Ashland University President Carlos Campo called Ashland County Municipal Court Judge John L. Good a “hillbilly judge” during an address he gave to the university’s Faculty Senate earlier this month, according to multiple people who were in the meeting.

Campo claimed that “hillbilly judge” is Good’s Twitter name. However, a review of Good’s Twitter account shows that his Twitter name is actually John Good, and his Twitter handle is @JudgeJohnGood. In his description, Good describes himself as “Father, Husband, Hunter, Fisherman, Beer Maker, Banjo Player, Lover of Sports Cars and Jeeps, Former Prosecutor, Hillbilly Judge.”

People who were in the meeting said the hillbilly judge comments followed Campo’s remarks about the controversy surrounding the university’s hiring of his son, Brandon Campo, who was arrested in June 2018 on campus. He ultimately pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drug and child endangerment charges and was sentenced by Good to a maximum 180 days in jail.

Sources, all of whom wish to remain anonymous because they fear retribution from the university for speaking up, say that Campo started out apologetically, but then showed anger that was focused at Good. Sources also said that Campo claimed that Good punished his son as severely as he did because the judge was not happy with the fact that he frequently saw AU student athletes in his courtroom.

Campo, according to those in the meeting, also said that Good said things that weren’t factual, and that were unethical, during Brandon Campo’s sentencing hearing. That hearing was live-streamed on Facebook by Ashland County Pictures and has been watched more than 7,000 times.

“He started talking about Judge Good and became really, really scary,” said one person who was in the meeting. “He used the expression ‘hillbilly judge’ and was increasingly unhinged before getting himself back under control.”

Another person in the meeting said it was despicable.

Good said in an email that he could not “ethically comment on a pending case or a case likely to come before my Court, nor can I receive any information on such cases from any source on an ex parte basis.”