Editor,
I am writing about the judicial race for Hamilton County Superior Court 3. The candidates are the incumbent Judge William Hughes and Judge Brian Poindexter. Both have served the community for many years, but in familiarizing myself with both judges, I discovered that Hughes was arrested for drunk driving in North Carolina while on vacation in 2010. Documents from the Commission on Judicial Qualifications and the Indiana Supreme Court show that he tested 0.13 on a certified breath test, and ultimately pled guilty and was convicted of a lesser charge of reckless driving, a misdemeanor conviction. He was sentenced to probation and alcohol counseling. The Indiana Supreme Court disciplined him by a public reprimand. He has remained a sitting judge since his conviction. In all my research, I have not seen any mention of this conviction, the reduced plea, or that Hughes continues to preside over criminal matters in his own court, including situations analogous to his own conviction. I did discover that every fraternal order of police in the county has shown their support by formally endorsing Judge Poindexter. Interesting, because the incumbent has worked with these officers during his 25 years on the bench. I find that a valuable insight into the differences between these candidates. As a final note, I would surmise that because I have not heard this piece of information – absent my own research – that Poindexter has chosen to run an ethical and positive campaign, standing on his own merits and record. In any case, I am wondering why the incumbent did not choose to himself share this information with voters, so they could have all the facts before them for such a serious decision.
Karin Maloney Anderson, 46038