What Happened When Limestone County Indicted a Sitting Judge?

 

And now a cautionary tale:

What happened when a sitting judge in Limestone County was indicted? The answer is "not much." Pictured is former Judge Donald Lee Patterson who was indicted in 2019 on charges of using a court services fund for his own financial gain and Third Degree Theft (not over 1.5K), plus a few other things.

Why do we say "not much"? Patterson refused to resign until he was convicted. If you're unsure what that means, Patterson was paid his salary for months in between his indictment and his conviction, even though other judges had to take the cases in his docket.

In simple terms, Patterson cost the citizens of Limestone County big bucks. He's still costing them, but now in the Limestone Correctional Facility. He'll leave there for probation in December of this year.

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