Judge’s addiction puts cases at risk

Associated Press

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.

A Tennessee judge was so addicted to prescription drugs during his final two years on the bench, he was having sex and buying pills during courtroom breaks, at times purchasing from convicts he previously had sentenced, an investigation found. His behavior has called into question many of the cases he presided over, including one of Knoxville’s most-notorious murders.

Many people didn’t realize Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner had a problem until he stepped down from the bench and pleaded guilty in March 2011 to a single count of official misconduct. It would be eight more months before the seriousness of the judge’s drug problem was revealed, casting uncertainty about whether Baumgartner was sober enough to be sitting on the bench.

Another judge already has tossed out the convictions from the high-profile murder case and ordered new trials. Other defendants are hoping for a similar outcome, and bids for new trials from the many people convicted in Baumgartner’s court could overwhelm the criminal justice system in Knox County, Tennessee’s third-largest county with more than 400,000 residents. Baumgartner was one of three judges in the county who heard felony cases.

Baumgartner left the bench to seek drug treatment before pleading guilty to misconduct. A special judge handed Baumgartner a sentence that allowed him to wipe the felony conviction off his record if he stayed out of trouble. The sentence also allowed Baumgartner to avoid jail time and keep his pension.