Sometimes it pays to have friends in high places, but one former court clerk will have to pay the price for using her job to do favors for relatives.
Shvonne Butler, 27, was arrested Monday for allegedly tossing out traffic citations and altering traffic case results for her relatives and friends, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
Butler was a deputy clerk at the Palm Beach County courthouse and for two years helped out over a dozen friends who were stopped by cops and issued tickets. In all, she may have changed about 42 different cases, authorities believe.
She was an equal opportunity judge, too. Everyone from her boyfriend to her auntie got a reprieve and she even helped wipe suspensions from driving records.
But playing judge could cost Butler more than a traffic ticket. She faces 23 counts of official misconduct, each of which carries a five year prison sentence if convicted. That's a lot of hard time just for trying to save her friends about $5,300 in traffic fees and court costs.
Butler was caught after investigators found the traffic citations that were supposed to be processed on her desk. Officials said the recipients of the phony justice will still have to pay their tickets or appear in court.
