This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Dec. 8, 2009 - Former Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill, turned himself in Monday night to the Cole County Sheriff's Department in Jefferson City.
Jetton was complying with an arrest warrant issued earlier Monday by a Scott County judge in connect with an alleged assault on Nov. 15 in Sikeston, Mo.
Jefferson City TV station KFVS12 has posted his mug shot taken at the time of his arrest. Jetton posted $250, or 10 percent of the $2,500 bond.
On Tuesday, his lawyer announced that Jetton had closed down his consulting business.
The assault charge stems from a complaint filed Monday on behalf of an unidentified woman who alleged that during the course of an intimate evening that he "recklessly caused serious physical injury ... by hitting her on the head, and choking her resulting in unconsciousness and the loss of the function of part of her body." (The explicit PDF link is via the St. Louis Business Journal.)
According to Case.net, the online statewide court information system, the assault charge could carry penalities of up to seven years in jail and/or a $5,000 fine. The Kansas City Star's Prime Buzz was first to report the incident.
Casenet also includes documents detailing that Jetton, now a political consultant, obtained a divorce this spring, which apparently garnered little or no public attention. The complaint was not filed by his ex-wife. The woman says in the complaint that she and Jetton were not in a relationship.
(To look at the Casenet documents -- since we were unable to get links to work for that site -- type in Jetton's name. All the files will then show up.)
Aside from setting bond, Scott County authorities also ordered that Jetton is to have no contact with the victim.
The Scott County prosecutor and sheriff's office, as well as the Sikeston police department, referred all queries Monday afternoon to Sikeston City attorney Chuck Lieble, who could not be reached.
Firedupmissouri.com, the Democratic-aligned website, had posted by late Monday a partial list of Jetton's clients, who have gravitated to him since Jetton left the House almost a year ago. That list did not include arguably his biggest one, 2008 GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts and a potential 2012 contender.
Regardless of the outcome of this case, it's doubtful that Romney will consult with Jetton again.
Jetton, 42 and a former Marine, has been a colorful and controversial figure ever since he first won election to the Missouri House in November 2000. Once the GOP took over the chamber in 2003, Jetton skyrocketed quickly to the party's top leadership posts.
In 2004, Jetton won notoriety when he interrupted then-Gov. Bob Holden during his State of the State address.
(Click here to read a memorable article by Post-Dispatch Jefferson City Bureau Chief Virginia Young in September 2008, when Jetton slammed down his last gavel as speaker. And here, to check out the Kansas City Star's recent story on Jetton's post-speaker career.)
