On Thursday, December 4, 2025, The Columbus Dispatch reported that Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge James P. Schuck is under investigation following allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault made by an assistant Delaware County prosecutor. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has taken over the investigation to avoid any potential conflict of interest.
The allegations surfaced after the woman filed for a civil protective order against Schuck on November 25, prompting him to take a leave of absence from the bench. Schuck has denied the allegations.
According to a Delaware County Sheriff’s Office case report, the alleged offenses are described as “gross sexual imposition by force, and rape by threat of force.” The report, obtained by The Dispatch under the Ohio Public Records Act, details multiple instances where Schuck allegedly touched the woman or performed sex acts without her consent.
The woman told detectives that Schuck began showing interest in her in November 2024, and their relationship turned physical sometime after he obtained her number in March 2025. She recounted an incident in June 2025 where Schuck allegedly groped her while she was sleeping. In late September, she said he became emotional and insistent when she refused to have sex with him, remaining at her apartment until 4 a.m.
The woman stated that after she asked Schuck to cease contact around Halloween, he continued to call and email her. In her November 25 civil protection order complaint, she alleged that Schuck forced her to engage in sex acts on May 13 and repeatedly pressured her for sex at her apartment. She also requested that he be barred from accessing security and CCTV systems to watch her.
Detectives reviewed text messages between the two, some of which reportedly contained apologies from Schuck for his actions. Attorneys for Schuck had not initially responded to requests for comment, but later issued a statement through WSYX-TV (ABC6), acknowledging a “personal relationship” while denying the allegations as “blatantly false.”
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
