ADAMS BACK IN SCIOTO COUNTY JAIL AFTER CIRCUS IN COURTROOM

Friends of Adams concerned he isn’t getting his medications properly

By Doug Deepe, Investigative Reporter

(Posted 9:00 a.m., July 16, 2003)

Dr. John Adams was indicted Friday July 11, 2003 for the alleged murder of Portsmouth City Official Bob Burns. Adams was out on bond for approximately eight hours Monday evening after posting a $100,000.00 bond.

After making Adams wait from 9:00 a.m. until 11:15 a.m., Adams case was finally called before acting Judge Stephen P. Donohue, at which time the City of Portsmouth dropped their aggravated murder charge in favor of the capital murder indictment that was sent over from the Scioto County Prosecutors Office.

The Portsmouth Municipal Court Building was a buzz yesterday morning when word began to spread that Dr. Adams was free on bond and had spent the night at the local Ramada Inn on Second Street in Portsmouth, Ohio.

At approximately 8:55 a.m., Dr. Adams and his attorney, former Assistant Scioto County Prosecutor Eric Wrage, strolled into Portsmouth Municipal Courtroom A.

Adams was calm and sat with Attorney Wrage until approximately 9:45 when Judge Stephen P. Donohue took to the bench.

Normally, Portsmouth City Solicitor’s call individuals before the bench in alphabetical order but this didn’t happen yesterday. Assistant Portsmouth City Solicitor Mark Kuhn refused to call Adams case until he had in his possession the "secret indictment" of Adams from the Scioto County Prosecutor Rebecca Bennett.

That move proved that the "secret indictment" wasn’t a "secret" after all. How would Assistant Solicitor Mark Kuhn know what the Scioto County Grand Jury had done unless he was "tipped off" by Scioto County Prosecutor Rebecca Bennett, before the indictment was even filed in the Scioto County Common Pleas Court? The indictment is time stamped at the Common Pleas Courts Clerks Office at approximately 9:35 a.m., Tuesday, July 15, 2003.

This calls into question the ethics of the Scioto County Prosecutors Office releasing information about a "secret indictment" before the indictment was filed. Portsmouth Assistant Solicitor Kuhn is responsible for prosecuting city charges. Adams was sitting in the Portsmouth Municipal Courtroom after posting the required bond set forth by law, yet Assistant Solicitor Kuhn refused to call Adams case before the judge.

This case, no matter how one views the initial facts of the case, proves the dirty deals that go on behind the scenes between the Portsmouth City Solicitors Office and the Scioto County Prosecutors Office. If there was no indictment filed with the Common Pleas Court Clerks Office at 9:00 a.m. how did Kuhn know that one would be filed in approximately 35 minutes later unless the secrecy of the Scioto County Grand Jury proceedings was violated by someone in the Scioto County Prosecutors Office? That needs to be investigated.

Now the big question is how Scioto County Common Pleas Court Judges will treat Adams. Adams proved that he is not going to run from the charges at hand. Adams had an opportunity and resources available to him on Monday night to flee and try to avoid prosecution. Instead he spent the night at the local Ramada Inn and walked right into Portsmouth Municipal Court on Tuesday morning. This will be interesting to see how the judges handle this bond issue now that only the fourth capital murder indictment has been handed down in the last 18 years.

Friends of Adams are worried that the Scioto County Jail may not be providing Adam’s medication to him as required by his doctors. Adams is in the final stages of Parkinson Disease and requires approximately 30-40 different medications each day to avoid rigidity in his body. "If he doesn’t get that medication on time his body could become rigid and he could freeze up", said a friend of Adams.

Adams was seen in Portsmouth Municipal Court yesterday trying to keep his legs and arms moving to prevent the rigidity from setting in. During court proceedings, Adams was allowed by the Court to stand by a wall and stretch his legs.

An indictment only means that there is enough evidence to proceed to trial. It’s not until a trial where a defendant gets to give his side of the story and all the evidence is put out for consideration by a jury of your peers. Until we get all the facts the Scioto County Jail should ensure that Adams is provided the necessary medical care his condition requires.

The strange twists and turns in this case have only begun.

SCIOTO COUNTY PROSECUTORS OFFICE FAILS TO FILE INDICTMENT TO ENSURE BURNS MURDER SUSPECT IS HELD IN SCIOTO COUNTY JAIL

Burns released on $100,000 bond last night. If he appears in court today how could the courts claim he is a flight risk now?

By Doug Deepe, Investigative Reporter

(Posted 9:15 a.m., Tuesday, July 15, 2003)

Unbelievably, the Scioto County Prosecutors Office failed to get their indictment paperwork filed against the Burns murder suspect Psychiatrist John Adams yesterday. Last night Adams was allowed to post $100,000 bond and walk out of the Scioto County Jail a free man until his appearance at Portsmouth Municipal Court around 9:00 a.m. today.

This brings up an interesting question. If Dr. Adams shows up in court for his hearing at 9:00 a.m., how will the Scioto County Prosecutors justify Adams a flight risk? The Scioto County Prosecutors Office just gave Adams a chance to prove if he is going to run or not. It’s also funny that no notice was given to the public that this "dangerous man" was let out of jail last night, since it was apparent by articles in the local press last week that the Prosecutors were contemplating the death penalty against Adams.

The Scioto County Grand Jury met to discuss the case against Adams on Friday, July 11, 2003. The Prosecutors Office knew that Adams could be extradited back to Ohio around 1:00 p.m. on Monday, July 14, 2003. Then why, if they have an indictment against Adams, was the indictment not filed?

If Adams is such a threat that he warrants the death penalty specification in the Burns murder, then how can our Prosecutors Office not ensure that he was kept in jail?

Is this another case of incompetence in our local prosecutors or were they hyping up the case against Dr. Adams.

The Sentinel has information about this case that we will report that we believe proves the someone messed this case up from the beginning.

Former Scioto County Prosecutor Eric Wrage is handling Adams defense. Wrage stated last night on WSAZ News 3 at 11:00 p.m. that Mrs. Burns has multiple personalities and that she was eliminated as a suspect immediately, when evidence could be available that should have been looked at prior to excluding her as a suspect in her husbands shooting.

The Sentinel contacted the Kentucky State Highway Patrol and will post our discussion with them later this week. You won’t want to miss this. It proves we have incompetent police in this town.

PEOPLE BEGIN ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT PROSECUTORS SEEKING DEATH PENALTY IN ADAMS CASE AND WHY NOT IN THE JOYCE SCOTT MURDER?

Will Prosecutors seek death penalty in the Carlton Cave case?

By Doug Deepe, Investigative Reporter

(posted 2:00 p.m., Saturday, July 12, 2003)

Did the Scioto County Prosecutors seek the death penalty specification for alleged murderer John Adams in the death of Portsmouth City Official Bob Burns? That is the burning question on the minds of many people in the local area, including attorneys.

The first case that came to the minds of most people was the recent murder of Joyce Scott. Scott was murder in Wheelersburg by Anthony Routt and Routt was allowed to plead guilty to murder on a simple bill of information with little to no investigation by the Scioto County Prosecutors Office.

Sheriff Marty Donini stated that the shooting death of Scott was possibly a random killing but the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office wasn’t given time to fully investigate any connections between Routt and Scott. (We have more information coming on this case at a later date.) The case was rushed to sentencing by the Scioto County Prosecutors Office.

The other case people are talking about is the recent murder of Carlton Cave, a young black man stabbed to death in Farley square by suspect Elvis Kearns. Cave was stabbed in the chest in broad day light, under the Portsmouth Metropolitan Housing Authority camera. Cave was unarmed, according to sources on the scene, and attempted to retreat away from Kearns.

Will the Scioto County Prosecutors Office seek the death penalty in the Cave murder or is the life of a public official more important than that of a private citizen such as Mr. Cave.

There are numerous other murders that have occurred in Scioto County in which the death penalty should have been considered but was never imposed. We are compiling a list of the murders to post later in the upcoming week if Adams is charged with the death specification.

The Burns and Cave murders have this town on edge. Both men were bright, loving, caring men trying to support their families. One man was white while the other was black. Neither men were drug dealers or criminals, so shouldn’t both have their alleged attackers punished in similar manner?

But then one must ask, if the other families in the area with loved ones killed such as Joyce Scott’s family, didn’t deserve to have the killer fully investigated to see if the death penalty is warranted?

The Burns and Cave murders will be a telling sign about the legal system in this county.