Judge resigns after she’s caught peeing in bush by police

The Independent

An Arizona Superior Court judge was allegedly caught on body camera footage urinating near the courthouse where she works. Judge Kristyne Schaaf-Olson resigned days after the incident. FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum has more details.

Transcript

00:00Right on Fox 10 Investigates, a Superior Court judge abruptly resigns after an incident with

00:05police, but Yavapai County did not release details initially on what led up to the resignation.

00:11That's where we come in. And now Prescott Police body cam footage shows the judge

00:15allegedly urinating in the street. Fox 10 investigator Justin Lum has the video,

00:21the report, the court filings after confirming the identity of the public official.

00:26What are we doing? This is disgusting. It's just after 1 30 in the morning on October 4th and the

00:36woman who just pulled up her pants sitting on the bench is now face to face with Prescott Police.

00:42She is judge pro tempore Christine Schaff Olson. The location is known to many as Whiskey Row at

00:48Montezuma and Gurley Street on the same block as the courthouse plaza where Schaff Olson works.

00:54A source who wishes to remain anonymous obtained this body cam footage, providing it to Fox 10.

01:00As the officers try to identify her, Schaff Olson's husband gets involved.

01:05Are you her husband? Yeah. Okay. Can you hang out over by the cab for me? Nope.

01:09Yeah, you can because I'm conducting an investigation. For what? Because I just saw her puking and

01:14urinating, exposing herself to several people. That's Jason Olson, the judge's husband and also

01:20the parks and recreation manager for the town of Chino Valley. Police say Olson did not listen to

01:25instructions to back away. And as he's being detained, officers say he resisted arrest by

01:30tensing up his right arm before being taken to the ground.

01:33The police report says Schaff Olson showed signs of intoxication and slurred her speech. Schaff Olson was

01:55appointed as a judge for Yavapai County Superior Court in 2023. She was a partner for her own law firm

02:01for two years and has been practicing law for a decade, according to her LinkedIn resume.

02:06If you listen closely, she emphasizes her official title. Minimum, you're getting a ticket.

02:12That's fine. I'll let you know. My name is Judge Christy Olson.

02:18The report also says several witnesses walked by minutes earlier and waved the officer down

02:23after they saw the judge urinating. Are they visiting? I have no idea. She's useless. She can't even spell her name.

02:30We reached out to the Yavapai County Superior Court for comment. The court administrator's

02:35initial news release just days after the incident said Schaff Olson resigned to attend to personal

02:41matters. The latest statement from Yavapai County Superior Court says in part, the Superior Court is

02:47aware of the allegations against Judge Christine Schaff Olson. This information was brought to the

02:52court's attention on October 4. Judge Schaff Olson accepted full responsibility and formally submitted her

02:58resignation on Monday, October 6. To ensure coverage of her calendar, Judge Schaff Olson agreed her last

03:04day on the bench would be October 31. All right, this is your citation. It's a misdemeanor for urinating

03:10or defecating in public, okay? So you're going to have to sign that promising to appear in court in about a

03:14month, all right? Your husband's going to be transported to the Yavapai County Jail. He'll be booked in there.

03:21Jason Olson was cited for resisting arrest, interfering with a crime scene investigation

03:26and obstruction of government operations. His employer, the town of Chino Valley, has not

03:31responded to our request for comment. Body cam footage shows Judge Schaff Olson struggling to sign

03:36the citation. Nope, right here on the screen, on the screen. On the screen. Her attorney tells Fox 10 that

03:42she had some sort of medical issue that night, which has no bearing on her performance as a judge,

03:47and he's confident that when more information comes to light in the appropriate forum,

03:51the matter will be resolved favorably. I'm Justin Lum for Fox 10 Investigates.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended