Former O.C. judge collapses during sentencing
By Christine Hanley
Times Staff Writer
1:50 PM PST, February 20, 2007
A former Orange County Superior Court judge who pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography collapsed today while being sentenced in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
Ronald C. Kline passed out into the arms of his attorney about 12:25 p.m. and paramedics rushed into the courtroom to provide aid. Afterward, Kline's attorney said that he expects his client to recover.
Kline collapsed as Judge Consuelo B. Marshall sentenced him to 27 months in federal prison. The hearing was postponed while Kline was treated, and then resumed a short time later.
Kline was arrested in November 2001 after a Canadian hacked into his home computer and discovered hundreds of images of boys engaged in sex.
The hacker, Bradley Willman, relayed the information to a Colorado-based Internet watchdog group, Pedowatch, which informed Irvine police. The police searched Kline's home and seized his computer.
Kline has been under court-ordered home confinement since his arrest. Under a plea deal with federal prosecutors, he faced up to 33 months in prison. Kline will also be required to register as a sex offender.
