By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
EL RENO – A Canadian County judge remains quarantined at home after testing positive nearly one month ago for COVID-19.
Associate District Judge Bob Hughey, whose office is at the Gary E. Miller Canadian County Children’s Justice Center, first tested positive on March 27 after developing respiratory problems.
Hughey, 60, is staying at his El Reno home while trying to recover. But he’s still fatigued and suffering breathing issues.
“The symptoms are still hanging around so I’m still in quarantine,” Hughey said this week. “They first said two weeks after I got a positive test.”
The judge has now reached week four of his self-quarantine as he waits patiently for the symptoms to subside.
Hughey admits the frustration of being cooped up at home.
“It would be different if I felt well enough to get out and do something,” he said. “But I just don’t have any energy because of this. I don’t even feel like doing anything around the house.”
Hughey and his daughter – who also tested positive for the novel coronavirus – are both “just ‘stir-crazy’ sitting around the house.”
“We’ll just get out and drive somewhere but we can’t stop anywhere,” he said. “We can’t even go to Sonic and get a Coke.
“We can at least drive around and see something other than the walls of the house.”
FOOD ON FRONT PORCH
They can’t order food to be delivered to the house or pick up meals at a restaurant due to the risk of spreading the perilous disease.
So Hughey’s wife – who isn’t infected and is staying elsewhere – leaves food on the front porch.
The longtime Canadian County judge has submitted to a second follow-up test but doesn’t have the results yet.
As with the county courthouse, only emergency cases are being heard at the Canadian County Children’s Justice Center during the coronavirus pandemic. Other district judges are handling the juvenile docket in Hughey’s absence.
Yukon City Attorney Gary Miller, the retired Canadian County district judge for whom the county’s juvenile center is named, shared his well-wishes as Hughey recuperates.
“Four weeks is a long time to be struggling with those problems,” Miller said. “Our prayers are with him to recover, get ‘back in the saddle’ and be himself again.”
Miller served with Hughey for about 20 years as part of Canadian County’s judiciary.
“I think he is an outstanding judge,” Miller said. “He’s probably one of the finest judges in the State of Oklahoma.
“He just knows the law, has always taken his time and been well prepared. Just a good, solid judge.”
