Judge Accused of Spanking Inmates Resigns
Ethics charges have been dropped against an Alabama judge accused of helping friends and family by reducing their sentences or changing their status.
The Judicial Inquiry Commission moved to dismiss the charges less than a day after Judge Herman Thomas resigned from the bench, WKRG.com reports. A criminal investigation, however, is ongoing, the Associated Press reports.
The commission received additional allegations this summer that Thomas took inmates to the courthouse where he spanked them with a paddle, the Alabama Press-Register reports. Other inmates had alleged in a lawsuit—later dismissed—that Thomas offered help with their cases in exchange for sexual favors, the newspaper says.
Commenting on the allegations, Thomas’ lawyer, Dave Boyd, told the Associated Press: “Judge Thomas categorically denies all of that.” The local NAACP has suggested the inmates’ allegations against Thomas, who is black, were racially motivated.
