NATCHEZ — Former Adams County Justice Court Judge Charlie Vess has been ordered to pay a fine for threatening to use a gun against a defendant in his courtroom, but Vess said Friday he is taking the decision as a “hollow victory.”

Vess said he might even consider running as a candidate for the Southern District Adams County Justice Court Judge seat in November.

State Supreme Court justices publicly reprimanded Vess and fined him $1,100, which was the recommendation of by the state Commission on Judicial Performance last year.

Court records show Vess admitted he acted improperly by threatening to use his gun and disparaging the parenting skills of the defendant’s mother in his courtroom.

Vess was also suspended without pay for 30 days, but he retired in January and Hyde Carby has been serving as interim justice court judge until an election to be held on Nov. 7.

Vess said Friday while he agreed his actions were improper, the defendant in question refused to take his hands out of his pockets and he feared for the safety of himself and others in his court room.

“A judge had just been shot in Atlanta and a pair of bailiffs were killed in Minnesota,” Vess said. “I’m not going to get shot in my own courtroom by a man who has since been indicted twice for (allegedly) shooting someone.”

When he decided to retire last year for health reasons, Vess said one of the factors was this decision looming. Vess said he was under the impression he would be removed from office.

However, only one of the eight voting justices dissented from the reprimand. The one justice dissented because the justice believed Vess should be removed.

“I was reprimanded and I take that very seriously,” Vess said. “The reprimand I think in a way, though serious, was kind of a win by the fact that seven justices agreed the punishment (the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) was trying to give me did not necessarily fit.

“The fact that seven judges thought they should not give me more than 30 days was sort of a hollow victory.”

Vess said he still has some questions about the decision and also has to appear before a circuit court judge as ordered by the Supreme Court decision.  A circuit court judge will read the reprimand to Vess.

However, with his health improving, Vess said he does miss the job and he believes during his years of service he has been a good judge. Vess said he would consider running for the job or having the supervisors appoint him, if possible.

“I love the community, and I am certainly willing to do it until what would have been the end of my term,” Vess said. “I believe the voters should be the ones to decide if they want me to be a judge or not.”

Vess said leading up to the decision to retire he experienced dizzy spells and other incidents connected with diabetes, which he did not know he had.

“Diabetes was a concern (my doctors) had,” Vess said. “With treatment and altering my lifestyle, I’ve lost some weight and it has improved to the point it is not threatening. It had been kind of at a dangerous level.”

Vess has been the subject of four prior informal actions and three prior formal actions. The three formal actions were in 1994, 1997 and 2009. Vess had served as a justice court judge for 24 years.