OXFORD – Oxford’s town judge has recused himself from the criminal case against Steven W. Fong, the Brooklyn man from whom 76 Pomeranians were seized in October.

Oxford Town Justice John Weidman’s announcement came Monday after Fong appeared before his court to be arraigned on one additional count of animal cruelty. The added misdemeanor raised the grand total of criminal charges against the Oxford property owner to 116.

Following the arraignment, Weidman read from a prepared statement addressed to Chenango County Court Judge W. Howard Sullivan. In it, he requested the supervising judge recuse him and reassign the case to another jurisdiction.

“It is in the interest of justice, considering the personal nature of Mr. Clippinger’s appeal, that this court wishes to ensure that total confidence of the court’s impartiality be maintained in the judgement,” announced Weidman.

The judge made it clear that neither the District Attorney’s office nor the defense had requested he remove himself. Weidman said that while he felt strongly that he could rule impartially on the case, he was concerned the personal allegations made against him would give the appearance of impropriety.

The allegations to which he referred were included in two motions filed in November by Fong’s legal counsel, Scott Clippinger. The first, a motion to dismiss the pending criminal charges against his client, was filed on Nov. 4.

With the motion’s supporting documents, he included an affidavit from Susan Wait, a California woman who said she knew of Fong through a mutual friend.

In the sworn statement, Wait claimed to have had phone conversation with Weidman following Fong’s court appearance on Oct. 20. Wait alleged that, in the course of the conversation, Weidman gave the opinion that Fong’s Oxford double-wide should be “burned to the ground.” She also said “the judge indicated that he felt or knew that there was something not right with Steven.”