SMETHPORT – McKean County President Judge John Cleland will be
off the bench for awhile after suffering an injury while horseback
riding recently.

According to Court Administrator Joanne Bly in a statement
released Thursday afternoon, Cleland “broke his jaw in three places
as a result of a horseback riding accident and he also has a slight
concussion. He is expected to make a full recovery.”

No further details were released.

Bly explained that judicial duties will be handled by the
county’s second judge – Judge John Yoder – in Cleland’s
absence.

“Judge Yoder will handle some duties and other things we’re just
rescheduling at this point,” she said.

Cleland has served on the bench in McKean County since 1984 when
he was appointed by then-Gov. Dick Thornburgh following the death
of Judge Richard Brandow.

He was then elected to a full 10-year term in 1985, re-elected
in 1995 and ran unopposed in 2005.

Cleland was recently appointed by Gov. Ed Rendell to a
three-year term on the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission. For eight
years, Cleland served as the co-chair of the Education Committee of
the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges and was
responsible for planning the continuing education for the
Commonwealth’s trial judges.

He has also served on various Supreme Court committees
addressing procedural rules, statewide court computerization,
gender bias, the administration of the minor judiciary courts and
bio-hazard security issues.