Judge Linda Jennings needed little time to ponder the most heinous case to pass through her Lucas County Common Pleas courtroom during her 18-plus years on the bench.
Not only did Timothy and Esten Ciboro, father and son, rape and sexually abuse two girls in their home — keeping the elder of the two chained in the basement — but they cited the Bible in their defense, Judge Jennings recalled.
“The facts of that case were terrible,” she said. “And the defendants insisted on representing themselves. They didn’t do such a good job of it.”
No cases of that magnitude were pending when Judge Jennings, 75, presided Monday over her last criminal docket before the conclusion Sunday of her third full term on the bench. She was ineligible to seek re-election under state law because of her age.
Judge Jennings said that throughout her judicial career, she strove to adhere to what the law required, even if that resulted in an unpopular decision
“My personal opinion never comes in,” she said. “I don’t even think about it. It doesn’t matter because I have to follow the law.”