Erie County Judge Receives 60-Day Suspension and Probation for Stalking
An Erie County judge will be suspended for sixty days and faces probation after being accused of stalking five women. The Legal Intelligencer reports that the magisterial district justice’s attorney provided witnesses who supported the claim that the judge has displayed signs of being socially incompetent, depressed, and obsessive compulsive.
The judge’s suspension will be unpaid, but he will still be eligible for medical benefits. The article mentions that the judge’s attorney sought probation in addition to psychiatric treatment while the prosecution suggested that he be removed from his position.
The Erie County magisterial district justice was elected in November 2005. On July 7, 2010, the court determined that the judge had tarnished the reputation of the judicial office by making four young female attorneys and a 17-year-old girl from an underage drinking citation appearance in October 2006 feel uncomfortable. He was found to have frequently called many of these women and he even visited one woman at her office without prior consent and another at her home without notice.
As this case demonstrates, a stalking crime in Pennsylvania is a serious issue that should not be taken lightly. Whether a stalking victim in Pennsylvania knows the person or not, specific laws are in place to protect victims of stalking and punish the individual convicted of unwarranted and even harmful or threatening actions.
Monheit is the managing lawyer at Monheit Law, outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has practiced law since 1989. Michael Monheit was the managing attorney of the law offices of Herbert Monheit — now Silverman and Fodera — a firm founded by... Michael Monheit→
