A Delaware County judge has announced he will take a temporary leave of absence but denies accusations that he sexually assaulted and stalked an assistant prosecuting attorney, according to a news release from his lawyer.
Common Pleas Court Judge James P. Schuck was accused of sexually assaulting and stalking the assistant prosecuting attorney during a Nov. 25 hearing. The victim accused Schuck of sexually assaulting her twice and showing up to her apartment to pressure her to have sex.
Paul Scarsella, Schuck’s attorney, said that Schuck “categorically denies” the accusations and intends to fight them in the legal process.
“This decision [to take a leave of absence] reflects his commitment to ensuring that the work of the Court continues without disruption or distraction and to preserving public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary,” Scarsella said in the news release.
Schuck’s decision to temporarily step away from the bench comes a day after accusations against him became public following a Nov. 25 ex-parte hearing in which the attorney sought and received a civil protection order against him.
Common Pleas Court Judge Marianne Hemmeter, who is the only other general division judge in the county and currently the administrative judge, previously called on Schuck to step away from the bench while investigators look into what she called “serious allegations” against him.
Specifically, Schuck is accused of forcing the victim to perform two acts of sexual contact with him, according to a copy of a civil stalking protection order filed Nov. 25 in county Common Pleas Court.
The victim in the case was granted the protection order by retired Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Frye, who has been appointed by the Ohio Supreme Court to oversee the Delaware County matter.
The Delaware County Commissioners also issued a statement Nov. 26, saying they will provide all necessary support to the county’s court and to the prosecutor’s office so they can continue their work, but would not comment on what they called the “serious allegations” against Schuck.
“The Delaware County Board of Commissioners is aware of the serious allegations made against Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge James Schuck, and the allegations are the subject of multiple ongoing investigations,” the commissioners said in a Nov. 26 statement.
The commissioners deferred all questions about the matter to Delaware County Common Pleas Court, the county prosecuting attorney’s office, and the Office of Disciplinary Council – an arm of the Ohio Supreme Court that is also investigating the case.
“While the Board is not in a position to comment on the investigations, the Board can confirm that it remains committed to providing all necessary support and resources to the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas and the Delaware County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to ensure that their vital work continues in service of justice and the residents of Delaware County,” the statement reads.
According to the copy of the complaint requesting the protection order, Schuck forced the victim to engage in sex acts on May 13. On at least two additional occasions, Schuck showed up to her Delaware apartment and tried forcing her to have sex, the complaint reads. The victim claimed that Schuck did this even though he previously acknowledged and apologized for “pressuring and scaring her” into sex, according to the complaint.
The victim also asked in the complaint that Schuck cease recording and secretly watching her through the court’s security and CCTV systems, and to stop distributing videos to other people.
Hemmeter said in her statement that Delaware County Prosecutor Melissa Schiffel has already requested special prosecutors from outside the county to handle the matter. She did not say what county prosecutors would be brought in to investigate.
Schiffel said in a statement provided to The Dispatch that she removed the assistant prosecutor from cases and reassigned her to a different division within the prosecutor’s office after receiving an anonymous letter claiming that an assistant prosecutor and a sitting judge had an improper relationship.
“The public expects and deserves the highest level of ethical and professional conduct from their public officials. In addition to instructing my staff to fully cooperate with any investigation, my office is conducting an internal review of both the allegations contained in the letter and of the cases that could potentially be impacted. We have sought the appointment of a Special Prosecutor to independently review those cases, and we have notified all defendants through their attorneys of these allegations. In order to preserve the integrity of any investigation, we are refraining from discussing any further details,” Schiffel said in a prepared statement.
Another hearing regarding the protection order is scheduled for Dec. 16, according to court filings.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Delaware Co. judge denies sex assault accusations, to take temp leave
Reporting by Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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