The Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A former district judge removed from office for inappropriate conduct has a new job — as a state prison guard.
Allan Berkhimer presided over the Salix court in Cambria County from 1988 until the state Court of Judicial Discipline ousted him in 2005.
Now, he’s an entry-level corrections officer at the State Correctional Institution in Somerset.
The state Corrections Department says Berkhimer was hired at the medium-security prison in March 2006 as a corrections officer trainee. He now makes about $16 an hour — less than half the $67,000 annual salary he was making as a judge.
The state Judicial Conduct Board, which prosecuted the misconduct charges, said Berkhimer routinely used vulgar, sexually suggestive language in conversations with female employees. It also said he improperly instructed his staff to mail congratulatory notes to constituents whose accomplishments were publicized by local newspapers at a time he was running for re-election.
Berkhimer blamed sleep apnea — a condition in which breathing is interrupted during sleep -- for the problems that led to his removal.