Credit-card misuse charge added against Ohio judge

CINCINNATI (AP) — A southwest Ohio grand jury today added a ninth felony charge against a juvenile court judge who has been suspended.

Judge Tracie Hunter was indicted on a count of misuse of credit cards. The Hamilton County grand jury action follows last week’s indictments on eight counts, including allegations that Judge Hunter used county credit cards to pay court fees stemming from lawsuits against her.

The latest charge alleges that she used a county card to pay Supreme Court filing fees, with misuse in the range of $1,000 to $7,500.

Judge Hunter hasn’t responded directly to the charges against her but has indicated she believes she is being targeted because of changes she was bringing to the court. She has been disqualified by the Ohio Supreme Court because of the pending charges, which included allegations she backdated court records.