Nearly two years ago, Fort Smith District Judge-elect Jim O'Hean was questioned by the Little Rock police department after he was detained when drugs were found in a motel room that he acknowledge that he for a female escort who was later identified as the "fiance" of the newly elected jurist.
The escort, Brandie Gibson (or Cannon, depending on who you ask) , who the judge took up with shortly before he left his longtime (now ex) wife, was later charged with and pleaded guilty in a Pulaski County courtroom to (after almost sixteen months of legal wrangling) a Class D Felony for possession of a controlled substance. The "escort" was slapped with a whopping $500 fine (which she is paying at $25 a month) and three years of "supervised release".
By some magical waving of the "judicial wand (according to the JDDC) despite the guilty plea to the Class D Felony, Gibson is "not a convicted felon". Would but that any of the other people we feature in Mugshots could catch such a sweet deal.
The bottom line. It gets worse.
The state organization that is supposed to oversee the ethical conduct of judges in Arkansas, the so-called Judicial Discipline & Disability Commission, announced within a week of the December 2, 2016 incident that O'Hern was being investigated for conduct concerning his relationship with the prostitute and the fact that he had rented a room where she was working and drugs were found.
Last week after two years of doing nothing the do-nothing JDDC did what they do best.
Nothing.
O'Hern received a blistering "letter of admonishment" from the JDDC that was essentially less than a slip on the wrist for the judge for a violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct".
You can read the entire press release from the JDDC by clicking HERE. and scrolling down to Page Eight. You have to go to Page Eight because they spent the first seven pages letting some other "judge" skate for his misconduct
But if you are in a hurry, I can save you some time.
Basically, O'Hern was given a free pass for his conduct and he apparently could have benefited from the exclusion of the words "judge-elect" in the "code of conduct" (which was added 11 days after the December 2, 2016 "incident") had he so chosen. In fact, the JDDC seemingly told O'Hern he would have been justified as using the lack of the words "judge elect" in the "Code of Conduct" as a defense but noted that "he chose not to do so".
He also took a drug test "voluntarily" that showed no "recent use use of illicit drugs". and the JDDC knew of "no other issues that were germaine to the Code of Conduct between the time he took office and when he got his letter of admonishment". The JDDC also apparently gave their blessing to whatever kind of relationship O'Hern wanted to have with whoever he wanted to have one (and he apparently did or still does).
Those findings were followed up in the press release with a lot of fancy buzzwords words like "judicial integrity", "willingness to accept your actions", and "avoiding the appearance of impropriety"....creating a sack of sanctimonious bullshit that I, .sadly, predicted a year-and-a half ago. Given the JDDC's propensity of wrist slaps for their own, the only thing that surprises me is that it took them almost two years to give their good buddy a mulligan.
This -- the JDDC-- is a state -funded organization that is budgeted for thousands of dollars a year. To basically do nothing. Go HERE and look at their track record over the years. You'll be hard pressed to find much that goes beyond a letter of "censure", reprimand" or "admonishment". Maybe an occasional dismissal or suspension, but only in the most extreme cases. Rest assured. The taxpayers are not getting their money's worth with this boondoggle agency.
So what we're left with is a judge sitting in judgement of folks that, at the end of the day, are no more guilty at times by association as is this Teflon-coated, robe wearing hypocrite. Because people like "His Honor" are supposed to be held to a higher standard. Because, passing judgement on others for some of the same activities you apparently condoned BEFORE you were a sitting judge seems a mite two-faced.
Looking back, I fully expected the outcome we got. The JDDC has a proven track record. I'm not even surprised at the change of address for Ms. Gibson/Cannon from Watts, Oklahoma to a tonier address on Fort Smith's south side.
Business as usual. It's the Golden Rule. He who has the gold makes the rules.
Pathetic.