Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Community Volunteer . The chief judge holds "administrative superintending power and control over the judges of the court and all court personnel, including the friend of the court," according to Michigan Court Rule, managing staffing, caseload, court finances, making county clerk and prosecutor's office appointments and managing assignment and reassignment of cases. "The recommendation was timely as Chief Judge Kengis advises the number of potential jury trials awaiting scheduling is over one hundred. Jim Wheat, MD. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. ", Koch responded, "They do but not typically for CSCs. The defense has not pointed to any ruling showing the judge to be compromised or biased, she said. In response to the allegations brought by Loews attorney, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Molly Schikora said the three emails sent by the judge had no bearing on the case and were not intended to help the prosecution. Apply today! http://www.allegancounty.org/Government/CC/Index.asp?pt=, The Public Access to Court Records (PACER), 36th Judicial Circuit Court Van Buren County. We routinely discuss cases with the victims, said Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz. [1], If two or more candidates in a race receive the same number of votes, the election is to be decided by lot. All rights reserved. Villar, a private practice attorney, later lost the electionby a handful of votes. Allegan County Prosecutor Myrene Koch disagreed with the retrial order and said her office is considering an appeal. Through a Freedom of Information Act request, Villar obtained emails sent during Loews case between Koch and Bakker in which Bakker wrote to Koch regarding the police: (T)his trooper didnt do a very good investigation. Friday, Judge Kengis kept Fields bond the same. Before that, she worked 28 years as an assistant prosecutor, the last eight as chief prosecutor. He was convicted of five counts of criminal sexual misconduct and sentenced to at least 20 years in prison. Kengis replaces Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker who had been elected to the circuit court in 2010. ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI - A judge ordered a retrial for a man convicted of sexual assault because the trial judge emailed the county prosecutor - who was not trying the case - during. Allegan County Circuit Court Judge. *county-courthouse.com is not affiliated with the Official US Government, or any state, local, or federal office. The Michigan Supreme Court votes on the appointment of chief judges for Michigan courts every two years. This collaboration will continue as Bakker supported Kengis decision to apply for the leadership position. Circuit Judge Roberts Kengis recused himself because he was the county prosecutor when charges were filed against Loew. ALLEGAN Should a criminal defendant in Allegan County get a new trial after claiming he didn't get a fair shake? ", Bakker wrote back, "One more question this victim was not referred for a medical, do you know why?". The Allegan County decisions included the new appointment of the Honorable Roberts A. Kengis as chief justice of the 48 th Circuit Court, and the chief judge reappointment of the Honorable Michael L. Buck to the Allegan County Probate Court and the Honorable Joseph S. Skocelas to the 57 th District Court. prosecutorial candidate Michael Villar accused his opponent, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. AGC investigations are confidential, and investigations of the Judicial Tenure Commission only become public if the commission decides to proceed with a formal complaint against the judge, typically reserved for allegations of serious misconduct. This county is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates. The United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan has jurisdiction in Allegan County. Judges Jon Van Allsburg, Mark Feyen and Bradley Knoll were reappointed to two-year terms as chief judges of Ottawa County's 20th Circuit Court, Probate Court and 58th District Court, respectively. Koch was named to the position by Chief Circuit Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker, on Tuesday. 2023 www.hollandsentinel.com. The two then exchanged several emails about the lack of a medical exam. 3283 122nd Ave. Contact reporter Carolyn Muyskens at cmuyskens@hollandsentinel.com and follow her on Twitter at @cjmuyskens. Ex parte translates from Latin to mean out of the party; in the context of the legal system, it is communication about a case between a judge and one sides attorney that occurs without the other partys counsel present. The defense said the emails show misconduct. Dont they have detectives with MSP anymore? To learn more about judicial selection in Michigan, click here. Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below. She said the jury reached the decision. In Wednesday's announcement, the state Supreme Court said it would hear the appeal, but would limit the scope to the ex parte communications between Bakker and Koch, whether they were administrative in nature and whether Loew is entitled to a new trial. The case was tried by assistant prosecuting attorney Emily Jipp. ALLEGAN - Allegan County Commission chairman James Storey points out the Allegan circuit should have a third judge position. Loews attorneys are alleging prosecutorial misconduct occurred based on the emails, which they say they learned of in June. In the motion for a new trial, the Defense team did not allege nor did the Judge cite any actual bias or impact on the integrity of the trial based on those communications.. Circuit Court Judge, Honorable Michael Buck Kengis will continue as Prosecuting Attorney until March 19 when he starts his role as a Circuit Judge, a position he was appointed to by Governor Rick Snyder. Kengis replaces Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker who had been elected to the circuit court in 2010. The emails between Koch and Judge Margaret Bakker showed the two discussing the case while Loew's trial was occurring in Bakker's courtroom. Aundria Bowman's body was discovered buried on the Bowmanproperty in Hamilton in February 2020, after Dennis Bowman confessed the location of her body to his wife. ALLEGAN Two Allegan County judges have recused themselves from hearing the case of Daniel Loew, who is asking for a new trial after emails between the judge and the Allegan County Prosecuting Attorney were released during the prosecutors re-election campaign. After the emails were discovered, Villar saidhe filed complaints against Koch and Bakker with the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission and Attorney Grievance Commission, respectively. Judge Kengis relied on the testimony from the 2018 preliminary hearing in the case for his findings of fact in accepting Fields plea. The Michigan Supreme Court votes on the appointment of chief judges for Michigan courts every two years after "an extensive review process," according to the State Court Administrative Office. Bakker was Allegan County's first female circuit court judge. In a process run by a county clerk, the candidates choose slips of paper from a box that say either "elected" or "not elected".[2]. SMC completed its investigation in late September 2017 when they fired Field. Bowman, 72, is charged with her murder. The investigation of Field began earlier that summer after the victim told college officials about Fields actions against her. Contact reporter Carolyn Muyskens at cmuyskens@hollandsentinel.com and follow her on Twitter at @cjmuyskens. George Field, 60, of Dowagiac, had been scheduled to face trial starting Monday in Cass County Circuit Court on 17 criminal sexual conduct, insurance fraud and perjury charges. Neither side objected in court to Kengis'decision to recuse himself. Myrene Koch will take over for current prosecutor, Roberts Kengis on March 19. They have four children. Please enable JavaScript in your browser for a better user experience. Assistant Allegan County Prosecutor Emily Jipp called a state police trooper as her second witness. Michigan Probate Courts, Courts in Michigan Michigan judicial elections Judicial selection in Michigan. Judges Elections Allegan County, Michigan Circuit Court 48th Circuit Court, Michigan Margaret Bakker (Chief judge) Kevin W. Cronin [1] District Court Michigan Fifty-seventh Judicial District Court William Baillargeon (Chief judge) Joseph S. Skocelas [2] Probate Court Allegan County Probate Court, Michigan Michael L. Buck [3] See also 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. ALLEGAN Judge Roberts Kengis took over supervision of the 48th Circuit Court on Jan. 1 as chief judge after he was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to replace Judge Margaret. Let us know here, 57th District Court Allegan County113 Chestnut Street0.0 mile away, Allegan County Probate Court2243 33rd Street2.2 miles away, 36th Judicial Circuit Court Van Buren CountyCourthouse - Second Floor, 212 East Paw Paw Street12.6 miles away, 2023 Everything-Bytes | Terms of Use & Privacy Policy. Marcia Johnson. In August 2019, Loew was convicted by a jury of multiple rapes of a relative of his wife, a girl who was 13 at the time of the first assault. It was after his arrest in November 2019 for Doyle's murder that he began asking to speak to detectives about the circumstances of Aundria'sdeath. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. The jury found the Defendant guilty based on that evidence. Bakker did not submit a request to be reappointed which left an opening for Kengis. The Michigan Supreme Court made their current appointments to the courts across the state. ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI A judge ordered a retrial for a man convicted of sexual assault because the trial judge emailed the county prosecutor who was not trying the case during proceedings. *Not location specific. Lynch told The Sentinel on Friday the most recent decision to hear arguments indicates the high court's interest in issues it deems of "significant public concern.". Allegan County Friend of the Court et al 1:2021cv00195 | US District Court for the Western District of Michigan | Justia Collet v. Allegan County Friend of the Court et al RSS Track this Docket Docket Report This docket was last retrieved on March 3, 2021. Its one of the most outrageous things Ive seen in my career, defense attorney Heath Lynch, a former federal prosecutor in Grand Rapids, told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Dont they have detectives with MSP anymore?. The same date Kengis starts as a Circuit Judge. In the emails, Bakker wrote to Koch: "This trooper didnt do a very good investigation. Subscribe: Get unlimited access to our local coverage. "Since Judge Kengis was appointed, Judge Bakker and Judge Kengis have worked together on chief duties, and the two plan on continuing this practice moving forward," Brink wrote in an email. In a hearing Thursday, Judge Roberts Kengis alerted the attorneys tohis history with the case. Bowman, 72, is charged with her murder. In a hearing Thursday, Judge Roberts Kengis alerted the. Michigan Court of Appeals ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI -- Allegan County Prosecutor Rob Kengis has been appointed to a recently vacated judgeship with the Allegan County Circuit Court. Michigan Circuit Court He buried Aundria's body on their property, later moving her body when the Bowmans moved from Holland to the Hamilton area shortly afterward. In 2020, Kengis was elected to the circuit court. Kengis was appointed to the circuit court judgeship in March 2018 by then-governor Rick Snyder after the resignation of Judge Kevin Cronin. The same date Kengis starts as a Circuit Judge. Allegan County Circuit Court Judge Roberts Kengis was asked to disqualify himself from the case and agreed to do so in a hearing Thursday. This trooper has been given additional personal training since this investigation. Judge Roberts Kengis is the new chief judge of the 48th Circuit Court in Allegan County. The emails were something between idle chat and administrative communication.. Allegan Attorney Michael Villar, who challenged Koch for her job in the August Republican primary, uncovered the emails in a Freedom of Information Act request. Koch has served as an assistant prosecutor since July of 2002, and as the Chief Assistant Prosecutor since last June. Under the plea agreement announced by Chief Assistant Prosecutor Tiffiny Montenegro and defense attorney James Miller, Field will plead no contest to three counts of attempted aggravated indecent exposure, one count of perjury, one count of unauthorized practice of a health profession, one count of health care fraud and one count of possession of marijuana. He was elected to a six-year term in 2020. She became a judge on Jan. 1, 2010. Honorable Roberts A. Kengis . 2023 www.hollandsentinel.com. Bakker, who remains on the bench, served in the role for 11 years. "Whenever an issue arises or a policy decision needs to be made, Judge Bakker and Judge Kengis always discuss the matter prior to the chief making the final decision.". 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