A town justice in Chenango County, New York, has been deemed unfit for judicial office by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct due to a variety of misconduct allegations.
Jeremy L. Persons, a non-attorney town justice in Guilford since 2020, has faced accusations of making inappropriate sexual comments, displaying a handgun in court, poor paperwork practices, and neglecting his own traffic violations.
Persons’ term was set to end this year, and he has been suspended from the bench since October 2021.
The commission’s investigation found that Persons made sexually charged comments to attorneys in his court, failed to address outstanding traffic tickets, and used his official email address for personal matters.
Additionally, he carried a handgun in violation of his pistol permit and failed to cooperate with a state audit, leading to the suspension of his salary and case assignments. Persons has not cooperated with the disciplinary commission, and since its founding in 1978, the commission has only recommended the removal of 179 judges.
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