Judge accused of drinking, having sex in court removed from bench
A Kentucky judge accused of having sex and drinking alcohol inside a courthouse has lost her job after a judicial panel found her guilty of multiple misconduct charges. Dawn Gentry, who was serving an eight-year term as a family court judge in Kenton County, is also accused of retaliating against those who denied her sex or refused to contribute to her 2018 campaign by delaying their cases, including some that involved abused children.
The Judicial Conduct Commission of the Commonwealth of Kentucky found that Gentry forced a court employee to resign so she could hire an alleged sexual partner, identified as Stephen Penrose. She then engaged in sexual activity with Penrose and one of her secretaries inside a courthouse office during work hours and allowed him to spend his shifts playing his guitar, singing in his office and drinking alcoholic beverages, the panel wrote in a report published Monday.
The five-member commission also found that Gentry coerced members of a panel tasked with representing victims of child abuse to donate money to her campaign and spend time campaign on her behalf. If they failed to do so, she would remove them from the panel or delay their cases, according to the commission. Gentry also directed her court staff to work on her campaign during work hours.
The 39-year-old woman became a judge in 2016 when she was picked by former Republican Gov. Matt Bevin to fill a vacancy.
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-kentucky-judge-accused-of-having-sex-in-court-loses-job-20200901-5ayyp4bj3zh2rbi3yodjpcns44-story.html
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