A Humboldt County judge running for re-election has been charged with a number of ethical violations. The California Commission on Judicial Performance issued a 35-page notice earlier this month charging Judge Gregory Kreis with 19 ethical violations including drunken bullying of attorneys, lewd behavior toward women, poor courtroom behavior, cronyism and abuse of power. The allegations date back several years and include one case where Kreis is accused of using an antisemitic slur against a deputy public defender, insulting his manliness and then pushing him fully clothed off a pontoon boat into Lake Shasta. Kreis denies the accusations and questions their timing just ahead of the March 5th primary.
