Tracie Hunter, a former juvenile court judge, a Democrat who took the bench after being declared the winner of a disputed 2010 election, had to be drug out of a courtroom after she let herself go limp after she was sentenced to 6 months in prison.
She turned over confidential documents to her brother, who was facing disciplinary action pertaining to his job at the courthouse.
The prosecutor Joe Deters had sent a note to the judge saying that Hunter has shown disrespect for the court and the judge and showed no regret for her crimes. A female deputy sheriff had to drag Hunter across the courtroom after the verdict.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Patrick Dinkelacker ordered her six-month jail sentence carried out after a contentious hearing in which he read from postcards with critical comments sent to his home in support of Hunter. He called them an apparent intimidation attempt that “flat-out failed.”
Fox 19 reported that Dinkelacker read a letter from Prosecutor Joe Deters that stated Hunter has “never once shown remorse.”
“She has been incredibly disrespectful to you and the justice system,” wrote Deters.
The prosecutor also added in his letter that he “believes she has some sort of medical condition.”
Deters, a Republican, suggested she receive a medical evaluation, the news outlet reported.
Sheriff Jim Neil, a Democrat, said Monday afternoon that Hunter will be housed in the jail’s medical facility, monitored by medical professionals and security staff.
“Ms. Hunter’s well-being and safety will be my No. 1 priority,” Neil said in a statement, adding that his staff will assess her eligibility for early-release programs.
Defense attorney David Singleton said Hunter already has endured years of uncertainty and lost her job and law license for what he called an unjust conviction and a sentence that is out of proportion.