Struthers judge could face charges after "dangerous" incident
A Struthers Municipal Judge could be on the other side of the gavel after what one city leader called a "dangerous" incident.
A Struthers Municipal Judge could be on the other side of the gavel after what one city leader called a "dangerous" incident.
Struthers city officials say they are looking into why Struthers Municipal Judge Dominic Leone began "throwing" property out of an employee's office into a hallway at the courthouse.
Mayor Terry Stocker says Judge Leone allegedly began throwing computers and filing cabinets out into the hallway creating a hazard.
"I was totally surprised," said Stocker. "I received a call from my law director, some text messages that Judge Leone had notified him that he was wanting to take over a room for his probation department, which we've been working with the court system pretty diligently over a couple of months."
The room in question is currently a part of the maintenance department. Stocker says the city has been working to retrofit space in the jail for the maintenance room.
"We're not quite there, but we're getting close," said Stocker.
Mayor Stocker says the law director informed him around 3 p.m. on Friday, that Leone allegedly said if the room wasn't cleared out by Monday, he would move all of the things out into the hallway.
"I guess the bottom line is, having conferred with the law director, we're going to see what, whether or not, once the report is filed and we get all the information on it- statements from the judge on why he acted the way he did- to see if any charges will be brought forward," said Stocker.
According to Mayor Terry Stocker, the law director says this happened in front of a number of employees who were "beside themselves about why it happened the way it did".
However, Judge Leone told 21 News that he has been working on getting the probation office set up for months and has been met with "a lot of roadblocks and stall tactics".
"It's about the security and safety of the people and there stalling, stalling, stalling, stalling which is OK, I know the mayor is playing simple politics but I'm at my wits end with that," said Leone.
Leone says safety issues are a problem because there is no space for female inmates and violent offenders can walk through court offices.
"I will always put the security of people and my employees, the public, visitors to city hall and employees of city hall over and above any political drama. I think the mayor is in this where he is putting politics over safety and I'm not gonna do that," said Leone.
Leone says he's now considering an even more serious move.
"I don't want to sue the city that I grew up in, that I love but unfortunately the mayor has put me in that situation and I don't know if there is any alternative at this point," he said.