Adams County Judge Robert Adrian Reappointed After Shock Reversal In Drew Clinton Teen Rape Case

An Illinois judge was removed from criminal court in Adams County on Thursday after he opened fire in front of a prosecutor who gave a nod on Facebook to sexual assault survivors. which he considered a personal attack.

Judge Robert Adrian’s The change of duty comes after he was widely condemned for overturning a verdict in a minor rape case. He then kicked trial attorney Josh Jones of the Adams State Attorney’s Office from his courtroom on Wednesday for “liking” a Facebook post critical of the ruling.

Judge Frank McCartney, chief judge of the 8th Circuit, filed an administrative order forcing Adrian to bring in minor claims, legal issues and probate records, as well as civil cases other, effective immediately, the Herald-Whig reported.

McCartney told the criminal court Adrian’s will be assigned to another judge until further notice. Herald-Whig.

McCartney heralded the move when he said he was “aware of the situation” Wednesday morning and then made a trip to Quincy, Illinois that same day to review some of Adrian’s remarks, according to Muddy River News.

“There’s going to be some work to be done over the next few days and weeks that will hopefully alleviate some of the issues,” he told the outlet Wednesday afternoon and declined to comment further.

He did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment on Friday.

In October, Adrian found 18-year-old Drew Clinton guilty of criminal sexual assault for raping 16-year-old Cameron Vaughan at a graduation party in May 2021.

Vaughan said: ‘I woke up at my friend’s place with a pillow over my face so I couldn’t hear Drew Clinton inside of me. according to WGEM. “I asked him to stop several times and he wouldn’t.”

But Adrian ousted Clinton’s persuasion this month in a sensational fashion, claiming that adults give up their parenting responsibilities and give a presentation about swimming pool attire.

“This is what happens when parents don’t fulfill their parental responsibilities, when we have people, adults, throw parties for teenagers, and they allow teenagers to and women wear underwear in their swimming pools,” Adrian said, according to a copy of transcripts from the Jan. 3 sentencing hearing. “And, no, underwear isn’t like swimwear.”

“They give alcohol to underage people, and you wonder how these things happen,” he added.

Clinton has served 148 days in the Adams County Jail and is considering a mandatory minimum sentence of four years before Adrian reverses his return.

Adrian said that nearly five months in prison was a “just sentence” for the young man who had just turned 18, as he changed the sentence from guilty to not guilty.

Adams State Assistant Attorney Anita Rodriguez, who prosecuted the case, said the reversal was unprecedented in her decades-long career.

“I have been prosecuting for more than 40 years — the first time in Kansas, and almost 34 and a half years in this office,” Rodriguez said Tuesday, according to Muddy River News. “I have never even seen anything that close. Honestly, I have no words to explain. I have no explanation for what happened.”

Then, on Wednesday morning, as his shocking reversal made headlines across the country, Adrian ordered Josh Jones to leave his courtroom for “liking” a Facebook post just judgment quote.

“I don’t like it on social media, but my wife does,” said Adrian angrily. “She saw that the people who attacked me didn’t like you. I cannot be fair to you today. Get out.”

Adrian previously declined The Daily Beast’s request for comment on the blast, quote Supreme Court rule that urges judges not to comment publicly on pending or impending proceedings. He did not immediately respond to comment on his reappointment on Friday.

The post Jones had “liked” came from a local domestic abuse organization saying that “the judge seemed to feel sorry for Clinton, not the victim.”

“He blamed everyone but Clinton,” the Quincy Area Network’s board of directors against domestic abuse wrote in statement.

McCartney on Thursday also ordered some cases prosecuted by Jones to be transferred from Adrian to other judges in the ring. According to the Herald-Whig, for cases that would go to trial by jury, McCartney ordered all judges except Adrian to hear the case.

After Adrian’s outburst, Jones told Muddy River News that he believes his activism in support of victims’ rights on Facebook is fairly benign.

“We clearly have to and want to support the victims in any case,” he told the outlet this week. “I have not made any comment publicly, privately or in any other way about Judge Adrian and the decision. I do not intend. That’s not my role.”

Adams State Attorney Gary Farha released a statement Thursday defending Jones.

“I would like to reiterate that none of my prosecutors did anything unethical or inappropriate. I am proud of the work my assistants do and their fight to ensure justice for the victims of every crime. Our office will have no further comment beyond referencing our previous statements,” he wrote.

The focus will be on Vaughan, he added, for “suffering a trauma beyond anyone’s need and a system that has left her traumatized and victimized again.”

“She did nothing to warrant this attack. She deserves our support. She deserves our respect,” he wrote.