Blackford County judge faces discipline over dispute with clerk
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The Indiana Judicial Qualifications Commission has filed four misconduct charges against a northeastern Indiana judge over a dispute with his county’s clerk.
The commission said Wednesday the charges against Blackford Circuit Judge Dean A. Young allege he barred then-Blackford County Clerk Derinda Shady from the courthouse while she was hospitalized in August 2015 with chest pains she suffered after refusing to attend a meeting with Young and Superior Court Judge John N. Barry without a witness.
The charges allege, among other things, Young’s conduct didn’t promote public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary.
Young has 20 days to answer the charges. A telephone call to his Hartford City, Indiana, chambers for comment Wednesday afternoon rang unanswered.
Barry was publicly admonished for his involvement in the incident but isn’t facing disciplinary charges.