In a divided per curiam opinion, the Supreme Court found Jack A. Blakeslee engaged in conduct that adversely reflects on his fitness to practice law. Blakeslee claimed he was not targeting anyone with his antics but had a habit of placing his waste in cans and randomly throwing them from his car as he traveled down the road.
The Court found that there was clear and convincing evidence that “he chose the Haven of Hope parking lot as his drop zone” to get a thrill from pranking victim advocates whom he admittedly had known for years and whom he would most likely be seeing in court 15 minutes later.
The Board of Professional Conduct recommended that the Court publicly reprimand Blakeslee. The opinion noted the primary purpose of attorney discipline is not to punish the offender but to protect the public. The Court found a greater sanction was needed to protect the public.
“However, the evidence in this case shows that despite societal standards of cleanliness and decorum, Blakeslee failed to control his own bizarre impulses to place feces-filled cans out in public for unsuspecting people to find. His aberrant conduct has adversely reflected on his own fitness to practice law and brought discredit to the profession through significant media attention,” the Court stated.
The panel said that Blakeslee’s fitness to practice law came into question when he tossed a potato chip can filled with feces into the parking lot of a victim advocacy center.
The Supreme Court of Ohio suspended Noble County attorney Jack Blakeslee for one year, with six months stayed, for his actions.
