively.

It was almost as if Big Red got his revenge.

Miscellaneous News [Updated]

Oh, my goddamned God:

Last October police found what they describe as graphic child pornography at the home of Ashland resident James Auchincloss, half-brother to the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Police believe the photos of naked or partially clothed prepubescent boys are evidence that Auchincloss, 62, may have committed two felonies by "encouraging child sexual abuse," according to police statements in search warrant papers obtained by the Ashland Daily Tidings.

Police also searched the home of Eagle Point resident Dennis Vickoren, described as a friend of Auchincloss, and believe the 57-year-old committed the same crimes, according to the search warrant documents.

The police investigation is ongoing and neither man has been charged.

Despite evidence that the men also have taken photographs of clothed children locally, police say the case has not been given a high priority because they believe there is no immediate threat.

...

Auchincloss, who has lived in Ashland since 1995 and serves on the board of Oregon Stage Works, declined to comment on what police found at his home, saying that it was "a matter for the courts," but did say he hasn't harmed anyone.

Auchincloss also said he believes McManus, his former personal assistant, had an ulterior motive in telling police he had child pornography because Auchincloss had accused McManus of stealing $18,000 from him. McManus, a 44-year-old Ashland artist and Southern Oregon University student, denied stealing money from his former employer and said he told police about the pornography because he felt it was the ethical thing to do.

Given the insatiable appetite for all things Kennedy by the media, even though Auchincloss isn't technically a Kennedy, I am surprised this hasn't been more publicized. Or maybe it has, and I have been in a cave.

The Daily Tidings of Ashland has a recent picture of him.

Update: AP, always quick to report things, had the story up late last night:

The affidavit, shared by the Ashland Daily Tidings with the AP, also said police had probable cause to believe that Auchincloss was encouraging child sexual abuse.

Police told the newspaper the case has not been given a high priority because they believe there is no immediate threat.

Contacted by the AP, a police spokeswoman declined to provide any details but confirmed an investigation was "in progress."

Every tabloid in the country and world will have this; there is no way the one-time private citizen Auchincloss can avoid public notoriety.

Here is a bio of Auchincloss from the Oregon Stage Works website:

Board Member James Auchincloss (Ashland, Oregon) was born and raised in Washington D.C., and is a member of Columbia University's graduating class of 1970. Currently a member of the 1983 graduating class, Barak Obama is President of the United States. Jamie drove across the United States 64 times visiting presidential libraries and attending major political events, he was also a docent at the National Archives. During that time, Jamie's love of the stage grew as he started visiting many theatre festivals across America. Jamie first visited Ashland in 1978 and made his home here in 1995. Jamie has sought out small theatres across America and Canada; he once attended 160 plays in one year. He has a deep and abiding interest in the arts, and has served on the board of directors of many theatres in Washington D.C., Rhode Island, and Oregon.

He took after his half-sister in his love for the arts.



This picture accompanies an article where Auchincloss is quoted. He is seen receiving hospital--not prison--food when he was recovering from hip surgery last year. He praised the quality of food during his stay.
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It appears David Carradine's death is one for the Darwin Awards, and reports have it his death is similar to that of the actor Albert Dekker.

What a hell of a stupid way to die.
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Twenty-three-year-old rancher Neal Wanless was the winner of the $232.1 Powerball prize. He will take home around $88.5 million in a one-lump payment after taxes.