Robert Peeler
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2020
Robert Wayne Peeler is a judge on the Warren County Common Pleas Court General Division in Lebanon, Ohio. He was appointed to the court by Gov. Ted Strickland (D) and assumed office on September 4, 2009.
Peeler was elected to a full six-year term on the court in November 2010, but he ran successfully for re-election to a different seat on the court in November 2014. The mandatory retirement age for judges in Ohio is 70. Peeler would have reached the age limit before the 2022 election. So, if he had remained in the seat to which he was appointed, he would not have been eligible to run for a third full term. By switching seats, he extended his potential time on the court by four years.[1] [2][3]
Elections
2014
See also: Ohio judicial elections, 2014
Peeler ran for re-election to the Warren County Common Pleas Court General Division.
Primary: He was successful in the Republican primary on May 6, 2014, receiving 52.9 percent of the vote. He competed against Andrew L. Sievers.
General: He defeated Craig Newburger and Roger D. Staton in the general election on November 4, 2014, receiving 63.3 percent of the vote.
[4][5]
Endorsements
- Buckeye Firearms Association[6]
2010
Peeler was re-elected to the Warren County Common Pleas Court General Division after running unopposed.[7]
Education
Peeler received his B.S. in business management from Murray State University in 1979 and his J.D. from the Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University in 1982.[8] [9]
Career
- 2009-2017: Judge, Warren County Common Pleas Court, Ohio
- 1984-2009: Prosecuting attorney, City of Mason and Deerfield Township
- 1982-2009: Attorney, Peeler, McGary & Zopff Co., LPA
- 1982: Admitted to the Ohio bar[8][10]
Noteworthy cases
Controversial treatment aimed at keeping heroin addicts drug free
Judge Robert Peeler of the Warren County Common Pleas Court has seen his share of defendants in his courtroom facing charges for petty crimes in connection to their heroin addictions. This year, he has already seen three such defendants who, after their release from jail, died from a heroin overdose.[11]
To address this plight, Judge Peeler has decided to try a controversial method to keep criminally charged heroin addicts drug free. These defendants would receive a series of shots of Vivitrol, a drug that is used to block receptors in the brain and prevent a person from feeling the effects of heroin.[12]
Vivitrol is the extended-release formulation of the drug naltrexone, and is widely used in clinical settings to help both alcoholics and heroin addicts control their cravings and reduce relapse. Vivitrol was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of alcohol dependence in 2006 and approved in its injectable form for opioid addictions in 2010.[13]
Judge Peeler’s method of providing drug treatment to prisoners is being studied in several prisons and drug rehabilitation centers around the nation. However, this method is also sparking controversy, mostly due to the cost of the treatment. Vivitrol is administered as a shot once every month, each injection costing about $1,100.[12] Since inmates lose their Medicaid benefits once they are incarcerated, the county is responsible for providing them with healthcare, shifting the financial burden from federal to local jurisdictions. Recently freed prisoners, though, can end up in a limbo where they’re no longer covered through prison, but may have to wait several weeks to re-enroll in Medicaid. If inmates receive their first shot in prison prior to release, this allows them a month’s time—that is, until the next scheduled treatment—to obtain Medicaid benefits that will cover the rest of their injections, as well as set up counselors and other addiction treatment resources. It also means that the county picks up the tab. Warren County Sheriff Larry Sims has called this a waste of taxpayer money.[11]
To date, $7.5 million has been spent to run the Warren County jail this year, and an estimated 20% of the prison population is composed of heroin users. Warren County Commissioner Dave Young has provided his take on Judge Peeler’s actions, stating:
| “ | In the big picture, I'm always willing to listen to spending some money now to save more money later. I am a fan of trying to get the addicts off of the drugs. If they come back and say we're going to spend $100,000 and all of a sudden we have only 25 percent of the people that this is going to work on and that's going to save us only $15,000 or $20,000 in jail costs, then no.[11][14] | ” |
Critics point to a 2011 pilot program in which inmates were given Vivitrol to treat heroin addiction that yielded only a 25% success rate. Judge Wheeler remains positive, however, explaining that:
| “ | There's a real misperception about whether or not [opiate addiction] is truly a disease. People do not like the symptoms, and they think these people are just voluntarily destroying themselves through their own free will. But the destruction is a symptom of the disease they have.[11][14] | ” |
Inmates who complete their series of treatments and remain drug free during three years of probation may have their felony charge dismissed.[11]
Approach to the law
Speaking at a "Meet the Candidates" event in Warren County in 2014, Peeler noted his Christian upbringing, his military service, his work as a prosecutor and his work as a judge, as well as his various endorsements. He also stated the following:
| “ | I was a soldier, I was a prosecutor, and now I am a judge. And that has one mission--and that is to defend our Constitution.[14] | ” |
| —Robert Peeler[6] | ||
| “ | I have put Warren County on the map as far as treatment for individuals...I could talk the entire six minutes about the rapists, the murderers. Those people need to be locked away, removed from society to protect our community. But there's another large group that's basically most of what we do and these are the low-level felons who suffer from addictions and mental health issues. Yes, many many people end up in prison with mental health issues...If you just throw them in [prison] and leave them there, they're going to be out doing the same thing again. The same thing. We need treatment for these people. We need to work at that...We have to help these people and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm an advocate of that.[14] | ” |
| —Robert Peeler[6] | ||
| “ | There are some problems with mandatory sentencing because sometimes you have unfair results. And it's not just for the most serious crimes, it's for a lot of crimes. It's basically because some of the legislators don't recognize there's a separation of powers in this country...You have to give judges discretion...Let's focus on the violent criminals and let's deal with them. We are at 120% of capacity in our prison now. When you hit that magic 130--it happened in California--federal courts force you to release them.[14] | ” |
| —Robert Peeler[6] | ||
See also
External links
- Warren County Common Pleas Court, "General Division
- Warren County Common Pleas Court, "Judge Robert Peeler Biography"
- Cincinnati.com, "Judge shuts down prosecutor's video feed," September 22, 2014
- ABA Journal, "Judge says he had no obligation to disclose prosecutor's live feed of court hearings," August 15, 2014
- Cincinnati.com, "Courtrooms secretly watched by prosecutor," August 15, 2014
Footnotes
- ↑ The Supreme Court of Ohio & The Ohio Judicial System, "2010 General Election Results (Unofficial)," November 3, 2010
- ↑ Cincinnati.com, "Switcheroo coming for Warren Co. court?" February 8, 2014
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Voters are jury on retirement age for judges," October 31, 2011
- ↑ Warren County Board of Elections, "May 6, 2014 Primary Election Candidates," accessed March 13, 2014
- ↑ Warren County Board of Elections, "Unofficial 2014 Primary Election Results"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Miami Valley Communications Council, "Warren County Meet The Candidates 2014 (video)," May 1, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Official Website: Election Results, Court of Common Pleas," November 2, 2010
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedappt - ↑ Warren County Common Pleas Court, "Judge Robert Peeler Biography"
- ↑ Martindale.com, "Profile: Robert W. Peeler"
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 USA Today, “Ohio judge tries drug to rehabilitate addicted inmates”, September 26, 2013
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Vindy.com, “Judges in Ohio use injections to combat drug addiction”, October 6, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Food and Drug Administration, "FDA News Release: FDA approves injectable drug to treat opioid-dependent patients”, October 12, 2010
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
