Kimball Perry

kperry@enquirer.com

What was supposed to be a routine hearing was anything but Thursday when indicted Juvenile Court Judge Tracie Hunter loudly chastised the special prosecutors pressing felonies against her.

At Thursday's hearing, special prosecutors Merlyn Shiverdecker and R. Scott Croswell III accused Hunter of "gaming" the legal system by not providing proper documents as they prepare for her Sept. 8 trial. They allege Hunter has a history of manipulating the legal system to her benefit and suggested that may be happening in this case.

That's when Hunter stood up and told Judge Norbert Nadel, presiding over her case, she was acting as co-counsel for her trial.

Then she lashed out at the prosecutors, despite Nadel repeatedly telling her to stop.

"I take great exception," Hunter told the prosecutors, "to your disparagement of my name in this courtroom today. I'm not sure what you meant by the term that 'this defendant is gaming the system,' but let's be clear: The only gaming that is going on in Hamilton County is by the Hamilton County Juvenile Court, Judge John Williams (and other court workers) the last nine months."

Nadel tried to stop Hunter but she cut him off, saying Nadel hadn't stopped the special prosecutors during their accusations.

"Just listen to me," Nadel interrupted. "The speeches about the character assassination or whatever is unnecessary. This case will be decided on legal issues and the facts."

Hunter's attorney, Clyde Bennett II, who earlier stopped her from standing and addressing the judge, couldn't stop her this time.

"If that had happened," Hunter responded to Nadel, "the case honestly never would have come to trial."

She turned to Croswell and Shiverdecker and said, "As you are very aware ... you knew that I did not backdate documents, you knew that I did not commit theft" as alleged in the indictment.

Nadel cut her off again and told her to address him, not prosecutors.

"It appears I cannot get a fair trial in Hamilton County," Hunter said before sitting down.

Hunter won a controversial 2010 election but only after she won a federal court suit to have previously uncounted votes counted, a suit that took about one and a half years. She took office in 2012. Over the next 18 months, she was sued several times by The Enquirer and other media for denying reporters access to public courtrooms and by the Hamilton County public defender. She also fought with prosecutors and filed many complaints against them with the Ohio Supreme Court.

Those complaints are why special prosecutors were needed to investigate allegations that ultimately led to Hunter's indictment, which alleges she backdated and forged court documents in cases before her to give defense attorneys an advantage; improperly used a county credit card to pay for legal filings in lawsuits against her; and improperly injected herself into the firing of her brother, a juvenile court employee fired for punching a juvenile inmate in the face.

After her January indictment, Hunter was suspended by the Ohio Supreme Court. The nine felonies against her carry a maximum prison sentence of 13 years. She has pleaded not guilty. The trial is scheduled to start Sept. 8.