A Blackford County Judge is facing four counts of misconduct by a state commission after he temporarily barred the county clerk from courthouse grounds in 2015.  IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports.

According to documents submitted to the state Supreme Court, the Judicial Qualifications Commission says Judge Dean Young of the Blackford Circuit Court is facing ethical misconduct charges because of a disagreement over criminal court files.

The records say that because of Blackford County budget cuts in August of 2015, county judges Young and John Barry took custody of open criminal court files.  County clerk Derinda Shady initially objected to the move.  That’s when Judge Young called a hearing to declare Shady unfit to serve in her position and barred her from courthouse grounds.  Shady herself wasn’t at the hearing, because she had left the courthouse to get medical treatment for chest pains.  Two deputy clerks were called into the hearing instead.

The state commission says the hearing was called without written notice and Young did not allow Shady to get legal counsel before holding the hearing.  It says Young did not act within the law and did not act “fairly and impartially” as judges are required to do.

Young has 20 days to respond to the charges before the state commission will meet to discuss disciplinary action.

The commission says it is also publicly admonishing Blackford Superior Court Judge John Barry, but says he is not facing any disciplinary action.