Pennlive reported that Bridget Whitley presided over months of problems in the Dauphin County clerk of courts office, including defendants stranded in jail, bench warrants being improperly served and paperwork errors on case dispositions and sentences.
The initial reports of the situation within the clerk of courts office, and the ongoing saga of a former district judge in Dauphin County are very alarming.
Is the public to assume the clerk of courts debacle was due to general incompetence as some reports alluded to?
That may not be the actual reason.
Could it be a case of willful neglect of duty, or perhaps something far more scandalous such as an organized campaign to embed political operatives within the court system?
The deputy who was fired also holds elected office as Auditor in Derry Township, and she is the Chair of the Dauphin County Democrats.
The deputy who resigned is similarly active in local politics and is the son of the senior politics editor at the largest newspaper in Harrisburg.
In another case this year, a Dauphin County district judge was accused of attempting to murder her boyfriend who was shot while sleeping. She has formerly been accused of several other high profile crimes including the shooting of her former husband.
This is all very alarming and the fallout could directly impact our local communities.
Can justice be restored in Dauphin County?
Harrisburg100 