(Reuters) - An Ohio municipal court judge has been accused of violating state rules by jailing lawyer-less defendants who fail to pay fines without first holding a hearing on their ability to pay. According to a complaint filed on Monday by state disciplinary counsel with the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct, Judge Kim Hoover of the Stow Municipal Court in Stow, Ohio, showed bias against people who cannot afford their fines and don’t have lawyers. In one of the 12 counts spelled out in the complaint, Hoover required defendant Matthew Cannon to stay in jail for four days after he missed a previous arraignment. Cannon had been charged with driving with a suspended license and making an illegal turn, the complaint said. Cannon explained that his son’s death made him forget his earlier arraignment date, the complaint said. But Hoover allegedly ordered Cannon jailed after he appeared before him without counsel and was unable to come up with cash for fines and court costs. The Ohio Supreme Court in a 2014 "bench card" said municipal judges should only jail defendants for failing to pay fines if the refusal is willful, the complaint said. It said Hoover used "illegal and coercive tactics" to get fines paid and didn"t hold necessary hearings on willingness to pay for defendants. Hoover was not available for comment and his legal counsel could not immediately be identified. He has not yet filed a response to the complaint.