Judge Accused of Dismissing $268 in Personal Tickets Is Criminally Charged, Put on Paid Leave
A Pennsylvania district court judge who allegedly avoided paying $268.50 in parking tickets by dismissing the cases in 2010 and 2011 has been criminally charged and put on paid leave.
Judge Kelly S. Ballentine, 43, hears cases in the city of Lancaster, where her BMW sedan was ticketed three times outside her home in November 2010. She has been charged with tampering with public records, obstruction of the administration of law and participating in activities that are restricted due to a conflict of interest, a Lancaster Newspapers article reports.
Two of the three tickets issued to Ballentine were for overtime parking. The third was for an expired registration.
Arraigned yesterday before another district judge, she was released on $25,000 unsecured bond. Her lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the article says.
Although, as a Pennsylvania courts website notes, magisterial judges such as Ballentine are not required to be members of the bar, she is an attorney.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Pennsylvania Judge Dismissed Her Own Parking Tickets, Court Records Show”
