First, reggae singer Buju Banton was in the news this month because of his best reggae album Grammy nomination. More on that later.

Now Banton, a Jamaican performer whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie, is in federal prison in Miami, the Miami Herald reports.

He's been in custody since Thursday, arrested on a charge of conspiracy to possess, with intent to distribute, more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, a DEA spokesman said.

Why the controversy -- one of many for the singer -- over the Grammy nod for his ninth album, "Rasta Got Soul"? Because of lyrics from the early part of his repertoire that advocated violence against gays -- an idea that's not anywhere close to new in Jamaica.

His reps told the Herald in September that criticism against Banton wasn't valid, because he'd stopped singing the song "Boom Boom Bye" -- but in an October sit-down with members of San Francisco's gay community, one activist saw "little movement on his part."

Though Banton is being held in Miami, the case in question is based in Tampa, Fla., where he will be transferred.

If convicted, he faces as many as 20 years in prison.

THE MIAMI HERALD REPORTS:
BY SUSANNAH A. NESMITH

Former Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Herbert E. Walker III resigned suddenly last week amid an investigation into complaints he sexually harassed at least five women in the office, according to documents released Friday.

At least two women accused Walker of touching them inappropriately and several said he would often comment on their appearances, saying they were ''sexy'' or even talking about specific physical attributes like their legs or breasts, according to complaints filed by the women.

The complaints were released by the state attorney's office in response to a public records request.

One woman complained that Walker told her she would be his girlfriend -- if it weren't for their working relationship -- then put his arm around her shoulders and touched her breast.

The woman said she moved away and he apologized, but that he did the same thing again at a later time.

Another woman said that Walker was so persistent in his advances she stopped wearing makeup to work ``so he would not look at her.''
''We don't tolerate any type of inappropriate behavior, whether it be sexual or issues of credibility,'' said Terry Chavez, the spokeswoman for the office.
Walker, who has been involved in several high-profile cases over the past few years, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Several of the women said they were afraid to come forward, fearing Walker, a 10-year-veteran of the office, would retaliate against them. One woman said she didn't feel comfortable coming forward because ``he touches everybody.''

Another woman confronted him and told him she felt his comments were inappropriate. But three days later, he ran his fingers through her hair while the two were talking in a hallway.

Office management received the first complaint on Dec. 14 and, within a few days, the other women came forward.

Walker, an avowed evangelical Christian, also sent one woman an e-mail about Jesus and the Bible, and then called her into his office and insisted she view the e-mail message with him.

The woman, who is not a practicing Christian, told him she ``wasn't into it.''

''Mr. Walker then said that his supervisory duties kept him from telling me what he truly felt about that,'' the woman told her superiors at the office. Later that day, he came into her office, closed the door and told her she was ``sexy.''

Rumpole says, lets see if we've got this correct: lie about why you were fired, and you get fired and threatened with a bar complaint.

Sexually assault and batter employees and create an actively hostile work environment to the point where women are afraid to show up for work, and the State Attorneys Office allows you to resign with nary a peep?

What in the name of Watergate is going on over there? These people need some sexual harassment counseling from the Broward Judiciary. Even Judge Ross from North of the Border is laughing today at our State Attorney.

More later. We're just too fed up right now by the lack of accountability from Kathy Rundle and Don Horn to write anything else until we calm down.