Associate Judge Robert Livas may be put on a vegan diet. The former prosecutor and former police officer is in hot water over a curious order that he placed for Jamaican-style chicken as part of a plea agreement with Darrius Logan. Logan, 24, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and criminal trespass charges and was sentenced to 100 hours community service. Then things got funky . . . Jamaican-chicken funky . . .

In August, Logan told Livas that he performed his 100 unpaid hours at Uncle Joe’s Jerk Chicken (a curious approach to community service, but there you have it). Livas told Logan to return to court in two month with either proof that he completed his service hours elsewhere or enough spiced chicken to feed the courtroom. Livas took him literally and showed up on October 6th with a tray of Uncle Joe’s jerk chicken, bread and two sides of hot sauce. (The bread and sides were probably to be counted against his next crime).

Here is the exchange from August 4th:

Livas: “If you walk in with enough chicken to feed everybody, I’ll accept these community service hours. If you don’t, I’m not taking any of them. . . . Does that come with slaw?”

Logan: “No, It’s just — it’s barbecue chicken, actually.”

Livas: “That’s great stuff. If you walk around there and feed everybody, it’s going to be OK.”

Livas insisted that he was joking in August, but decided that Logan had moved from his earlier paltry to his poultry submission in good faith: “It forced me to keep my word and accept his original (community service) letter. I give him credit — he made me eat my words.”

He may be eating some serious crow. Chief Judge Gerald Kinney of the 12th Judicial Circuit is not amused and referred the matter for judicial investigation. It is improper to accept foodstuffs and personal benefits in exchange for plea bargain conditions.

Notably, there were objections from the prosecution that something was rotten in the state of Denmark. Assistant State’s Attorney Sondra Demark did not like the idea of accepting chicken from any jerk, let alone jerk chicken. She told her bosses who called the chief judge.

Notably, when Logan appeared with the chicken another jurist, Associate Judge Marzell Richardson, asked “You brought a tray of chicken? . . And that was going to satisfy your community service work?” He sent him to sent him to Livas’ courtroom where the chicken was devoured by the course of justice.

Notably, Livas stated in the transcript “I was so nervous about bringing it in here, though, because I knew everybody was going to laugh at me.” He was right but a few people are notably not laughing.

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Kudos: Jordan Silver