A Goolsby "War Story:" The Case of the Robber's Revenge

As a former state and federal prosecutor, I prosecuted literally tens of thousands of criminal cases, many of which were utterly forgettable. However, I will never forget some of the unique cases and defendants who I helped send to prison. Most criminals don't take it personally. Most know that the prosecutor is simply doing his or her job. But James Dodson was an exception. Here are some of the reasons why I will never forget this unique armed robber. He took it personally and here is what he did!

Almost immediately after his conviction, Dodson sued the investigators who had investigated the criminal case against him. Dodson claimed that they had stolen his personal property and suborned perjury.

Dodson then sued his own criminal defense lawyer.

Next, Dodson sued me, (his prosecutor), and the court reporter, together. He falsely claimed that I had somehow conspired with the court reporter to doctor the trial transcript to make him look guilty!

But Dodson wasn't through! He saved his best idea for revenge for the trial judge who had sentenced him to serve 20 years in prison. Dodson somehow obtained a postal change of address form, filled it out in the judge's name, and had the judge's mail re-routed to a bogus address in Colorado! It took the poor judge a couple of weeks before he realized what had happened and corrected the misdeed!

In the final analysis, the lawsuits which Dodson had filed, against me and the others, were all dismissed. And Dodson served his sentence. I learned from this case that, while most don't take it personally, some criminals simply have no sense of humor and cannot take a joke! And that is why I will never forget James Dodson and the case of the robber's revenge!