Sex offender sentencing puts judge on hot seat
Columbus - Franklin County Judge John Connor is the Columbus Shamrock Club's Irishman of the Year, but his name is mud in much of the rest of the town, if not the country.
Connor sits at the center of a national fire storm over his lenient sen tence for a child sex offender, with conserva tive cable TV host Bill O'Reilly fanning the flames of outrage.
Adding fuel to the fire is Connor's history of drunken-driving convictions. State Republican politicians are falling all over themselves to call for the removal of Connor, a Democratic Common Pleas judge.
In an odd twist, the sex offender, Andrew Selva, contributed thousands to some of those same politicians' political campaigns, and those of Democrats, according to state records.
Selva, 46, was initially indicted on 20 counts of rape for sexually assaulting two boys for more than three years. A different judge dismissed that indictment in 2004 because of errors. Prosecutors, instead of seeking a new indictment, opted for a plea agreement.
Selva, of nearby Hilliard, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual battery, which can carry a sentence of up to five years, although jail time is not mandatory.
Connor sentenced Selva to five years' probation in December, including one year of house arrest with electronic monitoring, and a continuation of sexual offender counseling.
When Selva's neighbors found him in the neighborhood recently, they contacted the Justice League of Ohio, a victims' rights group, and the controversy mushroomed.
Connor, 65, whose term expires in 2010, said Thursday he will not step down nor will he miss Columbus' St. Patrick's Day parade.
"I'm marching with a bunch of good Irishmen," Connor said. "I'll be protected."
Psychologists testified that Selva was making progress in counseling and that it was not likely he would reoffend. Furthermore, if Selva went to prison, he would not receive treatment. He is being treated in Cincinnati now, Connor said.
"I think I did protect the public and I did fulfill my duties in that respect," Connor said. "People screaming for jail are misguided. I guess it's revenge."
When prosecutors reached a plea deal, they did not recommend a sentence, said Ron Welch, a former assistant Franklin County prosecutor.
But court transcripts show that prosecutors did ask for prison time during Selva's sentencing.
Pressure continues to mount for Connor's removal. Since Wednesday, Gov. Bob Taft's office received nearly 300 calls and 6,000 e-mails about Connor, likely due to a link on O'Reilly's Web site, said Taft spokesman Mark Rickel.
Taft urged lawmakers to start impeachment proceedings, a process that the House of Representatives will examine, said Speaker Jon Husted.
Connor said it is unbelievable that the legislature would try to remove him for a ruling.
"Every judge in the state should be worried and scared if they are able to do that," Connor said.
That view found some support from Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Moyer, a Republican.
"We need to be very cautious before embarking on a course of action that may have the unintended consequence of causing judges to fear retribution from the legislative and executive branches whenever they are dissatisfied with the outcome of a particular case," Moyer said in a statement. "This type of atmosphere could seriously damage the impartiality of the courts."
Lawmakers are quickly drafting bills calling for a mandatory prison sentence for those convicted of the sexual battery of anyone 13 or younger.
Though he has no authority to act, Attorney General Jim Petro, who is running for governor, appeared on O'Reilly's show Wednesday and spoke to a local group of protesters Thursday. GOP candidates for attorney general, Auditor Betty Montgomery and State Sen. Tim Grendell of Chester Township, also weighed in.
Records show that Selva gave $1,000 to Taft in 1997. In 2001 and 2002, Selva gave $2,250 to Petro, who has given the money to charity. Selva gave $1,725 to Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, who is also running for governor.
Selva gave $1,825 to Montgomery in 1994 and $8,500 in the late 1990s to Lee Fisher, the former attorney general and current running mate of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland.
Connor was publicly reprimanded in 1984 when he was a lawyer after a drunken-driving arrest and a cocaine possession charge.
Connor was also arrested and convicted of drunken driving in 1999 and again in 2002, for which the Ohio Supreme Court put aside a suspension of his law license.
Records show three other drunken driving arrests before he became a judge, but those charges were reduced or dismissed. Connor said he has been sober since 2002.
Connor, honored at the Irishman of the Year party last week, told attendees that he would not drink because he was allergic to alcohol, said Pat Byrne, former president of the Shamrock Club.
"Whenever I drink, I break out in handcuffs," Byrne quoted Connor as saying.
Plain Dealer news researcher Cheryl Diamond contributed to this report.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
tcbrown@plaind.com, 1-800-228-8272
