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June 28, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels March 27, 2004 Judge avoids being impartial By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings For 25 years, Allen Drescher has pretty much seen it all as Ashland's Municipal Court Judge. Each Tuesday, Drescher, 57, who has a private practice in town, proceeds over the court and hears an average of 50 to 100 cases. Although he has heard the typical parking ticket citation violation too many times to count, Drescher and his staff have seen their share of interesting cases and people in their career, such as a man with more than 40 municipal court violations who said he would not return to Ashland if the court would give him a one-way ticket to join a circus in the south, or an angry man that had to be detained by four officers. Ashland Municipal Judge Allen Drescher talks with a woman in court Tuesday who could not pay her fine. Drescher said he tries to work with people who end up before him to find a balance between sentences and personal situations. Denise Baratta | Ashland Daily Tidings On Tuesday, the case load was quite light as Drescher heard only a dozen cases. "It's quite nice to get off a little early," he said with a gregarious, hearty laugh, constantly heard throughout the conversation. College students being off for spring break was a key reason for the low number, he said. On Tuesday, Drescher was joined in court by Jan Janssen, the Ashland Police Youth Division Officer, Clerk Supervisor Cleda, and Bailiff Phil. Both Cleda and Paul declined to give their last names, citing security reasons such as harassing phone calls received in the past because of their jobs. Phil has worked with Drescher for 20 years, Cleda has worked with him for seven years, and Janssen for four. He couldn't do what he does without them and their years of experience, Drescher said. "The staff is incredible here," he said. "We worked so long together and have a great relationship. I love coming to work to see my old friends. Once in a while we have a challenging case and we work together to try to solve the dilemma." Cleda, who worked 10 years at the circuit court in Medford, concurred. "I like it here," she said. "It's more one-on-one with the people." Phil recalled a recent case with a woman who had a ticket for a stop sign violation and spent quite some time going over diagrams and pictures to make her case with Drescher. "He took the time to go over things with her instead of 'Bam, your guilty,'" he said. "[Drescher] cares. I admire his fairness" Interesting cases But Drescher does lay down the law, especially with those who keep repeating their offenses over and over again. "I can be really stern when I need to be," he said. Recently, Drescher saw a man who had more than 40 violations in Ashland over several years, mainly drugs, alcohol and driving violations. The man said if the court could give him a one-way bus ticket to South Carolina, he planned to join a circus and try to start a new life, and did not plan to return to Ashland for a long time. Drescher agreed and put him on probation, not allowing him to come back to Ashland for a number of years. "The man had a rap sheet this long," he said with a gesture. "It was good he wanted a new start, but that one was quite unusual." After a number of violations, Drescher has given probation to people, and not allowed them in Ashland for a period of time. He told one man in his 50s - who had at least 10 previous violations, was not responsive to help and had repeatedly missed his court dates - that he was not allowed to come back to Ashland for five years, eventually shortening it to two years. The man, who lives out of Ashland in Jackson County, was not happy about the decision. Drescher said he feels he has to be tough in these situations. "It's unfortunate, but these people have displayed numerous times that they are incapable of staying out of trouble, and are habitual offenders," he said. "These are mainly people in their 40s and 50s who have been in trouble for so long and are antisocial and do not plan to change their behavior. If they stay here, they're most likely going to get into more trouble. Perhaps, if they go somewhere else, they can get a job or the support they need." Cleda agreed. "It has to be a continuing problem for him to do that," she said. Being in Ashland, Drescher has had his share of people who have been arrested for protests. While their presentations can be colorful and their speeches passionate, he said he always tries to be fair and follow the law when he hears a case. This includes numerous timber protesters and those who have been arrested for burning the flag downtown. "You have a lot of interesting cases here regarding First Amendment rights," he said. While people have been disorderly and had to be detained, no one has ever tried to attack him, Drescher said. But people can be hostile at times. A little more than eight months ago, a man was in for a minor infraction. It soon became clear he was suffering from mental problems, saying the FBI and CIA were after him. After an outburst, an officer tried to detain him, but was unsuccessful. It took three more officers to detain the man, Cleda recalled. "That was unusual and unexpected the way he suddenly lost it," she said. For Drescher, it's important to take his time with each case and hear what lead the person to be facing his court, and if there's something he could do to help them. Many times with repeat offenders, it's drugs and alcohol that are causing the trouble. "Sometimes we get people wallowing in their troubles and they slip down that slippery slope into their predicament," he said. "It's amazing how out of touch their family is and we try to get them in to intervene and help them." He recalled one man with a severe drinking problem that he was able to give assistance to and get his family involved. The man and his family sent him a letter inviting Drescher to a party celebrating his sobriety for a year. "That was a nice success story," he said. "I think it's important as a society to help the individual with their problems." Courtroom Procedure A young man was arrested for driving while suspended and uninsured. He told Drescher at court on Tuesday he drove a motor scooter and thought it was allowed. "I really thought I was following the law," he said to Drescher. Drescher carefully looked at his legal book and after conferring with Cleda and Janssen discovered the man driving the motor scooter was not allowed under the terms of probation. Instead of slapping him abruptly with a fine and sending him on his way, Drescher seemed genuinely interested in his predicament, asking the young man about himself. He told the judge he's a university student who was driving home from his job at the time he was pulled over. His mother is a medical doctor, but because of past incidents, he is on his own going to college and living in a bus at a campsite on the outskirts of town. After giving him a $225 fine, Drescher informed him he can pay his fine in three $75 payments starting in May, which seemed to relieve the man, who thanked him. Afterward, Drescher said it concerns him when he sees cases like this, where a young adult is on their own, in need of guidance and assistance, and the parents decide not to support them. "That's what's pushing these kids down," she said. "There's such a a disconnection between them and their parents. It's like, 'You're 18 now and you have to deal with it yourself.'" If it was my child, I would want to be down here supporting them." Drescher recalled one mother who has flown from New York City the last several months to be in court to support her son, who is facing a number of legal and mental issues. He said that is the type of involvement he likes to see. "I'm impressed when a person makes that commitment and wants to talk to the judge, because they're concerned about their child," he said. Last year, Drescher and Janssen started a deferred sentencing program for those mainly 18 to 25. It is designed to change their lives and cut their court fines in half if they successfully complete the program. "From 18 to 25, there's really a group of kids that are really struggling and need help," Janssen said. "And we hope our intervention and support can help them." 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