CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio. — A former Hamilton County judge and current attorney faces criminal charges after investigators say he used his professional credentials to gain access to an inmate he was not representing.
James Kenney, a former Hamilton County judge and former assistant prosecutor who currently works as an attorney, has been charged in connection with a Clermont County Jail contraband investigation that also uncovered evidence of sexual activity between Kenney and an inmate.
According to the Clermont County Sheriff's Office, the investigation began Aug. 15, after Clermont County Jail corrections staff observed multiple inmates passing contraband during recreation.
The sheriff's office says that staff secured the inmates and searched all cells in the affected housing block. Two jail canines were then used to search the entire facility. Tobacco products, which are prohibited in the jail were found during the searches.
According to the sheriff's office, detectives interviewed numerous inmates and reviewed inmate phone records, which identified communication between Kenney and an inmate involved in the investigation. Those communications included conversations of a sexual nature and raised concerns about a contact visit Kenney had with the inmate.
Detectives, according to the sheriff's office, obtained and executed a search warrant for Kenney's cellphone. During an interview with detectives, Kenney admitted to using his professional credentials to obtain a contact visit with an inmate he was not representing. Investigators determined the inmate was a personal associate, not a client.
The sheriff's office says that Kenney confirmed that during a contact visit on Aug. 4, he and the inmate engaged in sexual activity at the Clermont County Jail.
Kenney faces the following charges:
- 1 count of Engaging in Prostitution, a first-degree misdemeanor
- 1 count of Obstructing Official Business, a second-degree misdemeanor
- 1 count of Solicitation, a third-degree misdemeanor
The Clermont County Sheriff's Office took Kenney into custody Monday without incident. He was transported to the Clermont County Jail, where he is being held with no bond. He is scheduled to appear before Judge Katherine Terpstra on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 10 a.m.
The investigation remains active and ongoing. Additional subjects are expected to be charged as the investigation continues, according to the sheriff's office.
Kenney had previously been convicted in 2005 of a sex crime and lying to law enforcement during an active investigation, according to a court document obtained by WCPO. At the time, Kenney was employed as an assistant Hamilton County prosecutor when he pleaded guilty to sexual imposition.
This case was brought to the Ohio Supreme Court by the Cincinnati Bar Association, which resulted in Kenney being suspended from practicing law for two years, with 18 months of the suspension stayed. After the suspension, he was placed on two years of probation with the requirement that he enters a treatment program, abstains from alcohol, undergoes random urine testing, and attends two Alcoholics Anonymous meetings per week.
