Archive for Monday, June 30, 2008
Leavenworth County judge accused of sexual misconduct
June 30, 2008
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Leavenworth County District Court Judge Frederick N. Stewart faces an official inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct involving a member of his staff.
The Kansas Commission on Judicial Qualifications today issued a notice of formal proceedings outlining the allegations and giving Stewart 20 days to respond.
The complaint alleges that beginning in approximately 1999 Stewart “engaged in inappropriate conduct” toward the aide, “consisting primarily of harassing conduct which included inappropriate touching, sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal and physical conduct of a sexual nature.”
From 1999 through 2007, the complaint alleges, “the inappropriate conduct proceeded from the stage of being principally verbal or non-physical to being physical, including in the later years physical touching of a sexual nature or sexual physical acts such as attempted kissing and gradually increasing to more serious sexual contact in later years, particularly in 2007.”
Stewart also is accused of shirking his oversight duties related to supervising the aide. Stewart, the complaint alleges, “did not require adherence to employment policies concerning required presence on the job and at the job, or in the alternative, did not seek any consequences or discipline for failure of (the aide) to adequately or properly discharge the duties of a judicial branch employee when such were reasonably deserved and/or did not provide objective employee job performance ratings when required.”
After the 20-day response period ends, the commission will conduct a public hearing on the issue.
Ron Keefover, a spokesman for the Kansas Judicial Center, said if the commission, following the hearing, finds a violation of legal ethics and recommends discipline, the matter will sent to the Kansas Supreme Court for a final decision.
Keefover said the allegations would not preclude Stewart from hearing cases while the proceedings are under way.
Stewart could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon. An official in Stewart's office said he would not be available for comment the rest of the day. Steve Crossland, Leavenworth County District Court administrator, referred all questions to Keefover.
Stewart has been on the bench since January 1977.
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30 June 2008 at 7:05 p.m.
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jlw53 (Anonymous) says…
Silly question: Why would anyone stay in a job that long after such activity started? No job is worth putting up with that. And why wait so long to file the complaint? That just limits the credibility of the complaint.
30 June 2008 at 7:45 p.m.
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crazyeddie (Anonymous) says…
Stop blaming the victim. This guy's a creep.
30 June 2008 at 7:55 p.m.
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dstavin (Anonymous) says…
jlw53: It's not a silly question at all. I think many people are reluctant to quit their job for the obvious immediate financial consequences, the loss of benefits, and the worry about how long it could take to find another job. I also think many people with bad bosses (not just the sexually-harassing kind) worry about not getting a positive reference if they quit. Workers in an otherwise positive situation often tend to grit their teeth and try not to let the bad stuff get to them. (I've certainly been there.)
I also think sexual harassment is largely about power and control, not sexual attraction.
If this woman has indeed been treated inappropriately all this time I'm glad she finally found the courage to come forward and speak up. I imagine the prospect of accusing a judge is a daunting one. I wish her well.
30 June 2008 at 9:30 p.m.
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OldEnuf2BYurDad (Anonymous) says…
“Why would anyone stay in a job that long after such activity started? No job is worth putting up with that. And why wait so long to file the complaint? That just limits the credibility of the complaint.”
There is an easy explaination: she was agreeable to it because she was his mistress. Then, after 8 years, she finally realized she would never be “Mrs. Your-Honor”, and hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, so…
30 June 2008 at 9:37 p.m.
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igby (Anonymous) says…
AA has a new meaning now. lol.
Now he will have to register as a sex offender.
1 July 2008 at 1:25 a.m.
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BigPrune (Anonymous) says…
I'm with Old Enuf. A woman scorned is like dealing with a lunatic. I remember in my young single days trying to date 3 women, a gal with a 44” chest, a stripper, and miss prim and proper (who looked like a sexy librarian chick) all at the same time then trying to keep my stories straight between the three. I could only manage this for two weeks before all hell broke loose with all three. I am not a good liar. Miss prim and proper told me she didn't get mad, she got even. The stripper was okay with it all, and why wouldn't she be? - she was a stripper but she appreciated that I treated her nice, and miss chest was p.o.'d and had never had a guy dating someone else while dating her. A couple of weeks go by, and miss prim and proper calls wanting to meet me in a secluded unlit parking lot one night, she had a surprise for me. I told her I would, but decided to blow her off because I didn't want to get shot or something. I never tried to date more than one girl at a time after that. Women can date multiple partners because they are such good multi-taskers and some can lie very well.
Anyway, at least the judge wasn't accused of being nude under his dress.
1 July 2008 at 9:26 a.m.
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Sigmund (Anonymous) says…
Such a shame, if only he had been educated with a good job these sort of things wouldn't happen. See how stupid that sounds?
1 July 2008 at 9:39 a.m.
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weluvbowling (weluvbowling) says…
I use to work at that office around that same time. If it is the same person that was there when I was…
She was a willing participant!!!!!
If it's not the same person…why the hell did you stay? All I can say is the person must have enjoyed the attention and then he wanted to break it off and she screams sexual harassment.
I use to work at the eeoc ncc and these kinds of calls came in every day! i so wanted to ask this same question to many of these people!
Personally, I was sexually harassed at a job in Ohio, left and never looked back. A couple of years later the service I worked for found me back in Kansas and wanted my statement because someone else was suing him for sexual harassment. Point blank, you don't stay if you don't like it!
Just my opinion, no one has to like it!
1 July 2008 at 10:03 a.m.
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born_to_run (Anonymous) says…
I'm just speculating here, but maybe a 3rd party that works in the office initially filed the complaint or asked for an investigation, because the 3rd party was tired of seeing the woman/victim get preferential treatment (like not having to work all of her required hours), or knew the women/victim was too scared of backlash herself to file a complaint herself. Maybe the woman/victim then decided to cooperate with the investigation with how the Judge was treating her once the investigation began. Either way, I think the Judge should have known better! Just a thought.
1 July 2008 at 10:28 a.m.
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Uhlrick_Hetfield_III (Anonymous) says…
If it runs the way most judicial complaints are handled, they'll arrest the woman.
1 July 2008 at 11:22 a.m.
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weluvbowling (weluvbowling) says…
Could be that too Born_to_run! You never know!
1 July 2008 at 12:21 p.m.
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jlw53 (Anonymous) says…
I agree that this guy is a creep - maybe not the word I would have chosen, but nevertheless accepatble. In no way was I blaming the victim and what about my post said that? I just think that people need to get out of situations like that one and would hope that they have someone close enough to them to give them the personal support to deal with it. I have no knowledge as to whether she was willing at any time during that period, but I still say that staying lessens the credibility of the complaint.
1 July 2008 at 4:18 p.m.
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lily (Anonymous) says…
It sounds like the complaint did come from a 3rd party but were others witness to this behavior in the workplace?
He is a creep! If the woman accepted it then that makes her creepty too. This woman getting preferential treatment, no reprimands when she should etc would be enough to make most people complain.
8 July 2008 at 2:03 p.m.
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weluvbowling (weluvbowling) says…
From the information provided in the Leavenworth Times it appears that she is the same person that I thought she was…she was then terminated in December of 2007 and filed a complaint. Nice…very nice!