Eastern IN judge faces discipline over dispute with clerk

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indiana Judicial Qualifications Commission has filed four misconduct charges against a northeastern Indiana judge over a dispute with his county's clerk.

The commission said Wednesday the charges against Blackford Circuit Judge Dean A. Young allege he barred then-Blackford County Clerk Derinda Shady from the courthouse while she was hospitalized in August 2015 with chest pains she suffered after refusing to attend a meeting with Young and Superior Court Judge John N. Barry without a witness.

The charges allege, among other things, Young's conduct didn't promote public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary.

Young has 20 days to answer the charges. A telephone call to his chambers for comment Wednesday afternoon rang unanswered.

Barry was publicly admonished for his involvement in the incident but isn't facing disciplinary charges.