Complaint against judge filed with Ohio high court

The judge had voluntarily halted the jailhouse arraignments last month.
STAFF/WIRE REPORT
WARREN -- A complaint filed with the Ohio Supreme Court accuses a Newton Falls judge of wrongdoing for holding arraignments at a jail.
Newton Falls Law Director Richard Schwartz says city Judge Larry Turner is holding court proceedings outside his jurisdiction when he conducts them at the Trumbull County Jail in Warren.
The complaint was filed Tuesday on behalf of Schwartz. It says any actions taken by Turner at the county jail are outside the Newton Falls Municipal Court's territory, have no force or effect and constitute a legal nullity.
Turner began the jailhouse arraignments in January in an effort to save the county money by eliminating the transportation of inmates between the jail and the courthouse.
Turner issued a journal entry Jan. 23, ending the jailhouse arraignments after about two weeks, citing security concerns and difficulty opening the proceedings to the public. He said he would work with the sheriff to overcome those problems.
The entry said the jailhouse arraignments would be discontinued until assurances can be made that the arraignments can be held in a way that provides "full access by the general public" as required by law and to provide the "necessary security and integrity for the jail."
The county also is working on video arraignments, which would allow Turner to sit in Newton Falls while communicating through video with inmates who remain at the jail. Such arraignments have been approved by the Ohio Supreme Court.
Judge Turner could not be reached to comment on the complaint. A court employee said Turner had advised him to say that he would not be able to comment on the issue because it is a pending legal matter.