INDIANAPOLIS | A LaPorte County judge was suspended without pay for 60 days by the Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday for her role in the attempted destruction of evidence relating to a shooting in her home.

Judge Jennifer L. Koethe was found not guilty of obstruction of justice for allegedly asking a detective to discard a note she'd written to her husband before accidentally shooting herself. Koethe was acquitted in a criminal trial held in Lake County in January.

However, the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications accused Koethe of violating rules for the behavior of judges by asking police to destroy potential evidence in a crime.

Rather than fight those charges, Koethe told the Supreme Court she agreed with the commission that her actions violated the Code of Judicial Conduct by failing to uphold the integrity of the judiciary, avoid impropriety at all times and act in a manner promoting the public's confidence in the integrity of the judiciary.

As a result, the court ordered Koethe suspended from the bench without pay for 60 days beginning Friday. Koethe will also not be allowed to preside over trials involving the police officers that testified in her criminal trial. She must also meet certain treatment requirements.

During her trial, Koethe testified that the Dec. 22, 2008 accidental shooting occurred after a night of drinking and arguing over financial difficulties with her husband. She said she wrote the note and retreived the gun from a bedroom closet shelf after her husband punched a hole in the kitchen wall.

After arguing, the couple went to bed. Waking later, Koethe said she saw the gun in their bed and accidentally shot herself. She suffered a scalp wound and likely a concussion, according to court records.