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Judge speaks out against `lunatic fringe' By CHRIS BRISTOL GRANTS PASS -- A veteran Josephine County judge targeted for recall lashed out at some of his opponents Wednesday, labeling them "modern-day anarchists." In a press conference on the steps of the county courthouse, Circuit Judge Loyd O'Neal defended himself publicly for the first time since a recall campaign began three months ago. "They don't like the entire system, and they especially don't like judges because we're authority figures," he said. "They're modern-day anarchists, the lunatic fringe." By "they," O'Neal meant the Josephine County Taxpayers Association, whose members supported the recall drive with cash donations and lots of legwork, and an ultra-conservative publication linked to the threatened recall of a Marion County judge in Salem. On Monday, elections officials certified that recall backers had turned in petitions with more than the 4,056 signatures required for a vote. The vote must be held by June 19, but has not yet been scheduled. It will be a vote-by-mail election. The recall drive was mounted by supporters of T.J. "Jack" Burris, a log truck driver from Hugo now serving eight years in prison after his conviction last year of sexually abusing his granddaughters. An earlier trial ended in a hung jury. Recall leaders accused O'Neal of railroading Burris by suppressing evidence helpful to the defense, failing to remove a biased juror and verbally chastising members of the audience during Burris' sentencing hearing. One of the recall leaders is a woman who served on the jury. O'Neal maintains that he conducted a fair trial, and suggests the recall drive was masterminded by Ed Snook, an activist reporter for the Oregon Observer who believes Burris was wrongly convicted and once called O'Neal a "crooked damn thieving lying judge" during a forum sponsored by the taxpayers association. Snook has been linked to recall efforts throughout the state, O'Neal said. According to state elections records, the Observer contributed more than $600 to the O'Neal recall campaign. Another contributor was Jack Harelson, a Grants Pass businessman and member of the JCTA who was convicted of looting American Indian artifacts from a cave in northern Nevada. O'Neal presided over Harelson's trial. "Here he just happened to find a receptive audience," O'Neal said of Snook. "Let's face it, the JCTA has been unhappy with me for a long time." Snook could not be reached for comment. Neither he nor the Observer have a phone listing in the Grants Pass area. With his wife, Joanie, at his side, O'Neal fielded questions from reporters and spoke with supporters Wednesday morning. He said he has been reversed on appeal only five or six times in his 16-year career on the bench. "Eventually the truth will come out," he said. "Democracy works, and I'm sure voters will support me when they know the facts.'' His supporters include many in the Grants Pass legal community, from District Attorney Tim Thompson to some of the community's highest profile defense attorneys. Notably absent was Claudia Browne, who represented Burris and has refused to comment because of the appeal. Fred Borngasser, a former Josephine County commissioner, praised O'Neal as a fair-minded jurist whose most recent achievement has been the completion of a new juvenile detention hall. Said Borngasser: "He contributed to the community, and now the community needs to help him. It's time to take a stand." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA