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A Charles County judge pleaded guilty this week to flattening the tire of a car parked illegally at the courthouse and must apologize to the driver for the August incident.
Circuit Court Judge Robert C. Nalley received a sentence of probation before judgment Wednesday, but was fined $500 and must write the apology letter to the driver, Jean Washington, who works at the courthouse. His probation will last six months or until the letter is written and the fine paid, according to the sentence.
"I'm ashamed of the conduct and embarrassed for the citizens of the community and my family," Nalley, 66, said Wednesday.
At the hearing, a prosecutor described Washington as a hardworking woman who has "no animosity whatsoever" against Nalley and simply wants to move on with her life.
Robert C. Wilcox, a District Court judge in Anne Arundel County who sentenced Nalley, said the case was a reminder that "we all do foolish things."
Nalley, who has no prior criminal record, takes full responsibility for his actions and understands the seriousness of the situation, said his attorney, William Brennan.
"At the minimum, it was an inconvenience to Ms. Washington, and at most, it was dangerous," Brennan said. "[Nalley] is willing to pay a fine and do community service. Then he must go to Annapolis and face other consequences."
An investigator with the Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities was in the courtroom Wednesday, according to Brennan.
On Aug. 10, Washington left her 2004 Toyota Corolla in a restricted parking area on Church Street in La Plata and returned later to find her tire had been deflated. Shortly after the incident, Nalley said he flattened the tire because the car's driver kept parking in reserved spaces near the courthouse. Instead of inconveniencing the driver by having the car towed, Nalley let air out of the tire, he said.
La Plata police issued Nalley a citation that charged him for tampering with Washington's car.
Several days after the August incident, Nalley resigned as administrative judge of the county, but kept a spot on the Circuit Court bench. He was later suspended from hearing criminal cases due to the pending charge in the tire incident.
Because Charles County prosecutors routinely appear in front of Nalley, Charles County State's Attorney Leonard C. Collins Jr. asked that an attorney outside the circuit take the case, which was handled by Montgomery County Deputy State's Attorney John Maloney.