Delaware County Town Justice Agrees To Leave Office

KORTRIGHT--A Delaware County town justice has agreed to vacate his office, entering into a stipulation with the state Commission on Judicial Commission three days before a hearing was scheduled to commence into a formal complaint against him for judicial misconduct.

The commission had begun formal disciplinary proceedings against William Alton, Kortright town justice since 1997, and had scheduled a hearing in the matter to begin Sept. 16.

However, on Sept. 13, in return for the discontinuance of the proceedings against him, Alton agreed not to seek reelection, to vacate his office on Dec. 31 and agreed that he would neither seek nor accept judicial office at any time in the future.

Alton, who is not an attorney, had been served with a formal written complaint on May 25, 2004. He is the only justice of the Kortright town court and from October 2000 to August 2003, he had no court clerk.

The complaint against him alleged that from November 1997 through November, 2003, Alton failed to dispose of numerous cases, failed to deposit certain court funds in a timely manner, failed to report dispositions of traffic cases to the Department of Motor Vehicles as required and failed to maintain a cashbook.

In addition, it was also alleged that Alton had failed to cooperate with the commission in that he failed to respond to three letters from the commission during its investigation of his conduct.

In his answer, Alton had admitted in part and denied in part the allegations and had offered various defenses and mitigating factors.
10-28-05

© 2005 North Country Gazette