Lake County Sheriff's Office

Carla Rae Hague, 71, is sitting in a jail cell next to the courthouse where her husband is a judge. She is accused of poisoning her husband, Judge Charles Hague, with antifreeze.

Hague, a retired nurse who has been married to the judge for 45 years, has been charged with felonious assault and is expected to be charged with attempted murder and possible tampering with evidence, the Ashtabula County Sheriff told ABCNews.com.

According to the Sheriff's office, Judge Hague was brought to a hospital in Ashtabula County on Sept. 15 and life flighted that same day to the Cleveland Clinic. Ashtabula County Sheriff's Department received a phone call from members of the Hague family on Sept. 19 to file a complaint when it was found from hospital tests that high levels of ethylene glycol, better known as antifreeze, was found in the judge's body.

"The investigation found that Judge Hague had been intentionally poisoned," a statement from the sheriff's office said.

Carla Rae Hague was arrested Dec. 2, just one day after her 71 st birthday. Police declined to say what prompted them to arrest her.

Judge Hague has been sitting on the Common Pleas Juvenile/ Probate Court bench since 1993. Ashtabula County Sheriff Bill Johnson told ABC News that the Hague family "was well known in Ashtabula County."

Dodie Mattson, who campaigned for Hague when he ran for election, told ABC News affiliate News Net 5, that she couldn't believe it when she learned of the allegations. "They're wonderful people," Mattson said.

Judge Hague is now recovering at home while his wife remains incarcerated. Sheriff Johnson believes the arraignment will be waived and the case will go directly to a grand jury which is scheduled to meet Dec. 18. The grand jury will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to charge Carla Rae Hague.

"The investigation is just simply an investigation," the sheriff said. "It is a little bit more sensitive because of him being a sitting judge, but we would handle it the same way no matter who it would be in an investigation."

Ensuring that there is not a conflict of interest is the Ashtabula County Sheriff's Office's greatest concern. "The fact that he's a sitting judge is going to make national news, and we know that," Johnson said.

The Hague family when reached for comment said, "We have no comment at this time and we would appreciate it if you would respect the family's wishes and that is all the comment we have at this time."

The lawyer for Carla Rae Hague could not be reached for comment.