Judge Reproved for Deflating Tire of Disabled Driver
The state Commission on Judicial Performance formally reproved Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge James M. Slater on Monday for deflating the tire of a disabled person’s van that was parked in his parking space.
After returning from lunch April 21, Slater discovered a van parked in his reserved parking place. He parked his Porsche in a space reserved for somebody else and asked the court administrator to have the van towed.
The judge then returned to the parking lot and deflated the front right tire, reportedly ignoring warnings from court personnel that the van belonged to a disabled person.
Slater, 55, said he deflated the tire to keep the van there until it could be cited and towed. “I didn’t know handicapped people could park wherever they want,” the Santa Barbara News-Press quoted Slater as saying.
The Santa Barbara County district attorney investigated the incident and found that Slater had engaged in unjustified tampering but declined to prosecute.
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