Support For Dr. Noel Chua Growing

Letters to the Editor of
The Tribune & Georgian

Dear Editor,

It has been 10 months and counting since DA (District Attorney Stephen) Kelly and his office arrested Dr. (Noel) Chua. They ruthlessly and without hesitation froze all his assets and incarcerated the good doctor. The DA's office self reportedly spent nine months to carefully orchestrate an iron-clad, no-escape list of allegations against him that included 17 counts of violating the Georgia Controlled Substances Act and, as erroneous as it may sound, RICO (Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organizations) charges. Oh, also a felony murder charge. (We'll talk about the common drug abuse and suicide at a different time.)

Reporter Gordon Jackson (Jacksonville, Times-Union) reported on Feb. 21 from the Woodbine Superior Court that the honorable Judge Amanda Williams "denied a motion by defense attorneys Tuesday to drop felony murder charges against" Dr. Chua. It was stated that there was "no foreseeable risk of death" by the defense attorney. The DA's office argued "it should be up to a jury to decide whether (Dr.) Chua is guilty of felony murder." Judge Williams agreed, saying, "a jury, not a judge, should decide if (Dr.) Chua should have foreseen potential problems when he prescribed the drugs."

Of course, this reasoning makes perfect sense. All of us in Camden County want, and have been waiting, for this case to go to court and be tried. What doesn't make sense is why a DA's office that self reportedly took nine months to prepare their meticulous and specific "iron clad-no escape" case against Dr. Chua and was operating at an alarming lightning-runaway-freight-train speed and abandonment last fall to try this case in two months of the arrest, all of a sudden came to a grinding halt when Dr. Chua refused to sign a plea agreement that would falsely incriminate him. Now, 10 months later, the DA's office is still waiting for Dr. Chua to sign a plea agreement. Not "the plea agreement," just any sort of plea agreement. Why, with such a perfectly-constructed and organized case that is now 19 months in the making, where is the trial? Why is the DA's office still hoping, praying and now forcing Dr. Chua to sign a false statement? "Forcing" because the DA has been granted this immense power by us, the people who elected him into this position. "Forcing" because the DA has the power to keep Dr. Chua indefinitely until he finally coerces a signature from him.

What would cause the DA's office to act so suspiciously? What happened to the case of the century they sold us on? Now we can only believe what we strongly suspected last fall. The rush-rush tactics employed by the DA's office were really "cover-up, cover-up." This also will be uncovered in court and the prosecution knows it.Why is it so important to get Dr. Chua to admit guilt to a crime he is innocent of?

What is the reason the prosecution can't take this case to court as they are still begging and hoping and forcing for a plea? Nineteen months and all they are hoping for is a plea?

Hmmm, why do the letters "I" and "F" keep popping up in my mind?

Robert McLaughlin

Sign petition to release Dr. Noel Chua

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