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Napa County Judge Resigns After Getting Caught On Video Stealing

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- A Napa County judge is losing his job after swiping two art deco-style business card holders from a judges' dinner in San Francisco.

The Commission on Judicial Performance announced Monday its censure of Superior Court Judge Michael S. Williams. He also agreed to resign effective in December.

Williams was attending a dinner hosted by a matrimonial lawyers association in March 2016 when he took two cardholders in the art deco style of The City Club of San Francisco. They were each worth about $30 to $50.

The commission says Williams returned the cardholders after being informed that he was caught on video.

The judge expressed remorse and said he had an "unexplainable impulse" to take the cardholders.

A lawyer for Williams did not immediately return a request for comment.

Williams was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2012. He is a UC Berkeley alumni and earned his JD from Golden Gate University, in San Francisco.

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