A Columbus defense attorney is accusing a Franklin County judge of failing to allow his client to be present for a hearing on a civil protection order, then falsifying the record about his absence.

Domestic Relations Judge Kim A. Browne "engaged in criminal conduct designed to hide her judicial misconduct," attorney Sam Shamansky wrote in an appeal filed Aug. 23 with the Franklin County Court of Appeals.

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Browne told Dispatch Reporter John Futty that although she can't comment on an active case, "I strenuously disagree with (Shamansky's) characterization of the facts."

The appeal asks that Browne's decision to grant the civil protection order against Shamansky's client be reversed and the judge be disqualified from hearing future proceedings in the case.

According to Shamansky, his client arrived before the hearing was to begin on the morning of April 21 and was asked by Browne's bailiff to sit at the far end of the hallway and remain separate from the woman who filed the action against him until the judge arrived.

Julie Keys, an attorney working with Shamansky on the case, also arrived and asked for a continuance, which she was told the judge would not allow. The appeal alleges that Keys and Shamansky were waiting in a conference room outside the courtroom and their client was still in the hallway when Browne conducted the hearing without them.

Shamansky said that a recording of the proceeding, attended only by the woman who filed the action, shows that Browne's bailiff was uncertain about how to record who attended. The judge instructed her to document that the other party and counsel "were served and didn't appear."

The appeal alleges the judge's actions not only violated the client's right to be heard, but "constitute forgery and tampering with records under Ohio law."

Neighbors fire shots in dog feud; 1 hurt

Shots were exchanged between two Franklinton households. The shooting between neighbors was triggered over a dispute of a stolen dog, Columbus police said in a search warrant request.

The first shooting happened at about 2 p.m. Aug. 10, resulting in police charging two people from a Cypress Avenue address with felony charges. However, about 12 hours later the fight continued.

Officers were called back out at 2:30 a.m. Aug. 11 when two people from the Cypress Avenue home shot up the other residence on Avondale Avenue. Police had to send plainclothes officers to monitor the situation.

The plainclothes officers only had to wait about two hours before hearing more gunfire and watching "numerous males running from the area, back towards ... (the) Avondale Ave. (residence)," according to a search warrant.

The males were peeling off plastic gloves from their hands as they ran. One person was hit near the Cypress Avenue residence, police learned.

Police obtained a warrant and seized ammunition, plastic gloves, 11 cellphones, a gun case and a .32 caliber revolver from the Avondale residence, according to the warrant.

It's unclear what happened to the dog.

Breast implants lifted from surgery office

Who knows what the thieves had in mind when they decided to steal six breast implants from a Worthington plastic surgery office and spa a couple of weeks ago.

The implants weren't stolen to be re-sold or personally used by the culprits.

Instead they were removed from a glass casing and damaged on the floor of the mall on North High Street. Worthington police were called out on a report of criminal damaging.

Police believe the thieves took the implants sometime between 11 p.m. Aug. 19 and 4 am. Aug. 20.

bburger@dispatch.com

@ByBethBurger