Rod Jetton
Encyclopedia
Rod Jetton is a U.S.
politician. He was a Republican
member of the Missouri House of Representatives
who has represented Missouri
's 156th District from 2001 to 2009 and was Speaker
of the Missouri House from 2005 to 2009.
, to Bill and Judy Jetton. His father is a Southern Baptist minister who worked at churches in the panhandle of Texas
and eastern New Mexico
, and in many churches throughout Southeast Missouri
.
Jetton graduated from Charleston High School
in 1986. He attended Cape Girardeau public schools from 6th to 9th grade but transferred during his freshman year when his father became pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Charleston
.
Jetton graduated from Southwest Baptist University
in Bolivar, Missouri
in May 1990, with a double major in history and political science and was Student Body President his senior year.
Jetton joined the United States Marine Corps
and served as an Infantry Officer for four years. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and was involved in the Bosnia
and Somalia
operations. After finishing his tour in 1995, Jetton received an honorable discharge.
After leaving the Marine Corps
, Jetton started Jetton James Real Estate Company.
's campaign team as a field coordinator, and gained valuable experience in local grass roots politics. In 1996, he was elected to the Bollinger County Commission. He was the youngest County Commissioner in the state at that time
In 2000, Jetton was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives
where he served until 2009. In his second term, he was chosen Speaker pro Tempore of the Missouri House. On January 5, 2005, he was sworn in as the 70th Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives
.
In his first term as speaker he launched Common Sense Conservative Consulting which advised some people who were seeking legislation in the state. The Missouri State Ethics Commission said it was a legal but questionable practice. In September 2007 House Republicans took the unusual step of naming Jetton's successor (Ron Richard
) two years before Richard took office.
In 2007, Jetton unintentionally voted for a rider
to repeal Missouri's law banning gay sex. The rider was attached to a Jessica's Law
bill. Jetton said he did not know about the rider. While Jetton acknowledged the ban was unenforceable because of the Supreme Court's Lawrence v. Texas
ruling, he said, “Thanks to that deletion, it is now legal to engage in deviate sexual intercourse with someone of the same sex here in Missouri.” In response, Jetton removed state representative Scott A. Lipke of Jackson, Missouri
, as chair of the Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety because he thought Lipke should have told lawmakers about the rider.
, VFW Post 5900, Farm Bureau, National Rifle Association
and National Federation of Independent Business
(NFIB). The Bollinger County Chamber of Commerce gave him the "One Year VIP Business Achievement Award" in 1998 for his leadership and service to the community.
He was married to the former Cassandra (Cassie) James from 1988 until their divorce in October 2009. He has three children, Callie, Elaine and Will. Jetton told The Southeast Missourian newspaper in July 2011 that he has now remarried and is working for civil engineering company in Poplar Bluff, Missouri
. He also serves as a contributing blogger for a political website.
According to the complaint Jetton met the woman, with whom he had not had a relationship before, to have sadomasochistic sex. He is accused of “hitting her on the head and choking her, resulting in unconsciousness and the loss of the function of a part of her body” during the encounter November 15 and 16, 2009, in Sikeston, Missouri
. The two had according to the complaint agreed to use a safeword
of “green balloons.” Jetton is accused of telling the woman the following morning, “You should have said ‘green balloons.’" The woman said that she began ‘fading’ in and out and remembered losing consciousness several times” after drinking a glass of wine that Jetton had prepared for her. The woman reported the case two days after the incident.
The woman said she had known Jetton while growing up on Charleston. The woman who was also recently divorced reported that she had renewed contact with Jetton via Facebook
to push for legislation on behalf of victims of sexual abuse spurred by her affiliation with the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Jetton's lawyer in a February 24, 2010 hearing released text messages from the woman implying that she might be open to rough sex. The woman at the hearing said the texts were meant to be playful and had been taken out of context.
Following the arrest he closed Rod Jetton & Associate, which catered to many high-profile clients, including Mitt Romney
.
A trial on the case moved from October 2010 to February 3, 2011. and then to June 2, 2011. In May 2011 it was reported that he pled guilty to misdemeanor assault, was placed on probation. He is to $950 in restitution, and $300 in court costs.
investigation in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
in Kansas City. Some of those testifying said they questioning the handling of a 2005 bill regulating adult entertainment. The bill introduced by Matt Bartle
would have enacted a $5 per customer admission fee for strip clubs, adult movie houses and other sexually oriented businesses, along with a 20 percent tax on the revenue. After the bill was introduced a political action committee with connections to Jetton adviser Don Lograsso accepted a $35,000 donation from the adult entertainment industry.
Jetton assigned the bill to a committee chaired by Robert T. Johnson
of Lee's Summit, Missouri
and Johnson killed the bill. Jetton has said there was no quid pro quo
and that he assigned the bill to an unfriendly committee because he did not like the bill.
The Grand Jury adjourned without filing any indictments. Missouri law says the statute of limitations
is 5 years in bribery cases and 2010 was five years after the event took place.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician. He was a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Missouri House of Representatives
Missouri House of Representatives
The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 31,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections held in even-numbered years.In 1992 Missouri...
who has represented Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
's 156th District from 2001 to 2009 and was Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Missouri House from 2005 to 2009.
Early life
Jetton was born in De Soto, MissouriDe Soto, Missouri
De Soto is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 6,477 at the estimated 2008 census. The Van Metre family were first to settle in 1803 .The town was organized in 1857 and is named for the explorer Hernando De Soto, who claimed the Louisiana Territory for Spain. ...
, to Bill and Judy Jetton. His father is a Southern Baptist minister who worked at churches in the panhandle of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and eastern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, and in many churches throughout Southeast Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
Jetton graduated from Charleston High School
Charleston High School (Missouri)
Charleston High School is a public high school that serves 313 students from grades 9-12, located in Charleston, Missouri. The principal is David Wilson.Their sports program has produced one known professional athlete, Matt Whiteside....
in 1986. He attended Cape Girardeau public schools from 6th to 9th grade but transferred during his freshman year when his father became pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Charleston
Charleston, Missouri
Charleston is a city in Mississippi County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,732 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mississippi County and it is a home to a local correctional facility.-History:...
.
Jetton graduated from Southwest Baptist University
Southwest Baptist University
Southwest Baptist University is a private institute of higher education affiliated with the Missouri Baptist Convention which is part of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 2003 there were approximately 3,600 students attending at one of SBU's four Missouri, United States campuses in Bolivar,...
in Bolivar, Missouri
Bolivar, Missouri
Bolivar is the county seat of Polk County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,325 at the 2010 census. The city was named for Bolivar, Tennessee, home to many of the original settlers, and like that city its name is pronounced to rhyme with Oliver...
in May 1990, with a double major in history and political science and was Student Body President his senior year.
Jetton joined the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and served as an Infantry Officer for four years. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and was involved in the Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
operations. After finishing his tour in 1995, Jetton received an honorable discharge.
After leaving the Marine Corps
Marine corps
A marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...
, Jetton started Jetton James Real Estate Company.
Speaker of the House
After college, Jetton joined Congressman Bill EmersonBill Emerson
Norvell William "Bill" Emerson was an American politician from Missouri. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until his death in 1996. He was succeeded in the House by his widow, Jo Ann Emerson...
's campaign team as a field coordinator, and gained valuable experience in local grass roots politics. In 1996, he was elected to the Bollinger County Commission. He was the youngest County Commissioner in the state at that time
In 2000, Jetton was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives
Missouri House of Representatives
The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 31,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections held in even-numbered years.In 1992 Missouri...
where he served until 2009. In his second term, he was chosen Speaker pro Tempore of the Missouri House. On January 5, 2005, he was sworn in as the 70th Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives
Missouri House of Representatives
The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 31,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections held in even-numbered years.In 1992 Missouri...
.
In his first term as speaker he launched Common Sense Conservative Consulting which advised some people who were seeking legislation in the state. The Missouri State Ethics Commission said it was a legal but questionable practice. In September 2007 House Republicans took the unusual step of naming Jetton's successor (Ron Richard
Ron Richard
Ronald F. Richard is a Missouri politician who was elected as a state senator in 2010 and was previously the Speaker...
) two years before Richard took office.
In 2007, Jetton unintentionally voted for a rider
Rider (legislation)
In legislative procedure, a rider is an additional provision added to a bill or other measure under the consideration by a legislature, having little connection with the subject matter of the bill. Riders are usually created as a tactic to pass a controversial provision that would not pass as its...
to repeal Missouri's law banning gay sex. The rider was attached to a Jessica's Law
Jessica's Law
Jessica's Law is the informal name given to a 2005 Florida law, as well as laws in several other states, designed to punish sex offenders and reduce their ability to re-offend...
bill. Jetton said he did not know about the rider. While Jetton acknowledged the ban was unenforceable because of the Supreme Court's Lawrence v. Texas
Lawrence v. Texas
Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 , is a landmark United States Supreme Court case. In the 6-3 ruling, the Court struck down the sodomy law in Texas and, by proxy, invalidated sodomy laws in the thirteen other states where they remained in existence, thereby making same-sex sexual activity legal in...
ruling, he said, “Thanks to that deletion, it is now legal to engage in deviate sexual intercourse with someone of the same sex here in Missouri.” In response, Jetton removed state representative Scott A. Lipke of Jackson, Missouri
Jackson, Missouri
Jackson is a city in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,758 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cape Girardeau County. Jackson is named for U.S. President Andrew Jackson. It is a principal city of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson, MO-IL Metropolitan...
, as chair of the Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety because he thought Lipke should have told lawmakers about the rider.
Personal
Jetton is a member of Harmony Congregational Methodist Church, Chamber of CommerceChamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
, VFW Post 5900, Farm Bureau, National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
and National Federation of Independent Business
National Federation of Independent Business
The National Federation of Independent Business is a lobbying organization with its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee and offices in Washington, D.C. USA, and in all 50 state capitals...
(NFIB). The Bollinger County Chamber of Commerce gave him the "One Year VIP Business Achievement Award" in 1998 for his leadership and service to the community.
He was married to the former Cassandra (Cassie) James from 1988 until their divorce in October 2009. He has three children, Callie, Elaine and Will. Jetton told The Southeast Missourian newspaper in July 2011 that he has now remarried and is working for civil engineering company in Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Poplar Bluff is a city in Butler County located in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as "The Gateway to the Ozarks" among other names. As of the 2000 U.S...
. He also serves as a contributing blogger for a political website.
2009 arrest
On December 7, 2009, Jetton was charged with felony assault related to an incident that occurred on November 15, 2009 in which Jetton allegedly "recklessly caused serious physical injury" to an unnamed woman.According to the complaint Jetton met the woman, with whom he had not had a relationship before, to have sadomasochistic sex. He is accused of “hitting her on the head and choking her, resulting in unconsciousness and the loss of the function of a part of her body” during the encounter November 15 and 16, 2009, in Sikeston, Missouri
Sikeston, Missouri
Sikeston is a city located both in southern Scott County and northern New Madrid County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is geographically situated just north of the "Missouri Bootheel", although many locals consider Sikeston a part of it. By way of Interstate 55, Sikeston is close to the...
. The two had according to the complaint agreed to use a safeword
Safeword
A safeword is a code word or series of code words that are sometimes used in BDSM for a submissive to unambiguously communicate their physical or emotional state to a dominant , typically when approaching, or crossing, a physical, emotional, or moral boundary...
of “green balloons.” Jetton is accused of telling the woman the following morning, “You should have said ‘green balloons.’" The woman said that she began ‘fading’ in and out and remembered losing consciousness several times” after drinking a glass of wine that Jetton had prepared for her. The woman reported the case two days after the incident.
The woman said she had known Jetton while growing up on Charleston. The woman who was also recently divorced reported that she had renewed contact with Jetton via Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
to push for legislation on behalf of victims of sexual abuse spurred by her affiliation with the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Jetton's lawyer in a February 24, 2010 hearing released text messages from the woman implying that she might be open to rough sex. The woman at the hearing said the texts were meant to be playful and had been taken out of context.
Following the arrest he closed Rod Jetton & Associate, which catered to many high-profile clients, including Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
.
A trial on the case moved from October 2010 to February 3, 2011. and then to June 2, 2011. In May 2011 it was reported that he pled guilty to misdemeanor assault, was placed on probation. He is to $950 in restitution, and $300 in court costs.
2010 Grand Jury investigation
In early 2010 various state officials said they testified before a grand juryGrand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
investigation in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
The United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri is the federal judicial district encompassing 66 counties in the western half of the State of Missouri...
in Kansas City. Some of those testifying said they questioning the handling of a 2005 bill regulating adult entertainment. The bill introduced by Matt Bartle
Matt Bartle
Matt Bartle is a Republican politician from Missouri. He was born in Columbia, Missouri.He graduated from David H. Hickman High School, and went on to get a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Missouri, and a J.D. degree from Northwestern University. While at Northwestern,...
would have enacted a $5 per customer admission fee for strip clubs, adult movie houses and other sexually oriented businesses, along with a 20 percent tax on the revenue. After the bill was introduced a political action committee with connections to Jetton adviser Don Lograsso accepted a $35,000 donation from the adult entertainment industry.
Jetton assigned the bill to a committee chaired by Robert T. Johnson
Robert T. Johnson
*Robert T. Johnson is Republican politician from Lee's Summit, Missouri. In 1972, he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives and later served in the state senate...
of Lee's Summit, Missouri
Lee's Summit, Missouri
Lee's Summit is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Cass. As of the 2010 census found the population at 91,364 making it the sixth-largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and the sixth-largest city in Missouri...
and Johnson killed the bill. Jetton has said there was no quid pro quo
Quid pro quo
Quid pro quo most often means a more-or-less equal exchange or substitution of goods or services. English speakers often use the term to mean "a favour for a favour" and the phrases with almost identical meaning include: "give and take", "tit for tat", "this for that", and "you scratch my back,...
and that he assigned the bill to an unfriendly committee because he did not like the bill.
The Grand Jury adjourned without filing any indictments. Missouri law says the statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
is 5 years in bribery cases and 2010 was five years after the event took place.