A town judge in upstate New York was publicly censured Monday after he called 911 and invoked his title as a jurist to ask for help unlocking his car, which he had accidentally locked with his keys inside, according to the state Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Justice William Abbott of the Palmyra Town Court in Wayne County used his position to pressure a police clerk during the incident, the commission determined through an investigation.

Abbott, who is not an attorney, was represented before the commission by solo practitioner James DePoint from Palmyra, New York. DePoint was not immediately available for comment Monday.

Abbott was alleged by the commission to have threatened a clerk with the Newark Police Department in Wayne County after requesting that an officer be sent to help him unlock his car. According to the commission, he was connected to the clerk after dialing 911 for help with his vehicle.

The clerk told Abbott the department did not send officers to help unlock a vehicle unless it was an emergency, according to the commission. Abbott then said the service had been provided to him before and invoked his title with the clerk.

“I am Judge Abbott of Palmyra and I just won't do any arraignments for you anymore,” he said, according to the commission.

The clerk then sent an officer to Abbott's location and his car was eventually unlocked.

Commission Administrator Robert Tembeckjian said Abbott accepted responsibility for his actions during their investigation into the matter.

“Invoking one's judicial title for a personal favor, and threatening not to perform a judicial duty when rebuffed, are plainly improper. Judge Abbott should have known better, having been disciplined previously for invoking his judicial office in a private matter,” Tembeckjian said. “He accepts responsibility, appears to appreciate the impropriety of his action and is expected not to repeat it in the future.”

It's the second time Abbott has been censured by the commission since first taking office as a justice of the town court in 1979. According to the commission, he had also been censured in a 1989 case over soliciting an affidavit from a witness in a case pending in another court on behalf of the defense counsel, who was a friend.

READ MORE:

NY State Judicial Conduct Watchdog Requests 6 Percent Budget Increase

Bronx Judge Sanctioned for Citing Her Office Title to Cops After Traffic Accident

Failure to Use Tech, File Reports Causes NY Judge to Resign After 28 Years on Bench