Opinion ID: 2496374
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: agreed findings of fact

Text: ¶ 2. During a three-year period, from January 2006 to January 2009, Judge McKenzie disposed, or attempted to dispose, of nine ticket citations for misdemeanor offenses. The offenses involved hunting over bait, failing to wear hunter orange, hunting without a license, and littering. ¶ 3. On three occasions, Judge McKenzie intervened, or attempted to intervene, in cases assigned to Justice Court Judge Lionell Harrell. On each of these occasions, Judge McKenzie obtained the violator's copy of the ticket, passed the copy to the justice court deputy clerk, and asked the deputy clerk to give it to the citing officer so the officer could help the defendant. Despite Judge McKenzie's efforts, Judge Harrell managed to dispose of two of the cases by holding hearings, finding the defendants guilty, and imposing fines totaling more than $1,300. But a third case, which was returnable in November 2007, still had not been prosecuted at the time the Commission submitted its findings. ¶ 4. Judge McKenzie used similar tactics in one of his own assigned cases as well. In January 2009, after being assigned a certain case, Judge McKenzie obtained copies of the violator's tickets, gave those copies to the deputy clerk, and asked the deputy clerk to give them to the citing officer so the officer could help the defendant. The defendant eventually pleaded not guilty, and both charges were dismissed. ¶ 5. In three other instances, Judge McKenzie improperly disposed of cases before him. In one case, he revoked a judgment of guilt without any motion, reset the case for trial, and, at the second trial, dismissed the charge. The two other cases both involved the same defendant, who happened to be related to a local public official. One of those cases was remanded to the inactive files; the other never was called for prosecution. ¶ 6. When the Commission began its formal inquiry, Judge McKenzie, initially at least, failed to cooperate with and misled the Commission.