| ► Judge Jennifer Koethe of Indiana; Annie Oakley Wannabee, ethical dwarf |
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Judge Jennifer Koethe of Indiana; Annie Oakley Wannabee, ethical dwarf   Judge Jennifer Koethe sits on the Superior Court in La Porte, Indiana.
In Dec 2008, Judge Koethe and her husband were involved in an argument during an evening of boozing and watching football. Koethe said the argument related to family finances.
Judge Koethe said that during the game she wrote a note to her husband about the financial problems because he wasn’t paying attention. When that didn’t work, she retrieved a loaded handgun in order to get his immediate attention.
Police got involved when they received a 911 call from Judge Koethe’s husband saying she’d accidentally shot herself.
At the hospital, where it was determined she wasn’t seriously injured she asked an officer to get rid of the note she’d written. That illegal request led to the filing, by a special prosecutor, of a felony obstruction charge. Subsequently, Koethe was found not guilty, with the jury buying her testimony that she wasn’t trying to impede the investigation by making the illegal request to the police officer. Koethe went on to testify that her illegal request was meant to prevent the public from learning about their financial difficulties.
As a result of her misconduct, the Indiana Supreme Court punished Judge Koethe by gifting her with a complimentary 60 day suspension from the bench.
 As we speak (ca. May 2011) this certified loser remains on the bench in La Porte.
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