Putnam County judge is reprimanded after ordering restitution to himself

PUTNAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WZTV) — A Putnam County judge was reprimanded Tuesday for accepting a guilty plea from a man who hit his car. The judge then ordered the suspect to pay him restitution.

After the defendant struck and damaged Judge R. Steven Randolph’s car, he was charged with driving without a license, but not for the accident. On March 25, Judge Randolph moved to impose a stipulation that if the defendant pleaded guilty to the one charge, he would directly pay Randolph $590.19, which was the estimated cost of the repairs. It was also agreed that the defendant could pay the damages in installments. The defendant, who did not speak fluent English, needed a translator and was not represented by a lawyer, decided to plead guilty.

However, on April 1, Randolph set aside the guilty plea and another judge dismissed the case. As a result, Randolph received none of the restitution money.

According to Randolph, the defendant was advised that there was a conflict of interest and willingly waived the disqualification from the case. Randolph also stated that the amount of money required to be paid was “miniscule.” He claimed that any violation he allegedly committed was “technical and not substantive.” Randolph did state that, in retrospect, he should not have been the judge who heard this case.

The investigative panel states that they hope that Judge Randolph’s public reprimand “will result in a heightened awareness of (his) ethical responsibilities as a judge, as neglecting those responsibilities reflects poorly not only on the individual judge, but also on the public undermines confidence in the integrity of the judge.” the legal system and the administration of justice.” The panel also recognized that Randolph has been cooperative and forthcoming in this matter.

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