Randolph County judge facing disciplinary charges

The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications has filed charging documents with the state Supreme Court against Randolph County Superior Court Judge Dale Arnett.

Included in the charges is not scheduling timely hearing for defendants in jail after their arrests. In one flagged case, a defendant was held in the Randolph County Jail for 227 days without an initial hearing.

The charges also include Arnett having to dismiss about 10 criminal cases because the defendants were not tried in a timely manner, according to state law.

The commission said Arnett’s actions or lack of action created delays in criminal and civil cases, delays in case judgements, and resulted in missing court documents for many cases.

The commission is also asking the Indiana Supreme Court to suspend Arnett from his judicial duties without pay while the case plays out. Arnett has been taking a leave of absence from the bench since April. He can file an answer to the charges within 20 days, but is not required to do so.

Stephanie Wiechmann is our Managing Editor and “All Things Considered” Host. Contact her at slwiechmann@bsu.edu.