Michael Cicconetti

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Michael A. Cicconetti
8th Ohio Municipal Court Judge for Painesville, Ohio
In office
January 1994 – September 22, 2019
Governor
Preceded byNeil R. Wilson
Succeeded byJames R. O'Leary
President of the American Judges Association
In office
2005–06
President of the Northern Ohio Municipal Judges' Association
In office
1997–98
Personal details
BornMichael Anthony Cicconetti
(1951-04-24) April 24, 1951 (age 74)
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican (since February 2020)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic (before February 2020)
SpouseKelly Cicconetti
Children5
Alma materSaint Leo University, Cleveland State University
AwardsAmerican Judges Association’s Chief Justice Richard W. Holmes Award of Merit
NicknameJudge Chick

Michael A. Cicconetti (born April 24, 1951) is a retired Municipal Court judge who presided in Painesville, Lake County, Ohio, United States. He is known for having dispensed unique sentences, which he has described as "creative justice". He often left the choice of penalty to the defendant, who was faced with spending time in jail or undergoing one of Cicconetti's unusual punishments. These often involved placing the defendant in a similar position to that of the defendant's victim at the time of the crime.

In February 2019, Cicconetti announced that he planned to retire later in the year.[1][2] He retired from being a judge on September 22, 2019.[3]

Accolades and legacy

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Due in part to the popularity of his actions[according to whom?], Cicconetti won the presidency of the American Judges Association.[when?][4][dead link]

He has held a four-year term on the Painesville Township Board of Education and has spent fourteen years as a Painesville Township Trustee. He was previously a member of the Coalition of Justice Associations[who?], and served as president of the Northern Ohio Municipal Judges' Association.[5]

Sentences such as Cicconetti's are becoming more popular across the United States, and one judge has cited him specifically as being the influence for one of her own sentences.[6]

Early life and education

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Cicconetti is originally from Italy.[citation needed]

He is an Eagle Scout, earning the award in 1964 as a member of Scout Troop 64 in Painesville, Ohio. He was the oldest of nine siblings who had to work on ore boats throughout the Great Lakes as a deckhand and deckwatch to fund himself through college. After graduating from St. Leo University, he became Clerk of the Painesville Municipal Court while attending Cleveland State University Law School at night.[7]

Personal life

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Cicconetti has five children and six grandchildren.[8]

Formerly having been a lifelong member of the Democratic Party, he switched to the Republican Party, so he could vote for his son, Gabe, who ran for Recorder of Lake County, Ohio in 2020.[9][better source needed] In that same statement, he said that he did not regret the choice, citing comments made by then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer "attacking the Justices of the United States Supreme Court".[9][better source needed]

Unusual sentencings

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  • Cicconetti's first "creative" sentence, involving a violation relating to a stopped school bus, occurred in the mid-1990s.[10][dead link]
  • In 2005, he offered 26-year-old Ohio housewife Michelle Murray the option of spending a night in the woods for abandoning 35 kittens in a forest in wintertime in return for a reduced prison sentence.[11]
  • Two teenagers who scrawled 666 on a nativity figure of Jesus had to lead a donkey through the streets, with a sign saying: "Sorry for the jackass offense, but he is soooo cute!"[12]
  • Teenagers who flattened tires on school buses were ordered to throw a picnic for the primary school children whose outing was cancelled due to the prank.[11]
  • A man who committed a traffic violation while shouting "pigs" at police officers was made to stand on a street corner with a 350-pound pig and a sign that said "This is not a police officer."[11][13][6]
  • An 18-year-old male who stole pornography from an adult book store was ordered to sit outside the store wearing a blindfold and holding a sign that read "See no evil."[11]
  • Three men soliciting sex were ordered to wear chicken suits holding signs that read "No Chicken Ranch in Painesville".[14]
  • In January 2008, Cicconetti sentenced a man who stole a red collection kettle holding about $250 from the Salvation Army to spend 24 hours homeless.[15]
  • A woman who was convicted of stealing from a church was ordered to spell out the sentence "I stole coins from this church" entirely in coins and apologize to each worshipper as they entered the church.[16]
  • A woman who skipped out on a cab fare was ordered to walk 30 miles in 48 hours. Thirty miles was the distance the cab driver had driven her before she skipped out on the fare.[17][18]
  • A woman who pleaded guilty to assault for using pepper spray on a woman was given the choice to serve 30 days in jail or serve three days of community service and shoot herself with pepper spray. After agreeing to the latter she was sprayed and found out it was only water.[19]
  • A woman who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and neglect for abandoning a dog in an uninhabitable house was given a choice of serving 90 days in jail or picking up garbage for 8 hours in the Lake County Landfill. The defendant chose to work in the landfill.[17]
  • A nanny accused of hitting a boy with a belt was compelled to read articles on the consequences of child abuse, and then discuss them in the courtroom in front of the judge, the victim's mother, and spectators.[11]

References

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  1. ^ Ewinger, James (February 22, 2019). "Colorful Painesville Judge Michael Cicconetti hanging up his gavel". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  2. ^ "Painesville Judge Michael Cicconetti, known for creative sentences, to retire this year". WJW-TV. February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  3. ^ "Painesville Municipal Court – About the Court". www.pmcourt.com. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  4. ^ "Village recognizes Judge Cicconetti's long service". www.gazettenews.com. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  5. ^ "Painesville Municipal Court – Judge Cicconetti". www.pmcourt.com. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Donaldson, Stan (November 19, 2012). "Cleveland woman holding 'idiot' sign only the latest oddball sentences from Northeast Ohio judges". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  7. ^ "Painesville Municipal Court – Judge Cicconetti". www.pmcourt.com.
  8. ^ "Painesville Municipal Court – Judge Cicconetti". www.pmcourt.com. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Judge Mike Cicconetti Ret". www.facebook.com. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  10. ^ Joeright, Maribeth (December 31, 2012). "Most Influential: Judge Michael Cicconetti's alternative sentences leave impression". The News-Herald. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Woman Ordered to Spend Night in Woods for Abandoning Kittens". ABC News. November 28, 2005. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  12. ^ Donovan, Gill, "Vandals of statue sentenced to procession with donkey", National Catholic Reporter February 14, 2003
  13. ^ Nelson, Steven (August 17, 2015). "Calling Police 'Pigs' Lands Teen in Jail". U.S. News. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  14. ^ "Men who solicited sex ordered to wear chicken suit", The Plain Dealer, July 26, 2007
  15. ^ "Sentenced to homelessness", The News-Herald, January 25, 2008
  16. ^ "Woman Who Stole From Church To Spell Apology In Coins", NewsChannel 5 in Cleveland, Ohio. August 23, 2008 Archived June 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ a b Pinedo, Aris; Brown, Jasmine; Valiente, Alexa (September 1, 2015). "Judge Uses Unusual Punishments to Keep People Out of Jail". ABC News. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  18. ^ "Cab fare jumper sentenced to walk 30 miles", 19 Action News in Cleveland, Ohio. May 28, 2015
  19. ^ "Painesville woman shot with pepper spray as part of judge's unique sentence", WJW-TV
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