Pozonsky ordered to undergo evaluation

The out-of-county judge who presided specially in the case of former Washington County judge Paul Pozonsky specified in an order received in Washington County this week that the inmate be evaluated for drug and alcohol use.
Investigators accused Pozonsky of stealing cocaine evidence during his time as a judge, 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, when suspicions arose, tests showed the drugs had been replaced with other substances, including baking soda.
Pozonsky pleaded guilty July 13 and reported that afternoon to begin serving a 30-day sentence. He was granted release for several hours a day to work for a restoration company, and a photograph that surfaced on Facebook showed the former jurist wearing a T-shirt, jeans and bandanna as he worked amidst two-by-fours.
Warden John Temas said Thursday drug and alcohol evaluations are almost routinely ordered in Washington County Court.
Senior Judge Daniel Howsare, of Bedford County, took notice in court before handing down the sentence that he was requiring incarceration because of Pozonsky’s actions.
“He knew he had a problem. He knew counseling was available, but instead he decided to use evidence to satisfy his drug use. That’s difficult to overlook,” Howsare said, but he formalized the observation in the order filed Tuesday with Washington County Court.
Pozonsky, who was instrumental in establishing Washington County’s drug court, also forfeited his pension, which totaled $98,000 per year plus full medical coverage for life, and faces the loss of his law license. He will be required to pay court costs and fees, including a $15,000 lab processing fee from the Pennsylvania State Police.
Pozonsky’s attorney, Robert Del Greco, said addiction played a role in his client’s actions, and that Pozonsky began treatment in May 2011. Pozonsky told Howsare that his addiction and his actions ruined his marriage and his relationship with his children, left him impoverished and destroyed his reputation.
Pozonsky’s arrest in May 2013 followed the recommendation of a grand jury convened by the state attorney general’s office.
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.
He moved to Alaska following his retirement but has since returned to Washington County to care for his elderly parents.
Pozonsky served 13 years as a district judge in Cecil Township and McDonald before being elected to the Washington County bench.