Judge accused of threesomes with secretary and fellow judge was only playing a ‘prank’ on gossipy coworkers, aide says
A SUSPENDED Kentucky judge who is accused of having a threesome with fellow staffers was only horsing around, her secretary testified in court this week.
Judge Dawn Gentry allegedly hired her boyfriend, Stephen Penrose, to have a threesome with her secretary Laura Aubrey.
Gentry was hit with a dozen charges by the state’s Judicial Conduct Commission related to the Animal House antics in which she allegedly allowed staffers to get drunk on the job, all while abusing her power to win re-election.
The charges accuse the Kenton County Family judge, who has been suspended with pay, of using sex, coercion and retaliation as tools in her judgeship.
Gentry also allegedly tried to seduce another member of the panel, attorney Katherine Schulz, into having a second threesome.
On Wednesday a sobbing Aubrey stood on the stand and assured the courtroom that everything was a prank saying, “It has haunted me.”
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Aubrey testified that she didn’t see anyone drink on the job or any sexual acts, but said there had been rumors among courthouse employees of a sexual act among her, Gentry and Penrose.
Aubrey testified on Thursday that the rumors got “so ridiculous” that the trio decided to make some noise one day in early 2019.
“I will tell you there were two occasions when the rumors got so ridiculous that, yes, we may have been laughing and kidding around and basically said, ‘They’re going to talk. Let’s give them something to talk about,’” Aubrey said, according to the outlet.
During earlier testimony, courthouse custodians, deputy clerks and other staffers described alcohol containers found in Gentry’s cambers, singing and guitar playing, as well as moaning and grunting sounds.
Schulez said Gentry kissed her in a bathroom and proposed her to have a threesome, which the attorney said she declined, the outlet reported.
The Judicial Conduct Commission claims Gentry fired a staffer to create a job for Penrose, who Gentry admitted earlier this week had sent her nude photos she kept on her cellphone, the Enquirer reported.
Defense witness Yolonda Reis has testified that there was no sexual relationship between Gentry and Penrose.
In Thursday’s testimony, one of Gentry’s friends defended her against the charges, saying that’s not the kind of judge she knows.
Debra Pleatman, who is members with Gentry at a social group composed of women, stood by her legal friend.
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Although, one of the charges against Gentry is she didn’t disclose her friendship with Pleatman, which she oversaw four of her cases in her courtroom.
Pleatman denied that Gentry and Penrose had a sexual relationship.
“They were good friends,” she said. “He was her pastor. She relied on him in that role. She had a lot going on in her life.”