Another sad day for the judiciary. \u00a0Judge Beth Harlan retired from the Polk County Circuit Court bench in an agreement with State Attorney Jerry Hill. \u00a0This offer was made prior to Judge Harlan being charged with a criminal offense, but she rejected the offer and fought the charges. \u00a0Recently, her attorneys filed a Motion to Dismiss the criminal charges arguing that no crime was committed. \u00a0Criminal Defense Attorneys call this a “C-4 Motion” named after the Florida Criminal Rule of Procedure that allows defense attorneys to move for dismissal.<\/p>\n
Judge Harlan was accused of approving false time cards for her judicial assistant (JA) which would allegedly allow her JA to be paid for time she did not work. \u00a0Therefore, Judge Harlan was being accused of aiding or abetting a Grand Theft. \u00a0Originally, Judge Harlan was charged with Grand Theft and Scheme to Defraud, but the Scheming charge was dropped and the Grand (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Another sad day for the judiciary. \u00a0Judge Beth Harlan retired from the Polk County Circuit Court bench in an agreement with State Attorney Jerry Hill. \u00a0This offer was made prior to Judge Harlan being charged with a criminal offense, but…<\/span><\/p>\n