Personal Information
Judge Roger E. Binette is married with three children and a number of grandchildren. He is a 1979 graduate of Perkins High School; obtained an Associates of Arts Degree in 1983 from Firelands College; obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1986 from BGSU; and obtained a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Regent University School of Law, Virginia Beach, Virginia in 1990. He was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1991.
Legal Experience
Judge Binette began his journey through the criminal justice field over 30 years ago. At the age of 20, he became a Child Care Worker (Corrections Officer) at the Erie County Detention Home. At the age of 21, he was then promoted to Assistant Director of the Detention Home with duties that included assisting in the supervision of twenty-seven (27) staff members. At the age of 23, he became a Juvenile Probation Officer, which entailed truancy duties for the Sandusky City School System.
In 1991, after passing the Ohio Bar Exam, Judge Binette became an Erie County Assistant Prosecutor assigned to the Erie County Drug Task Force. During his tenure at the Drug Task Force, he garnered many accomplishments. He was actively involved in helping to make Erie County’s neighborhoods safer by participating in “board up” of local bars, apartment buildings, and crack houses where drugs were sold via Project Phoenix/Operation Crack Down.
He is the creator and author of Ohio’s Forfeiture Law Manual, a manual that was widely utilized by prosecutors within the State of Ohio. In addition, he has been a guest lecturer at numerous seminars around the State of Ohio. These included Forfeiture, Warrantless Search & Seizure, Trial Testimony, Trial Preparation and Drug Investigations in general.
From 1992 to 2004, he operated a civil practice in a part-time capacity, which included Probate, Domestic Relations, Civil and business related cases.
In 1995, he was honored with a Certificate of Achievement for outstanding performance of duties as an Assistant Prosecutor.
In May of 2008, the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve recognized Judge Binette as a “Patriotic Employer”. They acknowledged him for his contributing to the National Security and Protection of Liberty and Freedom by supporting employee participation in America’s National Guard and Reserve Force.
Organizations
Judge Binette currently is, or has been in the past, a member of the Ohio Common Pleas Judge Association, Ohio Association of Domestic Relations Judges, Ohio Judicial College, Ohio Jury Management Association, Ohio Bar Association, and Ohio Bar. Judge Binette is, and has been since 2006, a Judicial Board member of a Community Based Correctional Facility (CROSSWAEH).
Judicial Experience
In 2004, Judge Binette was the “first ever” judge to be elected to the newly created fourth judgeship in Erie County, Ohio. He was elected to a six-year term.
In his first year on the Bench, the first jury trial he presided over was a “cold case”, which involved a rape that had occurred ten (10) years earlier. The jury convicted the defendant with DNA evidence being the lynchpin that linked the defendant to the crime, in spite of the fact that the victim was unable to identify her assailant. The Court of Appeals subsequently affirmed the conviction. Judge Binette was re-elected in 2010 for a second term, and 2017 for a third term. During his terms on the bench Judge Binette has presided over 75 Jury / Bench trials, which include both Criminal and Civil cases. The Criminal trials that he has presided over consist of cases of Murders, Rapes, Shootings, Criminal Gangs and Drugs. The Civil trials consist of Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Property/Construction Disputes and Contractual Fraud. One of his most recent Civil trial resulted in a verdict of over one million dollars against an insurance company for acting in Bad Faith.
In addition to his Judicial duties at court, from 2012 to 2017 Judge Binette was the Administrative Judge over the Erie County Adult Probation. During that time Judge Binette, has been instrumental in securing numerous grants from the State of Ohio in an amount close to two million dollars. Those grants were used to expand the Adult Probation Department to include Probation Officers for Intensive Supervision, Electronic Monitoring, House Arrest, Thinking for Change, Community Service, and Non-Support of children cases. Judge Binette also took actions to provide better security at the Probation Department, including implementing some of the security measures recommended by the Ohio Supreme Court Security Service Division.
Judge Binette actively supports many groups and committees in regard to substance abuse rehabilitation. Also, he has been a requested speaker on the opioid epidemic that has affected our community.
As a former Probation Officer, and Assistant Prosecutor, Judge Binette has a desire to see defendants change their lives to fulfill their purpose in life. In that regard, along with his administrators Vicki Fitzgerald and Lori Rickenbaugh are actively involved with community leaders that implement programs designed to effect positive change in the lives of defendants, their families and this community.
Conversely, Judge Binette believes that law-abiding citizens should not be made to feel like prisoners in their own homes. In that regard, he strongly believes that those citizens who deviate from a law-abiding lifestyle that impinges upon the security of other citizens should be held legally accountable for their actions through the Criminal Justice System.
For citizens seeking relief through our justice system by the filing of civil actions, he believes those matters should be resolved in a timely manner, without lingering for years unanswered. Resolution of most cases hinges on the expeditious manner in which a Court sets filing dates, conducts Case Management Conferences, rules on Motions, and establishes Trial Dates. Judge Binette has and will continue to make it a priority that these obligations are efficiently and expeditiously managed.