By Julie Montanaro, WCTV.tv

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – A candidate for Leon County Judge is under fire as sources tell Eyewitness News, she has a felony arrest on her record.

Nina Ashenafi Richardson, a native of Ethiopia, was the top vote getter in the primary and she calls the allegations nothing but an effort to smear her good name.

Nina Ashenafi Richardson was greeting voters Thursday as they waited in line to cast ballots at the Leon County Courthouse.

Her attorney, Ron Meyer, says she has no arrest record, but sources tell Eyewitness News that Ashenafi-Richardson was arrested for theft while in law school.

The County Justice Information system shows Ashenafi Richardson has a so-called spin number which indicates an arrest, but there is no other information listed.

The rest, sources say, has been sealed.

State Attorney Willie Meggs says he doesn’t know the particulars of this case, and couldn’t talk about them if he did.

“I know there is a spin number. I know there is no information behind that spin number which is an indication that there had been an arrest and a disposition of some sort that was later sealed,” Meggs said.

The head of the Tallahassee Bar, Jim Banks, says he has no knowledge of this case, but says lots of people have records sealed and the law allows them to deny ever being arrested.

Folks who have had their records sealed do not have to reveal them unless they are applying for certain jobs, like those in law enforcement, day care or education, he said.

“They’re sealed for a good reason. These are people who may have made a mistake when they were young and foolish. It’s a relatively minor offense and you seal it,” Banks said.

Ashenafi Richardson’s opponent in the county judge’s race, Sean Desmond, who came in second in the primary, says he and others in the legal community have known about the arrest for some time, but he’s refused to bring it up in the campaign.

“So people talk to me about all the time and say, what’s the deal with that and I say, um, I’m running a positive campaign based on my experience and qualifications,” Desmond said.

Ashenafi Richardson, a former President of the Tallahassee Bar who is well known for her pro-bono work, refused to comment on camera Thursday, calling the arrest allegations a smear tactic.

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