| ► Judge Bruce Smith of Mendenhall, MS; ethical goblin |
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Judge Bruce Smith of Mendenhall, MS; ethical goblin
The state of Mississippi presented Bruce Smith with a law license in 1978.
The Mississippi Judicial Commission found Judge Smith guilty of the following misconduct.
Judge Smith thought it was acceptable to dismiss numerous criminal charges brought before his court for adjudication in exchange for payments made into an unauthorized drug fund.
On March 7, former Mendenhall police chief Donald “Barlow was arrested by the and charged with eight counts in connection with extorting defendants for cash and property in exchange for reduced or dismissed charges. The cash payments were to have been deposited into a drug fund instituted by Barlow and maintained by the city of Mendenhall.
The Commission found that Judge Smith, with full knowledge of the drug fund, dismissed or remanded 38 cases during the aforementioned time period while simultaneous payments were made by the defendants into the drug fund. . Smith made these decisions based on the recommendation of Barlow.
Officer Kris Grantham, the arresting officer in the majority of the cases, testified that he complained to other officers over Barlow’s practice of dismissing or reducing charges he had written. When Barlow learned of Grantham’s complaints, Barlow told him to either quit or be fired, according to Grantham’s testimony. Grantham subsequently quit, but returned five months later when a new police chief was hired.
As a consequence of his misconduct, the apologists for Judicial Misfits sitting on the Mississippi Supreme Court punished Bruce by gifting him with a complimentary 30-day suspension of his law license.
Unfortunately, this Ethical Goblin will be back on the bench by April 20, 2013. Hopefully, the voters will tell Bruce to take a hike in the next election.
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