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Judge 'Charged' With 'Theft' For Plugging In Chevy Volt Electric Car

 
62,472 views Oct 15, 2012
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2013 Chevrolet Volt, Catskill Mountains, Oct 2012

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For centuries, the role of Judge has carried with it a solemn duty to uphold justice, the law, and to ascertain which facts are true, and which are not. 

So when a journalist in Carmi, Illinois spotted a Second Circuit Judge charging his electric car at Wayne County Courthouse, they ran a story  claiming Second Circuit Associate Judge Mark Stanley was misappropriating public funds to charge his car. 

Except he wasn’t. 


As the CourierPress reports, the local news article caused enough outcry to force Judge Stanley to appear in front of the entire Wayne County Board last week to explain his actions. 

The charges? That he was using public funds to charge his $39,995 Volt, while residents of Wayne County were struggling with $4-a-gallon gas. 

Sadly for the newspaper, and thankfully for the County Board, the explanation given by Judge Stanley was far from salacious. 

Upon buying his plug-in hybrid, Judge Stanley had approached the local Sheriff to ask for approval to install an outlet to charge his car at the courthouse. 

2012 Chevrolet Volt Charges

2012 Chevrolet Volt Charges

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Approval was granted, and Judge Stanley then made arrangements with the County Treasurer to pay for the power he used to charge his Volt, ensuring no public funds went to refueling his car. 

At 87 cents for a full charge, once a week, the agreement was made that Judge Stanley would make two payments per year to recompense the Wayne County Courthouse for the power he used. 

To ensure he wasn’t accused of stealing, Judge Stanley even offered to pay double, something he replicated at every other courthouse he visits in the Second Circuit. 

Once everything had been explained--and proven--Wayne County Board members were more than a little embarrassed. 

“Uh, I didn’t know you had an arrangement with the sheriff,” said County Board Chairman Gary Sloan. “Oops.”

Judges, it seems, while upholders of justice, can suffer exactly the same conflicts when trying to find somewhere to charge their electric car.

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Comments (33)

  1. fb_1559222512 avatar Xiaolong Li Posted: 10/15/2012 1:25pm PDT

    "So when a journalist in Carmi, Illinois spotted a Second Circuit Judge charging his electric car at Wayne County Courthouse, they ran a story claiming Second Circuit Associate Judge Mark Stanley was misappropriating public funds to charge his car. "


    So, in today's world, who is holding the so called "journalist" responsibile for "making up stories" without doing full research?

    How low can "journalist" go these days while they are being protected under the "freedom of information and speech" these days?


    I am so glad that GCR journalists are at much higher standard...
     
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  2. pbutler avatar Pat Butler Posted: 10/17/2012 8:07pm PDT

    Li: Wow was it FOX , LI? You missed your chance for a cheap shot at FOX! They also work hard to protect all the president's lies, which does not leave them time for true journalism.
     
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  3. fb_1559222512 avatar Xiaolong Li Posted: 10/18/2012 3:20pm PDT

    Well, false reporting happens across the board on both sides.

    Now, What is your stupid problem here? Don't you have something better to comment instead of political junk? Either try to stick to topic or go and finish your GED....
     
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  4. fb_100000004307729 avatar Al Bunzel Posted: 10/19/2012 3:54pm PDT

    I wonder if the judge is going to sue for defamation or slander?

    Now, how much public money was wasted in making the judge front the board to explain the judge's legitimate actions?
     
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  5. fb_730990976 avatar Gregory Wright Posted: 10/26/2012 6:47pm PDT

    Whatever happen to investigative reporting, you know, like asking questions? The carnal rule when witnessing an event is things are not always as they appear.
     
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  6. fb_100001956913967 avatar Charles Applegate Posted: 10/28/2012 10:38pm PDT

    I think you meant 'cardinal' rule. At least I HOPE you meant cardinal rule.
     
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  7. brianoflondon avatar Brian of London Posted: 10/15/2012 4:50pm PDT

    Once again a "journalist" suffers no repercussions and is not even named herin for bearing false witness and failing to establish facts. It's happening in every sphere. Dependable journalism is almost extinct and the reputation of the profession in ruins. Decent journalists are few and far between it seems.
     
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  8. fb_799475006 avatar Pat Bahn Posted: 10/15/2012 5:31pm PDT

    Seems like it should be Public Policy to encourage plug in cars and the courthouse should have chargers available free to the public. It used to be many a public building had water troughs for the horses people rode to court,
    now we may want to have free public chargers, at major public buildings for visitors. To keep costs in control, simply have a parking meter.
     
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  9. caffeinekid avatar Steve Archer Posted: 10/15/2012 5:41pm PDT

    Umm....someone is a big fat idiot. And it isn't the judge.
     
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  10. fb_100000458268753 avatar Neil Blanchard Posted: 10/15/2012 6:23pm PDT

    Maybe they *ass*u*med* that charging a plugin was expensive, just like gas? Hopefully a few people had their eyes opened to how good plugins are...

    Neil
     
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  11. fb_100003874383730 avatar Matt Moreno Posted: 10/15/2012 7:05pm PDT

    Oh how right you are Neil. I have found that the higher up in management and education the less people know about how much it costs to charge up a plug-in car. I have had Vice Presidents and directors with PhD's from Harvard and Yale tell me that they thought it cost $100 to charge up an electric car. Sigh...
     
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  12. fb_1559222512 avatar Xiaolong Li Posted: 10/16/2012 11:01am PDT

    I bet that they aren't "engineering" majors...
     
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  13. fb_100000502624690 avatar John McVicker Posted: 10/15/2012 7:38pm PDT

    Just like public opinion. Guilty until proven innocent. Judge had the forethought to properly handle things. I wish more of us could get plugs installed at workplaces and be able to pay for it ourselves. We can't let typical media journalists "paint" our lives as they do. It's too bad they can claim he was misappropriating funds before even asking the guy.
     
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  14. fb_100003292483963 avatar Bobblehead Guru Posted: 10/16/2012 6:26am PDT

    By the same logic, any judge that is plugging in their personal phone to charge at work is stealing?
     
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  15. Samos avatar Samos . Posted: 10/17/2012 4:26am PDT

    Yes, and the "journalist" too
     
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  16. fb_100000619152497 avatar Lee Colleton Posted: 10/16/2012 8:33am PDT

    I'd rather see Gassers idling in the parking lot charged with disorderly conduct.
     
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  17. thomlandon avatar Thom Landon Posted: 10/16/2012 9:22am PDT

    Nicki,

    You really need to understand that the phrase "Charged with theft" has a legal meaning. Charging refers to either a grand jury issuing an indictment or where the police and prosecutor have decided to bring someone to trial.

    Your post is both legally and factually incorrect and seems designed to confuse.

    "Judge accused" might be more accurate but less sensational.
     
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  18. fb_1065820632 avatar Donnie Rose Posted: 10/29/2012 1:39pm PDT

    really are you that daft to not get the joke?
     
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  19. fb_734075388 avatar Brad Lowrey Posted: 10/16/2012 12:07pm PDT

    Wow. I mean, to the judge's credit, well done on being really thorough! I don't know if I would have thought of all those steps.
     
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  20. fb_100000142634841 avatar Terry Salter Posted: 11/29/2012 5:13am PST

    If it sounds almost like...to good to be true...It's probably not
     
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  21. anon avatar Anonymous Reader Posted: 10/17/2012 12:29pm PDT

    I think the judge now has an actionable complaint against you, Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield, and Green Car Reports, plus the various media outlets that have retransmitted your story (namely the CBS O&O local websites across the nation).

    Why? Because of your inaccurate, libelous headline:

    "Judge Charged With Theft For Plugging In Chevy Volt Electric Car"

    Nothing could be further from the truth here, as no such charge was ever filed in any court of law regarding the alleged incident.

    I hope you have a very good lawyer, and adequate errors & omissions insurance, as I suspect you'll be needing it soon.

    Good luck, Nikki.
     
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  22. pbutler avatar Pat Butler Posted: 10/17/2012 8:29pm PDT

    Anonymous; Good job, this website tends to sensationalise "Green" issues, but it does have some good information, you just have to filter it with common sense.
     
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  23. robok2 avatar robok2 Posted: 10/18/2012 9:07am PDT

    Charged does not exclusively refer only to judicial charges. Newspaper headlines are filled with examples of students being charged with being insubordinate, athletes charged with cheap shots, etc... None of these have any connection whatsoever with a judicial charge or hearing, so your conclusion is far from the truth.

    Yes, a headline that uses language used publicly by many other publications... Yeah, that's not actionable... Libel in the U.S. would have to show an intent to harm or an obvious falsehood, not just indirect harm. As such, your conclusion is ridiculous.

    Get back to me when this "case" is filed, which means never, of course. Broadcasting a story that one believes to be true also doesn't amoung to libel.
     
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  24. fb_100003294751321 avatar Joe Bloggs Posted: 10/17/2012 5:23pm PDT

    Years ago I worked with a bloke who was so tight-fisted that he'd cycle to work. OK lots of people do that but in his case he'd pack his rechargeable electric shaver and recharge it with his employers electricity!

    I remember an even meaner bloke in the motorcycle club. He never rode his bike as it was too thirsty. Instead he rode a Honda 50 which he ran so lean that it burnt a hole through the piston. One day there were children playing with a "Superball" - one of those very bouncy balls. The ball bounced into his garden so he kept it and he told the children that he hadn't seen it. Next he removed the cylinder head of the Honda and put the ball into the bore. The Honda was then advertised as spares-or-repair. Lots of compression!
     
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  25. fb_100002089306519 avatar William Swirsky Posted: 11/8/2012 11:19pm PST

    was that a 20 amp circuit Judge or a 30 amp circuit Judge?
     
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  26. WeirdStuff avatar shovel Driver Posted: 12/18/2012 6:36am PST

    Let's do the math.

    87 cents per week times 52 weeks equals $45.24 per year Making two payments per year.

    So what we have is a situation where the costs of the paperwork collecting the money exceeds that of the money paid in. Even if the judge doubled up on the costs, it's still a losing proposition.
     
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  27. kmrod avatar km rod Posted: 1/28/2013 6:47am PST

    wrong.

    the cost of installation was covered by the judge, and the cost of processing his payment is negligible as all it takes is someone to hit a button and process a check.
     
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  28. kmrod avatar km rod Posted: 1/28/2013 6:45am PST

    why is the title of the article "Judge 'Charged' With 'Theft' For Plugging In Chevy Volt Electric Car" and not "Judge Pays to have a plug installed so he can charge his car"?

    the reporter should be fired.
     
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  29. fb_100004081022247 avatar Jeff Parker Posted: 2/3/2013 9:03am PST

    The title is simply a play on words having to do with electricity. They were trying to be clever, not defame the judge. Let's use our brains and think these things through before acting just like the original reporter that started the idiotic mess.
     
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  30. fb_100004047271596 avatar Jim Linkster Posted: 1/30/2013 7:51am PST

    I find it extremely hard to believe he is only being charged 87 cents to charge his car. The battery on the Chevy Volt has a 16kwh capacity. My power company charges 2.27 for each kwh. 16 x 2.27 is over $35! How did he manage to work a deal to pay less than a dollar to charge his car, when the county is likely picking up the tab for probably over $30 more than that each time he charges his car!???? Something still sounds a bit too fishy here!!!
     
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  31. fb_100004047271596 avatar Jim Linkster Posted: 1/30/2013 8:48am PST

    So, instead of paying something like $1900-2000 a year, this judge somehow worked what looks on the surface to be a corrupt deal to pay less than $50 a year, but posed as what was supposed to look like an ethical solution to his free transportation needs.
     
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  32. john_v avatar John Voelcker Posted: 1/30/2013 11:32am PST

    @Jim: No power company in the U.S. charges $2.27 per kWh. The highest price in the U.S. is 25 to 40 cents per kWh--and those costs are extremely rare--and the U.S. average is 12 cents per kWh.

    Source for your statement, please?
     
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  33. wgharbes avatar W Harbeson Posted: 4/25/2013 8:11am PDT

    Since when can a local Sheriff approve an installation of an outlet to charge a car at the courthouse
     
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