From the April 2001 Idaho Observer:

Former Stevens county commissioner sent to jail for challenging authority

Supporters, lack of respect cited by judge as reasons for Anderson's harsh sentence

COLVILLE, Wash. -- Former Stevens County Commissioner J.D. Anderson was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Linda Eaton to immediately begin serving 90 days in jail, pay a $1,000 fine and two years supervised parole for failure to obey an officer. He was also sentenced to serve an additional 90 days for obstruction.

Prosecutor Lew Schrawyer told the judge that since Anderson had a clean record he recommended that all jail time be suspended and that he pay a fine and serve two years probation.

Judge Eaton ignored Schrawyer's recommendations. She explained on the record that it was because he had “no respect for the law,” he “...played an active role in trying to bring himself to court,” and because of his “supporters' guffaws from the benches” and their “intimidating the witnesses” she was compelled to give him a stiff sentence and ordered $5,000 bond.

It would appear that Anderson has ample grounds to file a motion to vacate the sentence. It is not the defendant's responsibility to control a courtroom.

Anderson was found guilty by jury March 15 in the wake of his attempt to prove that traffic code enforcement is a government extortion racket prohibited by law and that the process by which he was stopped, questioned, arrested, charged and prosecuted is unconstitutional.

“I do not consent to punishment of any kind,” said Anderson. After an extremely eloquent statement, Anderson stated that, “This court has violated my constitutional and God-given right to due process” (See The Idaho Observer, January, 2001).

Anderson has served his community in many ways over the years. As a Republican county commissioner, he believed in less government and did everything in his power to neutralize federal authority until Republicans and Democrats combined their efforts to ruin his chance for re-election.

(Note: An outpouring of community support bailed Anderson out of jail and descended upon county government officials to see about prosecuting Judge Eaton for her obviously prejudiced behavior and the unconsciounable manner in which she passed sentence upon this noble American).