Rod Jetton

In 2017, Jetton moved to Greece to pursue a Master of Arts degree at the University of Macedonia. The master's program focused on the politics and economics of eastern and southeastern Europe with sections on the how refugees are impacting the European Union

In 2013 Jetton Co-Founded The Missouri Times, a newspaper intended to report on Jefferson City politics in an unbiased and bipartisan manner. The paper was marketed to lobbyists, political insiders, trade associations, and others involved directly with the Missouri political process; to that end, the newspaper featured a lobbyist, trade association, or staffer in every issue. The paper was presented both online and in printed form.

In 2013, Jetton co-authored The Recovering Politician's Twelve Step Program to Survive Crisis along with thirteen other authors. The book, featured on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" and HuffPost Live, featured a number of "recovering politicians" writing about how to manage personal crises. His first book was followed later in 2013 with Son of a Preacher Man: Growing up in the Seventies and Eighties, an autobiography that detailed Jetton's struggle when trying to follow the teachings of his father who was a southern baptist preacher. Success Can Kill You: One man's story of success, failure and forgiveness, published in 2014, explorers Jetton's political success and eventual disgrace; examining the causes of his behavior and his eventual return to Christian teachings. Jetton's 2016 book, Prayer Warrior Bootcamp, examines biblical teachings about prayer and prayer techniques. Cussing Christians, written in 2017, looks at biblical references to profanity.

In 2012, Jetton opened Targeted Communications, a content marketing company that focuses on connecting with customers and building customer relations. Targeted Communications assists with the development of digital marketing strategies and the authorship of targeted content. Their speciality is the development of contact plans that assist with customer acquisition, retention, and relations.

A trial on the case moved from October 2010 to February 3, 2011. and then to June 2, 2011. In May 2011 it was reported that he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault, was placed on probation. He is to pay $950 in restitution, and $300 in court costs.

Jetton originally met the accuser while attending high school in Charleston Missouri. The woman reported that she had renewed contact with Jetton via Facebook to push for legislation on behalf of victims of sexual abuse spurred by her affiliation with the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. The initial reconnection was followed by what both parties described as flirtatious or sexual communication over the phone and text messages. Jetton's lawyer in a February 24, 2010 hearing released text messages from the woman implying that she might be open to rough sex. The woman at the hearing said the texts were meant to be playful and had been taken out of context, however it has been shown that she and Jetton established a safeword of "green balloons", a common practice when engaging in sadomasochistic sex.

In early 2010 various state officials said they testified before a grand jury investigation in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri in Kansas City. Some of those testifying said they questioning the handling of a 2005 bill regulating adult entertainment. The bill introduced by Matt Bartle would have enacted a $5 per customer admission fee for strip clubs, adult movie houses and other sexually oriented businesses, along with a 20 percent tax on the revenue. After the bill was introduced a political action committee with connections to Jetton adviser Don Lograsso accepted a $35,000 donation from the adult entertainment industry.

The Grand Jury adjourned without filing any indictments. Missouri law says the statute of limitations is 5 years in bribery cases and 2010 was five years after the event took place.

Jetton was the director of marketing for Schultz Surveying and Engineering Inc. from 2010 to 2013. During this period, the company made the Inc. 500/5000 list three times, increased federal revenue from $800,000 in 2009 to over $3 million by 2011, and reached #54th on the ZweigWhite Hot Firm's List, making it the second fastest growing engineering company in Missouri to be placed on the ZweigWhite Hot Firm's List. The company's owners, attributed much of the company's success to Jetton's aggressive marketing efforts, especially the customer database he created, the revisions he made to the company's website, and the contact plan that he helped to develop. For his work, Jetton was recognized as the top Marketing Director in Southwest Missouri by the Springfield Business Journal.

On December 7, 2009, Jetton was charged with felony assault related to an incident that occurred on November 15, 2009 in which Jetton allegedly "recklessly caused serious physical injury" to an unnamed woman.

According to the complaint Jetton met the woman, with whom he had previously engaged in "rough sex", on November 15 and 16, 2009 in Sikeston, Missouri to have sadomasochistic sex. The woman said that she began 'fading' in and out and remembered losing consciousness several times" after drinking a glass of wine that Jetton had prepared for her. He is accused of "hitting her on the head and choking her, resulting in unconsciousness and the loss of the function of a part of her body" during the encounter. The woman claimed that her hands had been bound during a segment of the encounter and that she had struggled against the restraints, but photos of her wrists after the incident did not show any bruising on her wrists. Jetton is accused of telling the woman the following morning, "You should have said 'green balloons.," a reference to the safeword they had established before meeting as a safety measure.

In 2007, he unintentionally voted for a rider to repeal Missouri's law banning gay sex. The rider was attached to a Jessica's Law bill. Jetton said he did not know about the rider. While Jetton acknowledged the ban was unenforceable because of the Supreme Court's Lawrence v. Texas ruling, he said, "Thanks to that deletion, it is now legal to engage in deviate sexual intercourse with someone of the same sex here in Missouri." In response, Jetton removed state representative Scott A. Lipke of Jackson, Missouri, as chair of the Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety because he thought Lipke should have told lawmakers about the rider.

In 2007, Jetton proposed and passed one of Missouri's largest tax cuts. The cut eliminated taxes on Social Security benefits.

In 2000, Jetton was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives where he served until 2009, when term limits required that he leave the legislature. In his second term, he was chosen Speaker pro Tempore of the Missouri House. On January 5, 2005, he was sworn in as the 70th Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives. He served on the Agriculture, Judicial, Banking, and Natural Resources committees.

In 2002, Jetton led political efforts for the minority Republican caucus. He assisted in re-drawing House legislative districts and developing plans to recruit and train Republican candidates. These efforts contributed to the Republicans picking up fourteen new seats and establishing a majority for the first time in 48 years.

After college, Jetton joined Congressman Bill Emerson's campaign team as a field coordinator, and gained valuable experience in local grass roots politics. In 1996, he was elected to the Bollinger County Commission. He was the youngest County Commissioner in the state at that time During his time as County Commissioner, Jetton worked with other commissioners to eliminate the county's $350,000 debt within his first term.

After graduating, Jetton joined the United States Marine Corps and served as an Infantry Officer for four years. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and was involved in the Bosnia and Somalia operations. After finishing his tour in 1995, Jetton received an honorable discharge.

He was married to the former Cassandra (Cassie) James from 1988 until their divorce in October 2009. He has three children, Callie, Elaine and Will. Jetton told The Southeast Missourian newspaper in July 2011 that he has now remarried and is working for civil engineering company in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. He also serves as a contributing blogger for a political website, The Recovering Politician, and has written several books.

Jetton was born in De Soto, Missouri, to Bill and Judy Jetton. His father is a Southern Baptist minister. Jetton graduated from Charleston High School in 1986 and from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri in May 1990, with a double major in history and political science and was student body president his senior year.

Rod Jetton (born September 9, 1967) is an American politician, author, and businessman. He was a Republican member of the Missouri House of Representatives who represented Missouri's 156th District from 2001 to 2009 and was Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives from 2005 to 2009. Jetton has authored four books about biblical teachings and how to recover from personal crisis.