It's been a long ride, but it's time to exit the roller coaster that has been the life of Joseph Albert Spence III for nearly 30 years.

District Justice "J. Albert," as he's known among colleagues, will retire at the end of this month to pursue his dreams of travel and relaxation.

"There comes a time when it's right for you to retire, and that time has come for me," said Mr. Spence, 62, of Washington.

Elected among a field of 12 candidates in 1979, Mr. Spence went on to serve five consecutive terms as district justice in the 27th district covering the city of Washington, North Franklin, and East Washington.

"And I haven't had an opponent since," said Mr. Spence.

The son of Rose Alexandria Popovich and Joseph Albert Spence Jr., Mr. Spence was raised in Monongahela and graduated from the Greater Monongahela Area High School in 1964. Four years later, he graduated from Washington and Jefferson College with a bachelor's degree in biology.

He served for years as an aide to former state Senator Austin J. Murphy, and later on Mr. Murphy's congressional staff.

At the time the youngest person to be elected district justice in Washington County, Mr. Spence also has served longer than any other local district justice and has by far the largest and most profitable case load.

Last year, Mr. Spence heard 7,999 cases and his office collected about $163,850 in costs and fines associated with traffic cases, summary offenses, criminal cases, landlord/tenant disputes and civil cases.

His district is among the top in the state in case volume, and his office employs six support staff members. They are what Mr. Spence said he will miss most when he retires.

Of the 10 other county district justices, only Jay Weller of North Strabane came close to Mr. Spence's totals, with 6,874 cases heard and about $120,000 in fines and costs collected last year.

But, being a successful district justice doesn't always involve fines, Mr. Spence said.

Although magistrates and squires, assigned to each voting precinct in the county until the 1960s, used to make a living based on the fines and costs they collected, the name of the game today is fairness and respect, Mr. Spence said.

"I find that if you treat people with dignity and respect, you'll generally get the same in return," he said.

Part of Mr. Spence's large caseload can be chalked up to aggressive code and parking enforcement efforts in Washington, said Washington police Chief James Blyth.

"A lot of people don't realize the caseload he has," Mr. Blyth said.

Mr. Spence has saved the city tens of thousands of dollars in overtime costs by scheduling hearings when officers are on daylight duty, Mr. Blyth said.

But, Mr. Spence wasn't exactly known as an officer-friendly justice, sometimes tossing out "wishy-washy" criminal cases that he felt weren't up to par, Mr. Blyth said.

Even Mr. Spence describes himself as "a conservative person, but a liberal judge."

"Sometimes, he just didn't think it was enough," Mr. Blyth said of evidence in criminal cases.

That earned him some enemies, Mr. Blyth said, but many realized that by using a high standard for criminal cases, Mr. Spence improved the justice system.

"He's going to be missed," Mr. Blyth said. "He has always tried to be fair."

Washington Mayor L. Anthony Spossey said Mr. Spence's office also helped the city collect delinquent taxes. He said Mr. Spence will be missed.

"They were very helpful to us in a number of ways," Mr. Spossey said of Mr. Spence and his staff.

Mr. Spence was "a good, fair guy," said Assistant Public Defender Charles Carpinelli, who would often spend whole afternoons clearing cases in Mr. Spence's courtroom.

When they were lawyers, Mr. Spence also heard cases from several county judges, such as President Judge Debbie O'Dell Seneca, Judge Mark Mascara and Judge Katherine Emery.

Ms. O'Dell Seneca said she's known Mr. Spence since she became a lawyer in 1977.

"I've known him for a long time and we've worked well together," said Ms. O'Dell Seneca, who presented Mr. Spence with a farewell cake at a recent meeting of local district justices.

"He has a fine reputation," she said. "We're certainly going to miss him."

Mr. Spence will be replaced temporarily by senior District Justice Marjorie Teagarden, who is expected to serve the remainder of Mr. Spence's term, which expires at the end of 2009.

A portion of the term may also be served by fellow retiring District Justice Jay Dutton, who will become a senior justice at the end of this year.

A candidate who wins both party nominations in next year's primary also can petition Judge O'Dell Seneca to be appointed to the vacant seat.

Mr. Spence said he's looking forward to traveling to national parks and white water rafting with his wife Becky, a child therapist and artist whose oil paintings adorn her husband's office.

Over the years, Mr. Spence has received recognition from the U.S. Navy for sending along young recruits looking to clean up their lives, and from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts for perfect state audits.

Mr. Spence's most memorable case was the preliminary hearing of Roland Steele, who was sentenced to death for the June 1985 karate-style beating deaths of three elderly East Washington women.

The case was a "very gory" one, Mr. Spence recalls, but for the most part, Mr. Spence said he's able to put bad memories behind him.

"I have the ability to just be able to forget, because my case load is so huge," he said.

Mr. Spence said he divorced himself from local politics when he took office, but he has been shocked by the actions of his fellow district justices and members of the local legal community.

Since he was elected, several district justices resigned or were removed from office for a host of offenses, including bribery and improper sentencing.

Former District Justice Ronald Amati was suspended, then later resigned from office after he was indicted and convicted in 1999 of federal gambling charges.

"That's a black mark for those of us who try to do right," he said.

And, Mr. Spence said he was floored to learn that former county District Attorney John C. Pettit was under investigation by the federal government into accusations that he fixed cases and otherwise abused his office. A federal grand jury continues to investigate.

"That was one of the biggest surprises of my life," Mr. Spence said.

Feisty to the end, Mr. Spence said he was "eternally grateful," to the family members, friends, colleagues and constituents who have supported him.

To those who didn't, Mr. Spence said "be assured that I probably didn't care for you either."