FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ohio - The Franklin County judge who pled guilty to OVI is responding to a misconduct complaint against her.
Pickerington police arrested Monica Hawkins in January.
In August, the Disciplinary Counsel of the Ohio Supreme Court found she violated the code of judicial conduct and should be disciplined.
Hawkins responded by admitting the allegations, except for the ones she says she "could not know."
She admits consuming alcohol and suffering a concussion, among other things.
Hawkins said she sought independent health assessments which found no substance use disorder.
However, she admits a sanction is appropriate.
This was the conclusion filed in the Ohio Supreme Court:
Respondent admits all of the allegations contained in the Complaint, but for those she could not know. With regard to the allegations she cannot recall, she defers to the statements of the officers. She admits consuming alcohol, suffering a concussion, and creating a dangerous situation for herself and others on the night of January 31, 2019. As a result, Respondent immediately addressed this situation, sought an independent alcohol and mental health assessment, and an OLAP assessment (which also found that there was no diagnosis of a current substance use disorder or mental health diagnosis), went back to work after the incident, missing just one working day, and has not consumed alcohol since January 31, 2019. Respondent admits that a sanction is appropriate.
A panel will hear the complaint with testimony from both sides. The Ohio Supreme Court will ultimately decide on discipline.
