| ► Judge Stephen Belden of Canton, Ohio; Dufus, Il Duce Wannabee |
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Judge Stephen Belden of Canton, Ohio; Dufus, Il Duce Wannabee  
FYI: Il Duce is none other than Benito Mussolini, the late despotic dictator of Italy who was allied with Adolph Hitler during World War II. Please no emails from Benito’s surviving family members for the comparison.
Unfortunately, the Ohio Supreme Court presented Stephen Belden with a license to practice law in 1979.
In November 1996, Stephen Belden succeeded in duping the voters in Canton to elect him as a Municipal Court Judge.
While presiding over a hearing involving a robbery suspect, Belden got fed up with repeated interruptions from the suspect. Il Duce then ordered a deputy to put duct tape over the defendant’s mouth to shut him up.
The defendant was attempting to tell his Dishonor that his court-appointed attorney wasn’t prepared, which didn’t sit well with Stephen.
In a vain attempt at levity, Belden said the taping was the best way to restore order at the hearing. Belden obviously missed his calling as a standup comedian.
Judge Belden is just another Dufus who sits on the bench in Ohio.
If Belden really wanted to restore order in his court, he could do that by resigning from the bench.
What a loser!
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