A 75-year-old former Hamilton County judge and practicing attorney is behind bars at the Clermont County Jail after admitting he used his professional credentials to gain access to an inmate he wasn't representing, then engaged in sexual activity during the visit.
The jail, located in Batavia, serves the broader Clermont County region including Milford and communities near Loveland.
James Kenney was taken into custody Aug. 24 without incident and is being held without bond, the Clermont County Sheriff's Office said in a press release. He is scheduled to appear before Judge Katherine Terpstra on Aug. 25, at 10 a.m.
Kenney faces three misdemeanor charges: engaging in prostitution, a first-degree misdemeanor; obstructing official business, a second-degree misdemeanor; and solicitation, a third-degree misdemeanor.
How the investigation started
The case grew out of a contraband investigation that began Aug. 15 when corrections staff observed multiple inmates passing contraband during recreation time. Staff secured the inmates and searched all cells in the affected housing block. Two jail canines swept the entire facility, and tobacco products, which are prohibited in the jail, were recovered.
Detectives interviewed inmates and reviewed phone records, which revealed communications between Kenney and an inmate involved in the contraband case. Those communications included conversations of a sexual nature, according to the sheriff's office, and raised concerns about a contact visit Kenney had with the inmate.
Kenney's admission
Investigators obtained and executed a search warrant for Kenney's cellphone. During a subsequent interview, Kenney admitted he had used his attorney credentials to obtain a contact visit with an inmate who was a personal associate, not a client. He confirmed that during a visit on Aug. 4, he and the inmate engaged in sexual activity inside the jail.
The sheriff's office said the investigation remains active and additional subjects are expected to be charged.
Prior conviction
This is not Kenney's first sex-related criminal charge.
In 2005, while working as an assistant Hamilton County prosecutor, Kenney pleaded guilty to sexual imposition and lying to law enforcement during an active investigation, according to WCPO, which obtained a court document detailing the conviction.
The Cincinnati Bar Association brought the case before the Ohio Supreme Court, which in 2006 suspended Kenney from practicing law for two years, with 18 months stayed. He was placed on two years of probation with requirements including entering a treatment program and abstaining from alcohol, according to WCPO's reporting.
Residents with information related to the investigation can contact Chief Deputy Mike White at the Clermont County Sheriff's Office at (513) 732-7511.
