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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, April 27, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 22, 2005 Board orders judge to quit By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Jackson County commissioners demanded that a Gold Hill justice of the peace cited for possession of marijuana step down or be recalled after he failed to collect $200,000 in fines and stands to receive $245,000 in wages and benefits if he remains in office. "I would encourage the people in Gold Hill to recall him," said Commissioner Dave Gilmour about Justice of the Peace Bob King during a budget hearing Thursday. "It’s unconscionable that he would take a salary without services." During a break in the meeting, Commissioner C.W. Smith said, "He can move aside or the voters can move him aside." King did not attend the hearing. When reached by phone, King responded, "Good luck with either of them, partner. I’m not about to do either." He was cited last June for possession of marijuana, prompting Sheriff Mike Winters to refuse to send traffic and other cases to him. King, who could remain a judge until his term runs out in 2009, said he has completed a drug-diversion program. Advertisement Smith said, "Quite frankly, he made his decision to do some pretty silly things." King, who now performs weddings but doesn’t preside in the courtroom, receives an annual salary of $36,000 plus benefits. His Gold Hill courthouse has been replaced by a new court in Central Point run by Justice of the Peace Joe Charter. Charter reviewed King’s previous caseload and determined that $200,000 hadn’t been collected in fines over a two-year period. Commissioner Gilmour said, "That’s a staggering amount." Charter responded, "That’s a shocking amount." King is also the subject of an investigation by the state Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability, which reviews complaints about judges and justices of the peace. Charter said the commission recently sent King a letter asking him to step down or face further investigations that could lead to him being stripped of his elected office. King said that during his 26 years working for the county he always came out clean on audits and, referring to the fines that weren’t collected, said, "That’s so wrong. I want them to show that." Trying to figure out what the commissioners were accusing him of, King said that many of the people who came before him didn’t have the money to pay fines, while others paid less because of extenuating circumstances. "The court’s not there to raise money," he said. "It’s there to do justice." He acknowledges that he used poor judgment in smoking marijuana and said he is working with a doctor to help him out. "I’ve paid a big price through this," he said. "It was a screwup. I can say that." Medford attorney Michael Kellington said he would no longer be representing King because he has been called as a witness on the judicial commission regarding some of the allegations made by the county. He said he would be looking for another attorney to defend King and believes his client will be vindicated once all the evidence is on the table. "There has been a lot of friction between Bob King and the county," he said. Kellington said the marijuana citation only represents a fraction of the story. "It’s a very trying time for Bob," he said. "The whole thing has been a trail of tears." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans Tatoo tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoos Advertisement s