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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Ind. Courts - Still more on: Allen Circuit Court Judge Thomas J. Felts arrested in Indy

Rebecca S. Green of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette reports today:

Allen Circuit Judge Thomas Felts was at work Monday handling domestic relations cases, days after his arrest in Indianapolis on a drunken-driving charge.

But whether he will return to his other duties handling the county’s felony criminal cases related to alcohol is a matter being discussed.

Felts was arrested early Friday just off Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis on a charge of public intoxication and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, both misdemeanors. * * *

Felts said he is due to appear in a Marion County court for an initial hearing Wednesday.

One week a month, Felts trades weekly calendars with Circuit Magistrate Craig Bobay, handling domestic relations cases. This was one of those weeks, Felts said. * * *

The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications could still weigh in on the matter, and according to Meg Babcock, counsel for the commission, the commission does not need a formal complaint to do so. She declined to comment on Felts’ case.

If the commission decides to do so after it completes its inquiry, it can file formal charges with the Clerk of the Supreme Court, as it did last week against Allen Superior Judge Kenneth Scheibenberger. He is accused of cursing at the family of a defendant in another courtroom. Scheibenberger believed the defendant sold his late son drugs.

The commission can also take another route, Babcock said. Instead of filing formal charges, the commission and the judge can reach an agreement for a public admonishment, she said.

Such was the case in May against Carroll Circuit Judge Donald Currie, who was arrested in December on a charge of public intoxication. He was not charged with formal misconduct, according to records of the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications.

For more on the distinction between a Public Admonition and a Public Reprimand, see this ILB entry from July 19th.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 22, 2008 08:50 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts