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Rita A. Arnold
Rita A. Arnold was a judge for the Chester County Magisterial District 15-2-06, covering the borough of Downingtown and the townships of Birmingham, East Bradford, East Caln and West Bradford in Chester County, Pennsylvania.[1] She resigned from her position in April 2013, following her arrest for concealing a citation. She had served on the court for 19 years, beginning in 1993.[2][3]
Education
Arnold earned her undergraduate degree from Wilson College.[4]
Awards and associations
- 1993-2013: President, Downingtown Holiday Committee
- President, Special Court Judges Association of Pennsylvania, District 11
- President, Special Court Judges Association of Chester County
- Member, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania State Committee for Court Administration
- Chairperson, Downingtown Salvation Army
- Member, West Bradford Fire Company Auxiliary[4]
Noteworthy events
Judge who concealed citation against her son sent to prison
Arnold was charged with one count of tampering with records and one count of obstruction of the administration of law. She admitted to concealing a citation against her adult son, Forrest Solomon Jr. Solomon was fighting with his brother at Arnold's home when he received the citation from the state police.[5]
Arnold allegedly told a court employee to "hold onto" the citation, fearing that it would interfere with Solomon's upcoming probation violation hearing. A few weeks after a police officer asked her why the citation hadn't been filed, prosecutors said Arnold filed it herself. However, she changed her son's identity in the citation to that of a black female. This discrepancy was discovered during a routine audit.[3]
After learning of the situation, the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline suspended Arnold for one month without pay.[3]
Following her arrest for obstruction of justice and records tampering charges, Arnold resigned from her judicial post.[2] She entered a guilty plea on June 24, 2013.[6]
On October 15, 2013, senior judge John L. Braxton sentenced Arnold to 16-to-32 months in state prison. Braxton reprimanded Arnold and tied the harsh sentence to her increased responsibility as a judge, saying:
| “ | You knew the responsibility before you. You chose not to tell the truth, knowing you had an obligation to tell the truth.[5][7] | ” |
Arnold had breast cancer and was required to undergo her scheduled chemotherapy in prison. She was eligible for parole after approximately one year.[3]
Request for reduced sentence denied
Braxton denied Arnold's request for a reduced sentence on December 17, 2013. He ordered Arnold to return to prison beginning December 27 and to continue serving her prison sentence unless she posted a bond of $1 million. The amount was ten times higher than that of her previous bond. Braxton gave no reason for increasing the bail amount, indicating the increase was reasonable.[8]
Arnold's attorneys had hoped the judge might reduce her sentence because she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Her attorneys said they planned to file an emergency motion in Superior Court because they believe the sentence is too harsh.[9]
Arnold remained free; bail won't be raised
During a December 27 hearing, a judge in Superior Court set aside Braxton's ruling which would have required Arnold to post a $1 million bond. Arnold was allowed to delay reporting to prison and was able to continue breast cancer treatment. Arnold's sentence was much greater than the maximum sentence recommended for the crimes Arnold committed. All of her crimes were misdemeanors. In papers filed with the court, Heidi Eakin, Arnold's attorney described Braxton's treatment of Arnold "vindictive." The hearing judge, who was not named, gave Braxton three weeks to explain why he increased Arnold's bail to $1 million.[8]
Bail increase vacated by appeals court
A Pennsylvania appellate court vacated Judge Braxton's order setting bail at $1 million for Arnold, and a new bail amount of $100,000 was set. In a response requested by the appellate court, Braxton claimed the $1 million bail he set was not excessive since Arnold could have received adequate medical treatment for breast cancer in prison, and her appeal likely would not be successful. He also noted the increased bail would not have been a financial burden for her.[10]
Elections
2011
Arnold won both party primaries on May 17. She received 57.6% in the Democratic primary and 61.1% of the vote in the Republican primary.[11] She was re-elected after running unopposed on November 8. [12][13]
- See also: Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2011
Endorsements
- Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police - Lodge 11
- Building and Trades Council[4]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Chester County District Judges Office Locations
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Philly.com, "Downingtown judge allegedly covered up son's citation," April 23, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Philly.com, "Ill ex-judge seeks leniency, gets lengthy prison term," October 16, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Rita for Judge, Official campaign website
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Daily Local News, "UPDATE: Judge denies Arnold's request for leniency," October 15, 2013
- ↑ Philly.com, "Former Chesco judge Rita Arnold pleads guilty," June 26, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 philly.com, "Court blocks bail hike, former judge stays free," December 28, 2013
- ↑ ydr.com, "Ill ex-judge in misconduct case sent back to jail December 17, 2013
- ↑ philly.com, "Appeals judge reduces Arnold's bail to $100,000," January 19, 2014
- ↑ Chester County Bureau of Election, Unofficial Election Results
- ↑ Chester County, Unofficial General Election Results
- ↑ Daily Local News, "Magisterial district judge seeks re-election," April 30, 2011 (dead link)
