A Jay County judge is being charged with misconduct by a state commission after he was convicted last month of shoving a local police chief.

Tommy Phillips II oversees the Dunkirk City Court.  But he’s been suspended from his job since September of 2016.  That’s when Phillips was charged with felony battery against a public safety official.  Last month, Phillips pleaded guilty to shoving Dunkirk Police Chief Dane Mumbower in a heated August meeting.  Mumbower is Phillips’ nephew.  Jay County Superior Court sentenced Phillips to a year of probation, with community service hours.

Now the Judicial Qualifications Commission is charging Phillips with one count of misconduct.  Charges from this commission, which regulates the ethics of judges, are separate from criminal charges or civil court cases.  The commission says Phillips has 20 days to file an answer to the misconduct charge.  After that, it’s up to the state Supreme Court to rule on the issue.  That court has the power to do several things, including dismissing the charges or banning someone from holding a judicial office in Indiana.