LAKE MARY, Fla. - A judge with the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, which includes Orange and Osceola counties, is accused of lewd molestation, according to an executive order that was signed this week by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Details of the allegations against Judge Alan Apte were not immediately known. The order states that State Attorney Aramis Ayala has recused herself from the case, requesting that it be assigned to another state attorney.
The order states that the case is now in the hands of R.J. Larizza, State Attorney for the Seventh Judicial Circuit of Florida.
Apte has served on the Ninth Judicial Circuit bench for nearly two decades but was defeated in the August 2020 primary by Christy Collins.
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