Suspended district judge must pay back part of her salary
Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
Lancaster New Era
Updated May 29, 2013 15:19
Lancaster city
Originally Published May 29, 2013 12:49
Suspended District Judge Kelly Ballentine must surrender her past 3 1/2-months' pay while she awaits a final disciplinary decision from a state board.
On Tuesday, the state Court of Judicial Discipline suspended Ballentine without pay, retroactive to Feb. 11. She pleaded guilty to fixing her own parking tickets Feb. 1 and a petition was filed for her suspension 10 days later.
The Court of Judicial Discipline will make a final ruling on Ballentine's standing as judge at a later date. For now, she is suspended without pay, according to the order filed Tuesday.
That means she must pay back what amounts to 27 percent of her annual salary: approximately $22,500. She also must repay retirement and Social Security funds accrued since Feb. 11, the order shows.
The repayment total is to be determined by June 7. Ballentine has until that date to work out a payment plan.
Her medical benefits, however, aren't affected by the latest ruling; she'll continue receiving those.
Ballentine has the option of appealing to the state Supreme Court.
She had been suspended with pay since February 2012, when the state attorney general filed criminal charges regarding her dismissal of three of her parking tickets in 2010 and 2011.
Since then, Ballentine had received pay and medical benefits while retired Senior District Judge Richard Simms presides over cases at her Locust Street office. That office handles dockets for Wards 3 and 7 of the city. Ballentine had presided over those areas since January 2006.
As of now, Ballentine is allowed to keep salary and other benefits received from February 2012 to February 2013 — when she wasn't on the bench. That could change with the discipline board's final ruling.
At criminal sentencing in March, a Chester County judge fined her $1,500 on three charges to which she pleaded guilty.
Judge Charles B. Smith spared Ballentine from prison or probation, he said, "because it's out of the realm of possibility that you will do anything like this again."
On Tuesday, the state Court of Judicial Discipline suspended Ballentine without pay, retroactive to Feb. 11. She pleaded guilty to fixing her own parking tickets Feb. 1 and a petition was filed for her suspension 10 days later.
The Court of Judicial Discipline will make a final ruling on Ballentine's standing as judge at a later date. For now, she is suspended without pay, according to the order filed Tuesday.
That means she must pay back what amounts to 27 percent of her annual salary: approximately $22,500. She also must repay retirement and Social Security funds accrued since Feb. 11, the order shows.
The repayment total is to be determined by June 7. Ballentine has until that date to work out a payment plan.
Her medical benefits, however, aren't affected by the latest ruling; she'll continue receiving those.
Ballentine has the option of appealing to the state Supreme Court.
She had been suspended with pay since February 2012, when the state attorney general filed criminal charges regarding her dismissal of three of her parking tickets in 2010 and 2011.
Since then, Ballentine had received pay and medical benefits while retired Senior District Judge Richard Simms presides over cases at her Locust Street office. That office handles dockets for Wards 3 and 7 of the city. Ballentine had presided over those areas since January 2006.
As of now, Ballentine is allowed to keep salary and other benefits received from February 2012 to February 2013 — when she wasn't on the bench. That could change with the discipline board's final ruling.
At criminal sentencing in March, a Chester County judge fined her $1,500 on three charges to which she pleaded guilty.
Judge Charles B. Smith spared Ballentine from prison or probation, he said, "because it's out of the realm of possibility that you will do anything like this again."
Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/855232_Suspended-district-judge-must-pay-back-part-of-her-salary.html#ixzz2VWpcVTLv
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