Opinion ID: 1880792
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 15

Heading: count 5: probationer contact

Text: Count 5 alleges that [o]n various occasions between 1991 and 1996, Jones engaged in improper ex parte conduct with criminal defendants who appeared before him for sentencing and whom he had placed on probation. Deborah Minardi, the chief probation officer for the Douglas County District Court, testified that she received complaints from probation officers who were concerned about Jones' having contact with people on probation without the officers' knowledge. As a result, it was difficult for the officers to supervise their clients. In one instance, Jones placed a man on probation and ordered treatment at a center called Renaissance Place. However, the treatment center reported directly to Jones rather than the probation officer, and at one point Jones had information regarding problems with the client but failed to convey the information to the probation officer. Mary Dunlay, a former probation officer, testified that Jones referred a client to Valley Hope treatment center without informing the probation officer. After the client was discharged from Valley Hope, he did not report to the probation officer as ordered, and reported directly to Jones. The record also shows that Jones, at times, ate meals at the homes of individuals whom he had placed on probation and that Jones met and discussed with a criminal defendant the defendant's alcohol problems and treatment options before the defendant entered a plea. The record shows that on August 14, 1991, Jones assisted in collecting a urine sample from a man who had been placed on probation. Jones testified that he did nothing more than watch or guard the door and that he never handled the sample. However, testimony from Sandy Draper, a probation officer, indicated that Jones entered the restroom with the man, ran water, and talked loudly to the man before returning with a container and announcing that the man could not pee. Jones admitted that he sometimes took a personal interest in defendants that he placed on probation, and the record indicates that Jones acted out of a genuine concern for people with alcohol addiction. Jones also admitted that he would sometimes sentence a person to 90 days' jail time, and then visit the person 10 days later and resentence the person to probation. Jones testified that he had stopped doing this. Jones admits that he has privately met with people whom he had sentenced to probation. However, Jones also states that the testimony showed there were no standards or rules regarding contact between judges and people sentenced to probation. The special master found by clear and convincing evidence that the allegations occurred and that the conduct violated Canons 1, 1A, 2, 2A, 2B, and 3B(7) of the Code of Judicial Conduct and violated § 24-722(6). The commission adopted the findings of the special master. The record indicates that Jones met privately with at least one person before that person entered a plea and that Jones had other contacts with people whom he had sentenced to probation. Of most concern is the incident in which Jones assisted in obtaining a urine sample. The impropriety of these contacts is obvious. The record also shows that Jones' actions interfered with the employees in the probation system and made it difficult for probation officers to supervise their clients. These contacts potentially placed Jones in the position of becoming a witness instead of a judicial officer. Such conduct is in violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct and is prejudicial to the administration of justice. Accordingly, we adopt the findings and conclusions of the special master and the commission that Jones' conduct with regard to contacts with people whom he had placed on probation violates Canons 1, 1A, 2, 2A, and 2B of the Code of Judicial Conduct and is conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice, in violation of § 24-722(6). With regard to repeated meetings with a defendant before a plea was entered, we find that this conduct further violates Canon 3B(7) of the Code of Judicial Conduct and is also conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice, as prohibited by § 24-722(6).