Judge puts bailiff on unpaid leave
Employee investigated for referring defendant to his personal lawyer
Post-Tribune (IN)
April 23, 2003
A bailiff for Lake Superior Court Judge Julie Cantrell has been placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of a criminal investigation.
Dennis Chinn was placed on leave by the judge about a month ago when allegations of wrongdoing surfaced against him.
So far, Chinn, who once served as a police officer for both Hammond and Gary, has not been charged with a crime.
Cantrell declined comment on the case, but did confirm that she had placed Chinn on administrative leave without pay.
According to sources, Chinn is being looked into for his role in referring a defendant in Cantrell's courtroom to his personal defense attorney.
The defense attorney also happens to work as a public defender in Cantrell's courtroom. However, the attorney represented the defendant as a private attorney, not a public defender.
Chinn allegedly went to the Hammond home of the defendant to collect on a $1,500 debt, reportedly owed by the person for the services of the defense attorney.
The person refused to pay and contacted Cantrell's court to report the incident.
Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter declined comment on the case, but did say it is being investigated.
The Lake County sheriff's office investigated the allegations and has submitted a report to the prosecutor's office, according to spokesman Mike Higgins.
The report reportedly does not come with a recommendation on whether criminal charges should be filed against Chinn, according to sources.
Because Chinn is a brother-in-law of Miguel Arredondo, a deputy commander with the sheriff and the former chief of police, Higgins was asked if there was a conflict of interest.
"I don't see a conflict there because Arredondo had nothing to do with the investigation," Higgins said. "He was nowhere near it."
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