Staff Reports
Americans expect judges to model lawfulness, not become the subject of late-night police bodycam footage. According to Prescott police body camera video obtained by FOX 10, Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Pro Tempore Kristyne Schaaf-Olson was allegedly caught urinating in public near the Courthouse Plaza just after 1:30 a.m. on October 4, 2025. The footage and reporting make it plain that this was no private mistake — it happened on the same block where she sat on the bench dispensing justice.
The bodycam shows the judge disoriented and telling officers she was “waiting… Uber” as they confronted her, and witnesses reportedly flagged down police after seeing the conduct. Officers say she showed signs of intoxication and struggled to sign a citation for public urination, while her husband intervened aggressively as officers conducted their investigation. This is the sort of scandal that corrodes public respect for institutions when those who are supposed to uphold the law act like they are above it.
Yavapai County’s own news release confirms Judge Schaaf-Olson formally submitted her resignation on October 6, 2025 and said she was stepping down to tend to personal, medical, and family matters, with her last day set to ensure court coverage through October 31. The official notice reads as a sanitized explanation for what the public saw on the video, and local leaders have begun the formal process to fill the vacancy. Citizens deserve more than a bland statement when conduct like this involves the public trust.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct has also opened an investigation after the judge self-reported the citation for public urination, underscoring that the matter will not simply vanish with a resignation. An independent probe is appropriate and necessary, but conservatives should demand transparency and swift enforcement of standards that apply equally to everyone, regardless of robes or resumes. When judges face public discipline, the process must be thorough and make an example of accountability.
The judge’s husband, identified in reporting as Jason Olson, was detained at the scene and cited for resisting arrest and obstructing an investigation, which only deepens the troubling picture of a family attempting to dodge consequences. Local taxpayers pay for the credibility of our courts, and watching an official’s spouse physically interfere with police only fuels cynicism about preferential treatment for insiders. Elected and appointed officials who blur the line between public service and personal privilege should expect consequences, not cover-ups.
This episode should remind every hardworking American that institutions have a duty to police their own and that the cloak of office is not a shield for embarrassing or criminal behavior. Too often the elite answer with vague statements and “personal matters” while the rest of us live by clear rules and expectations. Conservatives must press for concrete reforms: better vetting, mandatory reporting, and firmer sanctions when those entrusted with power disgrace their positions.
If the judiciary wants public confidence, it must demonstrate it is no friend to lax standards or insider protection. Resignation is only the start; prosecutors, disciplinary bodies, and county leaders must follow through so taxpayers see that justice applies equally. Americans of every political stripe deserve courts that command respect, not ridicule, and it’s time our institutions remembered that.
