Richard Skelton Removed

Richard Skelton, who served as a Montgomery County, Ohio Common Pleas judge from 2015 until his resignation in December 2024, was suspended from practicing law by the Ohio Supreme Court for illegally arranging the early prison release of Aaron Cox, the son of an acquaintance. Over roughly two years, Skelton engaged in multiple improper out-of-court communications with Cox and Cox's mother, Shelly Overton — who worked at a medical practice where Skelton was a patient — to facilitate the release. When Cox and the prosecutor appeared before him, Skelton did not conduct a hearing or make findings on the record; he simply announced he was granting the release over the prosecution's objection, stating "Report indicating he's eligible" — even though the court's own probation officer had prepared a report finding Cox was not eligible for release. The Ohio Supreme Court found Skelton violated multiple rules of the Code of Judicial Conduct and rules governing attorney professional conduct, and suspended his law license for one year, with six months stayed. Skelton resigned from the bench in December 2024, three years before his term was set to expire, ahead of the disciplinary hearing.