Published: July 31, 2009 09:39 am      

House of Israel’s Fox found not guilty on dangerous drug charges

By Nathan Straus

nstraus@jacksonvilleprogress.com

House of Israel member Robert Fox was found not guilty of possession of dangerous drug charges Wednesday. The decision, handed down by visiting Dallas County Judge David Nelms, came in at around 1:30 p.m.

Craig Caldwell, Cherokee County attorney, said the dangerous drug charges were for amoxicillin, cephalexin and erythromycin. Fox was also found not guilty of possessing controlled substance lorazepam, a sedative.

Jacksonville Police Department Detective Jason Price said with the exception of lorazepam, the dangerous drugs listed are used to fight bacterial infections. Price is the detective who performed most of the ground work in investigating House of Israel cases.

Caldwell said the Wednesday trial was originally slated as a pretrial, but Fox agreed to submit his evidence to a judge.

“It was not proved beyond a reasonable doubt,” Caldwell said of the possession charges.

The controlled substance charge and dangerous drug charges were classified as misdemeanors; Fox’s felony charge of tampering with governmental records is still pending with a pretrial scheduled for some time in September.

Also pending for Fox’s list of charges are two unauthorized practice of law cases, Caldwell said.

Price noted during the trial Fox railed against attorneys, referring to them as “chiselers and swindlers,” among other colorful terms.

“I think it’s important to point out Fox’s own attorney, Frank Dobrovolny, represented him extremely well,” Price said.

Having been arrested by JPD three times in 2008, Fox was caught later in the year when he appeared for his arraignment hearing at the county courthouse in Rusk.

The tampering with documents charge is a felony. Chapter 37.10 of the Texas Penal Code defines tampering with a governmental record as making, presenting or using any record, document or thing with knowledge of its falsity and with the intent that it be taken as a genuine governmental record. The crime was filed as a second-degree felony.

During searches made at the House of Israel in spring of 2008, JPD officers confiscated 20 boxes and two file cabinets full of Fox’s legal and financial documents, seven computers, a cache of illegal prescription drugs and a large collection of political propaganda hailing Oklahoma City bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols as patriots.

Officers had valid search and arrest warrants each time Fox was arrested.