Ind. Judge Accused of Slashing Sentence in Exchange for $100K Donation

A senior judge in Indiana’s LaPorte County is facing an ethics charge that claims he slashed a defendant’s drug sentence in exchange for a $100,000 donation to court programs.

Judge Walter Chapala is accused of suspending 18 years of a defendant’s 20-year cocaine sentence after the convicted man’s father donated $100,000 to substance abuse programs in two counties, report the Post-Tribune and the Associated Press.

The sentencing case is one of two cited by the state Commission on Judicial Qualifications in a complaint against Chapala. In the other case, he is accused of giving preferential treatment to the nephew of his daughter-in-law.

Chapala took senior status in 2005 and still hears cases when judges are unavailable.