We appear to have another judge acting as a little Caesar from the bench and meting out his brand of justice. In Ohio, Stark County Common Pleas Judge Frank Forchione has sentenced Valerie Rodgers, 46, to making Thanksgiving dinner for three police officers on leave or unable to work. In addition to the dinner, she will be on one-year probation for felony assault and three misdemeanors. This follows another judge who sentenced a teen to ten years of church.
Rodgers pleaded guilty to knocking over a police officer while he was directing traffic.
She has failed to yield to a traffic signal to stop and not turn left. Her lawyer says that she was confused and Jackson Township officer Eric Martzolf was thrown on his back. Forcing citizens to cook for police officers is another example of a judge who panders to the public with sentences that seem “poetic justice.” Judges know that this type of punishment is hugely popular with the public. It is a trend that is erasing the line between entertainment and the law. There has been a continuing and growing trend of this type of abuse by judges. I have written columns (here and here and here) and blogs articles (here and here and here and here and here) criticizing this worrisome trend, though the most serious such cases involve judges like Norman who try to bring “more people to Jesus” while carrying out his duties as a judicial officer. These judges make a mockery out of our court system and sit like little Caesars in meting out their own idiosyncratic forms of justice — often to the thrill of citizens. They degrade not just their courts in such novel sentencing but the legal system as a whole. This judge appears to relish his reputation as the gavel of God — sending felons to embrace faith.
I could not find the judge’s actual credentials but I did find his bio on “Stark County’s Most Eligible Singles” where he identifies his look-alike celebrity as Hugh Grant. You can be the judge by clicking (here) whether he is the most eligible single but I would have to keep him off the list of most competent jurists.
I was able to find an article where Forchione was seeking the position on the basis of starting “Canton’s war on child truancy” as a prosecutor. He graduated from University of Akron Law School in 1986.
Source: Canton Rep as first seen on Reddit.
Given this trend I can see some Judges reintroducing “Stocks”into town squares. As for this Turkey thinking he looks like Hugh Grant, I think not, more like Jim Nabors. Finally, this woman’s cooking might be doing the policeman no favors. Public Hangings, Bread and Circusses anyone?
Really, sentences her to COOK? Really?
What a wanker.
And maybe he’d sentence these guys to make instructional videos on cooking:
There are worse sentences.
I posted a link to this on the “sentenced to church” thread. I’m just as appalled and amazed as the first time I read about it but in his dating profile it says “I Spend My Alone Time: Reading anything I can get my hands on”. Apparently that doesn’t include law.
Wow. Would he do this to a male offender or is this specifically to impress on the female offender where he thinks her place is?
The accused should appeal just for the spite of it, drag it on and cost the county big amounts of money for this joke, maybe that will be the what disuades the judge. I heard talk, I don’t know if this is true, but some judges take it personal when appeals courts overturn their rulings. That would be good medicine for him.
On another note, Looking on the webpage of Stark County’s most eligible singles admittedly I would vote Dr. Mona Shay as the winner. What a catch she would be for someone. (someone else that is since I am happily married)
And a welcome departure from the boring fashion styles of today. Intelligent and unconventional; all a guy could ask for.
Darren,
Copy that.
Officer? Light or dark meat? Will that be gravy, spit or both on your potatoes?
What else would you expect from Stark County? But if your looking for people of Stark County to be outraged and actually do something about it, you might look at their last election.
The chief deputy, Mike McDonald, in charge of the jail when a half dozen women came forward with abuse claims, and the Hope Steffey case went national (search YouTube), was elected as Sheriff!!!!
Because of those lawsuits for those abuses, the county’s premiums for the policy jumped from $34,261 in 2008 to $145,350 in 2009. In 2010, the county paid $193,350
So $2855 a month jumps to OVER $16,000 a MONTH!! And this was three years ago.
Plus the deductible went from $100,000 to $250,000, so the next lawsuits will cost the county even more money up front.
So in spite of McDonald costing the county what will turn out to be millions of dollars, they put him in charge of everything.
These people/voters clearly deserve the incompetent government they have.
Now, now, now…… What’s that show arsenic and old lace….. Waiting for the cat a nine tails……. That’s next….
sorry, but when you said “. . . another judge acting as a little Caesar . . . ” all I could think was So, they are having crappy pizza for dinner?
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mkjm462-Mcg&w=420&h=315%5D
The judge is lacking in, well, a lot. Not all women cook. And some of those who do, shouldn’t. He may really be punishing the cops. May he join them for dinner. If it were my sentence, I know how to dry out the outside of a turkey while leaving the inside raw, make mushy yams, sour cranberry sauce, lumpy mashed potatoes and lumpy gravy. Pumpkin pies with extra nutmeg and apple pies without sugar.
BettyKath, I know how to make a loaf of sweet pumpkin bread while accidentally using salt instead of sugar!
And I’m learning how to make a casserole with twinkies and tunafish!
Malisha, Let’s add those to the menu and invite the judge!
junctionshamus has been around. Even though Leavenworth had their own pig farm and some of the best pork ever. And, even though the meals were dirt cheap, I brought my lunch.
Wonder what the recidivism rates are for these folks sentenced so “creatively.”
A Judge not condemning a person will get criticism from condemners. She would be serving the police. The greatest ion the kingdom of heaven are those that serve.
artie, you’re missing the point. The judge should be sentencing according the law, not his own sense of weird humor.
This is exactly my point. The judge did not do what you expected. What you expected is condemnation. The KJV says those that condemn will be condemned. You wish to side with mans law that condemns having no mercy in it?
Jefferson said separation church and state. and Artie what if he went by say the Qu’ran instead. Would that still be ok with you?
junctionshamus,
Don’t forget the chocolate pie made with the ex-tra special chocolate.
eejcaroll: to say church, and state are separate is a lie of all lies. In spirit they are the same identical. State has a legal system built on give evil for evil. Ca[ital punishment or jailing is evidence of that. They do worse to whoever having no mercy doing bad to people like Sodomites. KJV, Genesis 19 >>. 9And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And like a condemning religion
Mark 14:1-9 KJV the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. . . John 12;10 the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death;
Military also thinks they are crafty in the way they put people to death. There you have it, religion that persecute = with the state that has a death penalty, and jailing, arresting police men even as the High priests arrested jesus in Gethsemane. The public. Church, and state are godless being essentially the same being the servant of the devil.
Hugh Grant?? ROTFLMAO!
Artie of public, Church and state are all servants of the devil then that leaves noone to be the servant of G-d.
http://rt.com/politics/ukrainian-spitting-parliamentarians-years-956/
Saliv-ate: Ukrainian waitress pleads guilty to spitting in MPs’ food over 4 years
Published: 30 November, 2012, 13:41
As a worker got fired from the cafeteria of the Ukrainian Parliament for spitting into dishes served to MPs, she announced that this was her personal revenge for them ruining the country.
The scandal erupted after a Communist Party MP discovered that someone had spat in his soup, Ukrainian mass media reported. A brief investigation soon led to waitress Yulia Borshchenko, who was quickly fired for her behavior.
However, Borshchenko said she did not regret her actions, as such behavior was a demonstration of her personal political position.
“You think we have good salaries in the Supreme Rada cafeteria? Not at all, just 3,200 hryvnia [about US$390 per month] – that is nothing if you live in the Ukrainian capital. I only worked there for four years because it gave me an opportunity to take revenge on the parliamentarians for what they do with the country and with the people. If someone thinks that I regret what I did, this is a mistake – I follow my political position,” the waitress told the press.
She added that she had spat into the deputies’ soup many times.
In the end, Borshchenko added that she will no longer be looking for a waitress job, but will start a writing career instead.