On Friday, August 2, 2024, the Dayton Daily News reported that Montgomery County Municipal Court Judge James Piergies had been removed from the bench after being indicted on felony charges.
Judge Piergies, 72, was indicted on three counts of attempted unlawful interest in a public contract along with Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Mike Foley following an investigation by the Special Investigations Unit of the Ohio Auditor’s Office. The investigation looked into allegations of improper solicitation of campaign contributions from employees and other political activities using public resources.
As a result of the indictment, Piergies was disqualified from serving as a judge per the Rules of the Government of the Judiciary set out by the Ohio Supreme Court. The rules state that a judge is not permitted to continue in their role if they have a pending felony indictment or other felony criminal charges filed against them.
Piergies was one of two full-time elected judges for the Montgomery County Municipal Court, where he had most recently served as the administrative judge for the western division based in Trotwood. His cases were transferred to the other judge, William Cox, who oversees the eastern division out of Huber Heights.
According to Ohio Auditor Keith Faber, the allegations against Piergies specifically related to his son’s employment. Both Piergies and Foley are scheduled to be arraigned on the felony charges in Montgomery County Court on August 15.
Source: Dayton Daily News
