Judge Sentenced for Propositioning Defendant

HOUSTON (AP) _ A Harris County criminal court-at-law judge has gotten a 30-day jail sentence for trying to woo a drunken-driving defendant in a case in his court.

Judge Donald Jackson also received two years’ probation. State District Judge Mark Kent Ellis ordered him to serve 200 hours of community service, pay a $4,000 fine and take 25 hours of state-approved legal ethics courses in each of the next two years. The jail term and fine were maximums.

Ellis also ordered Jackson to remain suspended pending appeal. He told Jackson in open court Monday, “We are all tarnished by
your stupidity.”

A 28-year-old woman charged with driving while intoxicated accused Jackson of offering her a better court-appointed attorney if she’d agree to a romantic relationship. A jury found Jackson guilty Friday of official oppression.

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