CROSSES THE LINE

Arkansas Judge Investigated for Sex Abuse

Allegedly spanked male defendants.

An Arkansas judge is under investigation for sexual abuse and misconduct. According to the Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, Joseph Boeckmann would let male defendants get out of paying fines by staging community-service areas and forcing them to pretend to pick up trash while he took pictures of them. Other times, the men said Boeckmann would nix their fines if they allowed him to “spank their naked buttocks with a paddle and to take photos of the red skin,” according to the AP. The commission called the abuses “if not the worst, among the worst cases of judicial misconduct.” Boeckmann, 70, resigned last month but is still facing a criminal investigation and potential charges.