The Ohio Supreme Court recently sanctioned an Ottawa County common pleas court judge for engaging in Facebook conversations over a six-month period with an offender who had both civil and criminal matters pending before the judge.
In a unanimous per curiam opinion, the Supreme Court issued a fully stayed six-month suspension to Judge Bruce Winters, the sole judge for the Ottawa County Common Pleas Court’s general and domestic relations divisions since 2008.
The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct recommended the stayed sanction, with conditions, after finding Judge Winters violated several provisions of the Code of Judicial Conduct when engaging in ex parte communications on social media with Keith Blumensaadt.
Between July and December 2019, Judge Winters and Blumensaadt used Facebook Messenger for written and audio conversations regarding matters before the court in which Blumensaadt had an interest. The Office of Disciplinary Counsel charged that Judge Winters violated judicial conduct rules by having undisclosed conversations with Blumensaadt concerning:
• Criminal charges against a man whom Blumensaadt claimed had sold his daughter heroin.
• Alcohol-related criminal charges of a man whose vehicle struck and injured Blumensaadt, and the subsequent personal-injury case Blumensaadt intended to file.
• Modification of a civil stalking protection order (CSPO) secured by Blumensaadt’s family so that Blumensaadt could attend his mother’s funeral and other functions.
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