Complaint filed against judge in locker room assault case

The panel that disciplines judges in Idaho says it will investigate a complaint filed against the judge who sentenced a teen to probation for sexually assaulting a high school football teammate.

The Times-News reports that the Idaho Judicial Council received a verified complaint against Fifth District Judge Randy Stoker earlier this month. Stoker has been criticized by some who believe a sentence for John R.K. Howard was too lenient and that the judge failed to recognize the racial implications of the case.

Howard, who is white, was one of three defendants charged with assaulting a disabled black teen in the locker room of southern Idaho high school in 2015.

Caldwell teacher Monica Ryan, who started an online petition calling for Stoker’s removal from the bench, filed the complaint.

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Information from: The Times-News, http://www.magicvalley.com