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A Former Ohio Judge Was Literally Dragged Out Of The Courtroom After Being Sentenced To Prison
An Ohio judge was seen being dragged limp out of the courtroom following her own sentencing on Monday.
Tracie Hunter, the former Hamilton County Juvenile Court judge, was sentenced to serve six months in jail after being charged with unlawful interest in a public contract.
Circulating video footage shows the chaos that ensued after the hearing presided over by Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Patrick Dinkelacker.
You can watch the video from the tweet below.
Amid the eruption of shouts, one of Hunter's supporters wearing a "Justice for Hunter" shirt charged after her in defense as Hunter went limp and collapsed into the arms of a deputy who then dragged her from the courtroom.
The supporter was later taken into custody.
Hunter had improperly passed over confidential documents to help her brother and former youth corrections officer, Stephen Hunter, keep his job with Hamilton County after allegedly striking a teen in July 2013.
According to WLWT, Tracie Hunter improperly demanded and obtained documents on the teen and handed them over to her brother.
During Hunter's trial in 2014, special prosecutor Scott Croswell said:
"What she wants is to control the facts. What she wants to do is write the law."
"What she wants to do is play by her own set of rules. That's the very attitude and the very conduct that put her in the predicament that she's in and, frankly, has caused all this pain to her and caused all this turmoil to the community."
Attorney David Singleton believes Hunter was wrongfully convicted and pleaded with Dinkelacker to further delay the sentencing originally imposed by now retired judge, Norbert Nadel.
Singleton plans to file a motion to dismiss the case.
Speaking on Hunter's behalf, he said:
"She's lost everything almost. She lost her job as a judge, her law license, her ability to earn an income. She's lost peace of mind."
"Please don't add to Tracie Hunter's burden, the burden she's carried for these past five years."
Twitter commented on the histrionics inside the courtroom.
Many commented on how nobody is above the law, including judges.
Dinkelacker did not entertain Singleton's plea.
When the judge asked Hunter if she had anything to say, she remained silent. But by the time she was ready to speak towards the end of the hearing, it was too late.
Dinkelacker addressed the room.
"I gave her an opportunity to speak, and that was turned down. It's not being offered now."
Hunter responded:
"So you're denying my right as a defendant to address the court?"
The judged asked her to take a seat, to which Hunter responded:
"I just want to make sure. Thank you."
Hunter became the first African American elected to Hamilton County's juvenile court in 2010. She repeatedly argued her prosecution was politically motivated, according to the media outlet.
Meanwhile, Dinkelacker's mailbox at his residence has been flooded with anonymously sent postcards demanding Hunter's release.
Some of the cards threatened his sentencing decision will come back to haunt him when he runs to remain on the bench next year.
Hunter is currently held at the Hamilton County Justice Center's medical facility, reportedly due to suffering from severe injuries in a car crash three decades ago.
The news outlet reported that jail officials may evaluate Hunter's case to be considered for an early release program.
Drama in the courtroom is common. The book Disorder in the Court: Great Fractured Moments in Courtroom History, available here, gives a more humorous view of the judicial process.