KY judge suspended for allegations of sex in courthouse, coercing people for money
A Kentucky judge accused of ethics violations that include having sex with staff members in the courthouse has been suspended with pay until the allegations are resolved.
The Judicial Conduct Commission released an order Monday outlining the suspension for Judge Dawn M. Gentry, a family court judge in Kenton County.
The commission released nine ethics charges against Gentry in early December.
One allegation was that Gentry hired a man because she was involved in a sexual relationship with him, getting rid of another employee to make a spot for him, and took part in sexual activity with him and a female employee at the office.
Other charges include allegations that Gentry coerced attorneys to support her election in 2018, retaliated against a lawyer who didn’t contribute the maximum amount of money to her campaign and approved false time cards for employees.
Gentry denied having sex with staffers in the office or elsewhere and also denied taking part in any other ethical wrongdoing.
The commission said it would be “in the best interest of justice” for Gentry not to handle cases while the ethics charges are pending.
The panel can levy sanctions ranging from a reprimand to removing a judge from office.
This story was originally published January 6, 2020 at 3:40 PM.
