FREMONT, Ohio — After receiving multiple complaints alleging sexual harassment by sitting Sandusky County Judge Jon Ickes, the Ohio Supreme Court will determine if he should be allowed to practice law.
A complaint released by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the Ohio Supreme Court Monday afternoon shows Ickes is accused of violating the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct and the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct by harassing a pregnant employee, fostering an inappropriate and unprofessional work environment, using a racial slur within earshot of a criminal defendant and characterizing a child rape case in a vulgar manner.
The violations are alleged to have happened from 2021 through early this year.
Ickes' bailiff, Candice Talbot, was also put on paid administrative leave in May for some of those behaviors.
According to the complaint, Ickes put a stop to disciplinary proceedings involving Talbot, telling human resources that he exclusively had the authority to investigate complaints of court employees, even if those complaints were against him.
So, human resources stopped its investigation.
The 27-page complaint details dozens of instances of inappropriate texts, conversations, pictures and remarks by Ickes to and about court employees and defendants.
The counsel has the authority to suspend or revoke a law license. If that happens, Ickes would not be allowed to serve without a law license over the course of a possible revocation.
In 2021, former Seneca County Judge Mark Repp had his law license suspended by the counsel for one year. Repp was then forced to step aside from the bench.