A former Montgomery County judge has been suspended from the practice of law after the Ohio Supreme Court found that he improperly intervened in a criminal case to secure the early release of a convicted violent offender. In a decision issued June 2, 2026, the Ohio Supreme Court suspended former Common Pleas Judge Richard Skelton for one year, with six months of the suspension stayed on conditions. The Court concluded that Skelton violated multiple judicial and attorney conduct rules by engaging in private communications, manipulating the court’s case assignment process, and granting judicial release to an inmate who was not legally eligible for release. The case centered on Aaron Cox, who had been sentenced in 2020 to an indefinite prison term of five to six years after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery, felonious assault, and escape. Court records indicate that the aggravated robbery involved a victim being robbed at gunpoint. The felonious assault and escape charges arose after Cox overpowered a sheriff’s deputy during transport from a hospital, climbed into the deputy’s vehicle, and ran over the deputy’s arm while attempting to flee. According to disciplinary findings, Cox’s mother, Shelly Overton, began contacting Skelton almost immediately after her son’s sentencing. Overton worked at a medical practice where Skelton was a patient, and over the next two years the two exchanged emails, text messages, and phone calls regarding Cox’s potential early release. The Supreme Court found that Skelton became personally involved in Cox’s case and took steps to have the matter transferred to his own docket. At the time, the case had originally been assigned to Judge Michael Krumholz, who sentenced Cox. When Krumholz retired, local court rules required the case either to remain with his successor or be reassigned through a random process designed to preserve judicial impartiality. Instead, Cox’s case was ultimately transferred to Skelton. The disciplinary record revealed that Skelton received information about the case directly from Overton and continued discussing Cox’s circumstances outside the presence of prosecutors and defense counsel. After obtaining control of the case, Skelton ordered Cox transferred from state prison to the Montgomery County Jail and informed Overton of developments regarding her son’s release. The Court found that Skelton privately met with Cox without notifying the prosecutor or Cox’s attorney. Prosecutors later learned that Skelton intended to grant judicial release despite significant legal obstacles. At the time, Ohio law required a hearing before judicial release could be granted and imposed additional restrictions on offenders convicted of first-degree felonies. Nevertheless, Skelton released Cox without conducting the required hearing and without making the findings required by statute. During the proceedings, Skelton stated that a report indicated Cox was eligible for release. However, the probation department’s report had concluded the opposite, that Cox was not eligible. The prosecutor’s office immediately appealed the release order. After learning more about the circumstances surrounding the case, court administrators reassigned the matter to another judge and filed a grievance with disciplinary authorities. The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct concluded that Skelton engaged in persistent ex parte communications with both Cox and Overton, conducted his own private investigation into a pending case, improperly used the prestige of his judicial office to benefit private individuals, and disregarded the safeguards intended to ensure cases are assigned impartially. The board further determined that Skelton failed to conduct the legally required proceedings before releasing Cox and failed to self-report his misconduct after concerns were raised by fellow judges. In its opinion, the Supreme Court emphasized the importance of random case assignment systems, noting that such procedures exist to maintain public confidence in the courts and to ensure that litigants do not obtain a particular judge through manipulation or favoritism. The Court concluded that Skelton’s actions undermined those principles and warranted a significant disciplinary sanction. Not all members of the Court agreed that the punishment went far enough. Justice Patrick Fischer, joined by Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy, wrote separately to argue that Skelton’s conduct justified a harsher penalty. Fischer stated that Skelton’s manipulation of the assignment system and his unlawful release of a violent offender struck at the integrity of Ohio’s judicial system and endangered public safety. He would have imposed an eighteen-month suspension with six months stayed. Cox’s release was ultimately short-lived. While the prosecutor’s appeal was pending, he violated the conditions of his supervision and was returned to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence. Skelton resigned from the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court in December 2024 before disciplinary proceedings concluded, leaving office with approximately three years remaining in his elected term. The Ohio Supreme Court’s decision now bars him from practicing law for six months and places additional conditions on the stayed portion of his suspension.
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