Tracie Hunter, controversial former Juvenile Court judge, to get out of jail early

Former Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Tracie Hunter, who was dragged from a courtroom when she was sent to jail on a charge involving improper interest in a public contract, is to be released four months early, our news partners at wcpo.com reported Wednesday night.

Hunter is to be released Saturday. That means she will have served two full months of her original six-month sentence.

>>  RELATED: Ex-judge ordered to jail

Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil chose to grant her three-for-one credit for time served because she had counseled other women in jail, county Prosecutor Joe Deters told wcpo.com Wednesday night.

The outspoken former judge was already a controversial figure in Cincinnati judicial politics when special prosecutors announced eight felony charges against her in early 2014.

She won her seat in a closely contested 2010 election. the outcome of which wouldn’t be finalized until a mid-2012 court ruling declared her the winner.

Once in office, she clashed publicly and frequently with other officials, including Deters.

Hunter was convicted of improper interest in a public contract. The charge accused her of giving her brother access to confidential documents in order to prepare for a hearing. County Common Pleas Judge Norbert Nadel sentenced her to six months in jail.

She spent the next five years working to overturn the conviction.

On July 22, when county Common Pleas Judge Patrick Dinkelacker decided to execute the sentence, the courtroom erupted in shouts from her supporters. Many of they argued that she was punished harshly because of her race.

Hunter went limp and was dragged from the room.

0
Comments on this article