Judge Blames ADHD for Causing Him to Wrongfully Arrest 11 People
Associated Press
Fri March 31, 2006
Area: Orlando, Daytona Beach, Melbourne
SANFORD, Florida - A judge who had 11 people arrested for accidentally going to the wrong courtroom told an ethics board he was "horrified" by what he had done and blamed the problem on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Seminole County Judge John Sloop, 57, said he hadn't been diagnosed with ADHD before the incident but now takes medicine and sees a psychologist and psychiatrist.
"I will never be able to make amends," Sloop told the Judicial Qualifications Commission during a hearing to determine his future as a judge.
The commission had issued a notice of charges last April accusing Sloop of being unfit to serve. The panel, which could fine Sloop or go so far as to recommend his removal from the bench, will now make a recommendation to the Florida Supreme Court, which will make the final decision.
The 11 traffic offenders had gone to the wrong courtroom the morning of Dec. 3, 2004. Sloop ordered them arrested for failing to appear, even though two judges and a bailiff told him the defendants were directed to the wrong place by faulty paperwork or deputies.
Sloop on Tuesday conceded that he ignored those warnings, ate a quick lunch, left the courthouse to run errands, then returned and began his afternoon hearings as if nothing had happened.
A member of the commission asked Sloop why he didn't apologized to the victims before he spoke with an attorney who advised him not to.
"I can't answer that," Sloop said. "I can only suggest I was struggling with an undiagnosed disorder."
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