Monday, January 29, 2007

Massillon travel agent Roger Budd was sentenced to another 60 days in jail
Wednesday by Common Pleas Judge John Haas, who also suspended a four-year
prison term. Budd, accused of bilking area residents out of money they paid
for trips to Las Vegas, has already served five months behind bars. Haas
also ordered Budd to get a job immediately upon his release from jail and to
keep it so he can start making restitution payments to his victims. That
could take quite a while, even if Budd devotes all his paychecks to that
effort. He owes $113,000 in restitution, according to Fred Scott, the
assistant prosecutor who brought the case against Budd. And Haas will be
keeping a close eye on Budd, who will become part of the judge's Say Hey
program. Selected non-violent criminals are chosen for regular visits with
Haas on a weekly or monthly basis so he can closely monitor their progress.
The idea is to have a quick chat, to Say Hey, and let them know that someone
personally cares. Haas said he started Say Hey several years ago when the
Stark County Jail and the Regional Correction Facility were overcrowded.
"Sometimes it doesn't work," Haas said, "but the success rate is pretty
good." Haas said his goal in sentencing was to balance the punishment with
what is best for the victims. About half of Budd's victims wanted him to go
away for a long time while the other half favored restitution. "There's no
way to make everyone happy with the sentencing in this case," Haas said.
Haas also noted by suspending four years on the condition of good behavior,
he has leverage to keep Budd on the straight and narrow. That means no
gambling, drugs or alcohol. The fact Budd finally admitted to having a
gambling problem also helped him, said John Frieg, his attorney. "Only the
house wins in Vegas," Frieg said. "Vegas is an entertainment destination.
You have to determine how much you can lose before you go and then walk away
once you hit that figure. Roger couldn't do that. In his mind, he kept
believing he could win and get everyone back their money." Frieg said most
people on Budd's trips had a good time and noted he went on a trip himself.
"Most people still like Roger and he has strong ties to the community," he
said. "I believe he'll try to pay most people back.