COLUMBIA, S.C. - The state Supreme Court has issued a public reprimand for a former Beaufort municipal court judge who dismissed $60 worth of his own parking tickets.

George H. O'Kelley Jr. was an associate municipal judge for the city of Beaufort from 1996 until his resignation in October 2003. Among his duties were adjudicating parking tickets.

City officials found that O'Kelley reduced 16 parking tickets issued on his wife's license plate to "warnings" between 2001 and 2003.

The Beaufort City Council asked O'Kelley to resign.

An investigation found that O'Kelley changed 55 parking tickets to warnings from January 2001 to October 2003. It was impossible to tell which were changed as a result of a court appearance and which were changed outside of court, the justices wrote.

O'Kelley said he probably changed 15 of those 55 tickets to warnings outside of court, the justices wrote. Those tickets were issued to his relatives, employees and acquaintances.

O'Kelley admitted misconduct under an agreement reached with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel. A public reprimand is the most severe sanction the court could impose for the situation.