A Kentucky family court judge has been suspended from the bench while officials investigate allegations she had sex with staff inside the courthouse and sexually harassed others, among dozens of charges for ethical violations showing a “pattern of misconduct in office”.

Kenton county judge Dawn Gentry was suspended without pay by the Judicial Conduct Commission after she was charged with nine ethics violations last month.

She allegedly hired a man with whom she had a sexual relationship, and had terminated another employee by forcing her to resign to create a job opening for him. Ms Gentry also is accused of having sex with the male employee and her secretary inside the court during office hours.

The commission accused her of making “unwelcomed sexual advances” towards one woman at the court, and then sending an attorney to accuse that woman of gossiping about the judge, which the commission said was “reasonably interpreted as warning [the woman] to remain quiet” about her sexual advances.

The judge also allegedly sent explicit Snapchat conversations with others.

In Monday’s order, the commission said “it will be in the best interest of justice that judge Gentry be suspended temporarily from acting in her official capacity as a judge and from the performance of her duties” until final adjudication of the pending formal proceedings.

The judge was also accused of coercing her colleagues into supporting or working for her 2018 election campaign, and retaliating or threatening to retaliate against people who did not sufficiently donate to her campaign. She was sitting on the bench as an appointed judge at the time.

She also is accused of using her court staff to work on the campaign during office hours.

While in office, she allegedly filled out false time-sheets for others employees and frequently left the courthouse without any staff during court hours.

Ms Gentry has denied the accusations.

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