The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission has filed a complaint against a Jackson County judge, accusing him of abusing alcohol while on duty, sexually harassing women and interfering in cases.
According to the complaint, filed Thursday, Judge Thomas Wilson abused alcohol "starting between 2013 and 2015 and continuing until 2020 or 2021."
Wilson in January said under oath that he would sometimes leave the courthouse, drink alcohol at home and then return, the court document said. In 2015, an attorney smelled alcohol on Wilson while in the courthouse elevator with him.
The complaint said he also smelled of alcohol and stated he had "been at the bar next door" on Election Day in 2016. During that day, Thomas said he was getting some whiskey and invited others to take a shot with him. He also smelled of alcohol and "looked disheveled" at a county judges' meeting in February 2018.
The court document lists a total of seven instances where Wilson allegedly either smelled of alcohol or appeared to be intoxicated in public.
Wilson is also accused by the state agency of sexually harassing several women he worked with between 2016 and 2018. The complaint said he "described his sexual activities" to at least two female judges and made lewd comments to other female judges during that time period.
One instance the complaint lists happened in 2016, when Wilson told a female judge "he knew she was pregnant because 'her boobs were bigger.'" The judge, under oath, admitted to making the remark.
The state agency accuses Wilson of improperly injecting himself into four different court proceedings.
The complaint says that in 2016, Wilson interfered in his own divorce case by approaching a judge affiliated with the case without knowledge or presence of the woman divorcing him or her attorney, and abused his office to "advance personal interests."
In 2019, a man was arrested for violating a no-contact order, the complaint said. Wilson set the man's bond at $5,000 and ordered him to wear a tether. The man was released from custody after paying the bond. Two days after posting it, Wilson allegedly learned the man was going to be arrested for another violation of the no-contact order.
Wilson allegedly then called 911 and said he had instructed the man to go to the prohibited location to pick up his medication, and that the man didn't understand how the monitoring process worked, the complaint said. He allegedly went on to say there "was no need" to arrest the man, and he had the situation "all taken care of."
According to the complaint, Wilson admitted that he "exceeded his authority as a judge" by telling police not to arrest the man, and that he "shouldn't have made the call."
The complaint said Wilson interfered with two different cases involving two of his relatives.
Wilson is also accused of delaying decisions on three different court cases and 50 personal protection order petitions, and failing to report delayed rulings in four cases to the State Court Administrative Office.
The court document said Wilson, within two weeks, must file an "original verified answer" to the complaint containing all facts and circumstances of the allegations. The state agency said it has filed a request for the Michigan Supreme Court to appoint a special master to preside over future court proceedings.
CBS News Detroit has reached out to Wilson's office for comment.