Former judge Pozonsky paroled
The man who was once responsible for sentencing prisoners and signing orders for their parole was himself paroled Tuesday from Washington County jail.
On former judge Paul Pozonsky’s 30th day behind bars, he officially left the correctional institution at 11:59 a.m.
He was seen about noon in the vicinity of the courthouse basement, presumably reporting to the adult probation office as directed, wearing work clothes, a bandanna wrapped around his head and sporting a goatee.
Pozonsky’s parole was conditioned on him breaking no jail rules during his sentence of 30 days to 23 ½ months.
“He complied with all our rules and regulations,” said Warden John Temas in confirming Pozonsky’s parole. “That’s all I’m concerned about.”
In an order dated Aug. 4, Bedford County Judge Daniel Lee Howsare ordered the Washington County Adult Probation Office to conduct “the customary home plan evaluation for parolees to insure that proper re-entry is appropriate.” The evaluation is performed to ensure that a former inmate has a permanent address at which to reside and be supervised.
Howsare entered his order with the consent of the state attorney general’s office “and after contact with the Washington County probation office.”
The ex-judge’s incarceration on a charge of obstructing the administration of law is to be followed by two years of probation.
At his sentencing, Pozonsky told the judge he would be caring for his elderly parents in the village of Muse, Cecil Township.
Howsare ordered Pozonsky be paroled when he completed his minimum sentence of 30 days. Temas said the ex-judge left as usual Tuesday morning for his work-release assignment as a laborer with Tri-State Restoration Services Inc., 42 E. Maiden St., Washington, and returned earlier than the end of his typical workday to have his release processed.
Pozonsky’s workweek was Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturdays when needed. At other times, he was to be housed in the jail.
He also pleaded guilty in March to misdemeanor charges of theft and misappropriation of entrusted government property for stealing cocaine evidence while he served on the bench. Pozonsky also forfeited his yearly pension of $98,000 and full medical benefits and faces the loss of his law license.
While imprisoned, Pozonsky was held in a unit with other work-release prisoners, so he was not part of the jail’s general population. In addition to his restoration work, Pozonsky also cut brush on Sundays with inmates enrolled in the Furlough Into Service program, Temas said.
Howsare also ordered Pozonsky to undergo a drug and alcohol assessment and evaluation and comply with any recommended treatment. Random drug testing is a routine part of supervision by the adult probation office, especially in drug-related cases.
Howsare initially wanted Pozonsky to serve his sentence in another county, but the former jurist’s attorney, Robert Del Greco insisted on his client being jailed in Washington County.
Investigators accused Pozonsky of stealing cocaine evidence after ordering police to bring it into his courtroom during several routine pretrial hearings. He kept the drugs in a locked cabinet in a vault in his office and replaced the drugs with other substances, including baking soda.
Pozonsky’s arrest in May 2013 followed the recommendation of a grand jury convened by the state attorney general’s office, which handled the case.
He served on the bench for nearly 15 years before resigning in June 2012 after he was removed by former president judge Debbie O’Dell Seneca from overseeing criminal cases.
His leaving the Washington County bench was officially a retirement and he moved to Alaska with his wife, who has since filed for divorce.
Pozonsky also previously served 13 years as a district judge in Cecil Township and McDonald before being elected to the Washington County bench.