Aug 20, 2015 2 min read

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will temporarily suspend the law license of former Washington County judge Paul Pozonsky following his criminal conviction for stealing cocaine evidence while on the bench.

Pozonsky’s suspension will become effective Sept. 18. This is the first step in the process of disbarring the former judge, according to the state Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court.

Pozonsky retired after serving nearly 15 years as a Washington County judge following his removal by former president judge Debbie O’Dell Seneca from overseeing criminal cases. He previously served 13 years as a district judge in Cecil Township and McDonald. Pozonsky was charged in 2013 following the recommendation of a grand jury convened by the state attorney’s general’s office, which handled the case.

Pozonsky, 59, pleaded guilty in March to misdemeanor charges of theft, obstructing the administration of law and misapplication of entrusted property. 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 acknowledged stealing the drugs to fuel his own addiction.

He was sentenced in July to 30 days to 23 ½ months in Washington County jail and two years of probation, and forfeited his yearly pension of $98,000 and full medical benefits.

While in jail, Pozonsky was held in a unit with other work-release prisoners, so he was not part of the jail’s general population. He was released daily to work as a laborer with Tri-State Restoration Services, 42 E. Maiden St., Washington, and also cut brush on Sundays with inmates enrolled in the Furlough Into Service program.

Pozonsky was released from jail earlier this month after serving his minimum 30-day sentence on work release. He is now under the supervision of the Washington County Adult Probation Office. At his sentencing, Pozonsky told the judge he would be caring for his elderly parents in the village of Muse, Cecil Township.