Jim Carpenter talks about growing up in Grant County and his work in the legal field during the Grant County Republican Central Committee meeting on Jan. 30.

Grant County District Attorney and circuit court judge candidate Jim Carpenter was publicly reprimanded by the Oregon bar for dishonesty in 2004 for his actions in an incident from 2001.

In February 2001, Carpenter decided to play a practical joke on a former high school acquaintance, who was then a teacher, and made an account in the teacher’s name and posted a message that implied the teacher was having sexual relations with students, according to the Oregon State Bar Bulletin in 2004. His former classmate was a teacher, counselor and coach at the high school they both attended.

Carpenter went to Classmates.com, a website that allows subscribers to post information about themselves and contact other subscribers, according to an Oregon Supreme Court ruling.

During the hearing with the Oregon Supreme Court, the message from the account was presented: “Hey all! How is it going. I am married to an incredibly beautiful woman, AND I get to hang out with high school chicks all day (and some evenings too). I have been lucky with a few. It just doesn’t get better than this.”

Carpenter testified that he acted on a whim and had in mind only a practical joke when he posted the message.

The message prompted the school to start investigating the teacher, who denied posting the message and denied having sexual relations with students.

The teacher tried to discover the author of the message through Classmates.com, but the information was not given, so he referred the matter to the Oregon State Police.

Based on the information given from Classmates.com, OSP interviewed Carpenter, and he admitted to sending the message. The state brought no criminal charges against him.

Several days after Carpenter admitted to sending the message, he apologized to the teacher, according to court documents.

The Oregon state bar, which licenses attorneys, filed a complaint in 2002 for violation of its professional responsibility code for dishonesty, but the trial panel of the disciplinary board dismissed the charge.

The bar sought a review by the Oregon Supreme Court that resulted in the public reprimand. Two justices dissented, stating that, although the content was dishonest, the bar’s disciplinary rules did not “extend to that dishonest conduct.”

“I clearly made a mistake in 2001,” Carpenter told the Eagle. “I took immediate measures to correct that behavior and make it right with the victim. Since then I have been diligent with the courts, other attorneys, and the public in building a relationship of trust and veracity.”

Carpenter testified to the Supreme Court that he ceased campaigning for the office of district attorney at the time of the incident to avoid further publicity.

“That mistake has helped me to realize that people can change, and given me hope that the people I deal with in the Justice System will take the opportunities provided to correct their behavior and move forward successfully,” Carpenter said.

“I clearly made a mistake in 2001. I took immediate measures to correct that behavior and make it right with the victim. Since then I have been diligent with the courts, other attorneys, and the public in building a relationship of trust and veracity.”

—Jim Carpenter, circuit court judge candidate