The United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan has jurisdiction in Allegan County. Koch has served as an assistant prosecutor since July of 2002, and as the Chief Assistant Prosecutor since last June. *county-courthouse.com is not affiliated with the Official US Government, or any state, local, or federal office. Judge Kengis used previous testimony and evidence to show that Field committed perjury when he testified that he had not had sex with the victim, that he had held himself out as a licensed health practitioner when he wasnt, presented a false insurance claim for services rendered to another person, possessed marijuana in his home in 2017 and attempted to commit indecent exposure against the victim. Marcia Johnson. 13 READS: Muskegon book store asking for help to stay open, continue to promote literacy, 13 On Your Side Forecast: Fog Thursday; Snowstorm Friday. Presiding Family Court Judge, Allegan County, Michigan Michigan Probate Courts, Courts in Michigan Michigan judicial elections Judicial selection in Michigan. "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. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. Get unlimited access to our local coverage, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Koch said in an email to MLive: "While I respect Judge Baillargeon, I disagree with the basis of his decision in granting a new trial. If there are not more than twice the amount of candidates than there are persons to be elected, the race will not appear on the primary election ballot, but only on the general election ballot. Chief Circuit Court Judge, Honorable Margaret Zuzich Bakker Judge Kengis relied on the testimony from the 2018 preliminary hearing in the case for his findings of fact in accepting Fields plea. http://www.allegancounty.org/Government/CC/Index.asp?pt=, The Public Access to Court Records (PACER), 36th Judicial Circuit Court Van Buren County. Generally, ex parte communications between a judge and only one party in a legal matter are prohibited by ethics codes for judges and attorneys because they can give an unfair advantage to one side in a case. Before that, she worked 28 years as an assistant prosecutor, the last eight as chief prosecutor. ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI -- Allegan County Prosecutor Rob Kengis has been appointed to a recently vacated judgeship with the Allegan County Circuit Court. 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. Is any of the above incorrect? Download the WZZM 13 app now. As the presiding officer of the court, a chief judge shall: (a) call and preside over meetings of the court; (b) appoint committees of the court; (c) initiate policies concerning the courts internal operations and its position on external matters affecting the court; (d) meet regularly with all chief judges.. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. He replaces Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker, who served 11 years as chief judge. Circuit Judge Roberts Kengis recused himself because he was the county prosecutor when charges were filed against Loew. Bakker, who remains on the bench, served in the role for 11 years. 113 Chestnut Street, Allegan, MI 49010 Allegan County Court System Type: Civil, General Civil - Unlimited, General Civil - Limited, Small Claims, Complex Commercial, Foreclosures and Liens, Real Estate Title and Boundary, Criminal, Mental Health Division: Contact Information: Phone Number: 269-673-0400 Fax: 269-673-0490 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. 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. 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. During the runup to the primary election in August, prosecutorial candidate Michael Villar accused his opponent, incumbent prosecutor Myrene Koch, of inappropriate ex parte communications with Judge Margaret Bakker. Field was arrested in the fall of 2017. "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.". The murder was onlyconnected to Bowman in 2018 when detectives used a genealogy database searchingtechnique toidentify a DNA sample from the decades-old case. 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. The victim was a student of Fields at SMC and also went to him for counseling at the Family Center in Dowagiac. The same date Kengis starts as a Circuit Judge. Beginning January 1, 2022, Judge Roberts Kengis assumed the chief judge leadership of the 48 th Circuit Court. Allegan County Sheriff's Office Sheriff. The emails were made public by Villar during the 2020 Republican primary for the Allegan prosecutor post. ", Koch responded, "They do but not typically for CSCs. The appointment was made by the Michigan Supreme Court after reviewing applications completed by the candidates. This trooper has been given additional personal training since this investigation. The emails from Judge Bakker were an editorial expressing discontent with the case and as inquiry as to the breakdown in police and procedure that compromised the investigation, Schikora wrote in court documents. Villar lost the primary election in August and a recount of votes conducted last week affirmed that Koch had won re-election by 19 votes. Subscribe: Get unlimited access to our local coverage. Allegan County will soon have a new Prosecuting Attorney. If there are more than twice the number of candidates than there are judgeships up for election, the race will appear on the primary election ballot. Koch and her husband married in 1993. My office is contemplating an appeal. Betty Kortman . Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. He said Field will be given the opportunity to withdraw his plea if Kengis decides to sentence him to more than a year in jail or change any other terms of the agreement. Briefs in the case are expected to be filed within the coming months, at which point oral arguments will be scheduled. Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Bakker, who remains on the bench, served in the role for 11. Michigan District Courts Additional: Frederick Anderson (Prosecuting Attorney), Margaret Zuzich Bakker (Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney); Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys: Douglas E. Ketchum, Roberts A. Kengis, Steven J. Lanting, Myrene K. Koch, Daniel Norbeck, Judy H. Visit our Links Page for websites providing Employment Listings, as well as US Government holiday closings. Judiciary Courts of the Stt is located at 113 Chestnut St in Allegan, Michigan 49010. ALLEGAN - Allegan County Commission chairman James Storey points out the Allegan circuit should have a third judge position. "The recommendation was timely as Chief Judge Kengis advises the number of potential jury trials awaiting scheduling is over one hundred. Community Volunteer . The status of those grievances is unknown, as the merits of Loew's appeal are still pending. Lynch responded: Thats not the point. *Not location specific. Field had been a popular instructor at the college before his dismissal. The emails were something between idle chat and administrative communication.. Jim Wheat, MD. Allegan County Prosecutor Myrene Koch disagreed with the retrial order and said her office is considering an appeal. A more recent docket listing may be available from PACER . Allegan, MI 49010, Design By Granicus - Connecting People & Government. Have a news tip? Bowman is already serving a life sentence for a murder he committed in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1980, where he had reported for his two-week annual active drill as a member of the Navy reserves. The prosecutor said the emails and information were not shared with the assistant prosecutor trying the case. Subscribe:Receive 3 months of all-access to The Sentinel's award-winning digital coverage for $1. 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. Friday, Judge Kengis kept Fields bond the same. Koch a 1992 graduate of Michigan State received her JD from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1999. Hours: Open Weekdays 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Dobrich said Allegan Circuit Judge Roberts Kengis will preside over the trial, which will take place in Cassopolis. He said Field will be given the opportunity to withdraw his plea if Kengis decides to sentence him to more than a year in jail or change any other terms of the agreement. The defense has not pointed to any ruling showing the judge to be compromised or biased, she said. The appeal was heard by Allegan County District Judge William Baillargeon. Lynch said that emails obtained through the Freedom of Information Act showed improper communication between the trial judge, Margaret Zuzich-Bakker, and the prosecutor, regarding substantive matters that gave the prosecution a tactical advantage.. The case will be reassigned to Judge Margaret Bakker. Bowman says he hid Aundria's body in a barn on the property and called police to report that she had run away. However, the Michigan Court of Appeals reversed that decision in a split 2-1 opinion in January this year. If any of these apply to you, contact the court to verify they observe the exemption. Before taking the bench, Kengis served as the elected prosecuting attorney for Allegan County. While he was a prosecutorinthe Allegan County Prosecutor's Office, he participated in discussions about the unsolved disappearance of Aundria Bowman with the Allegan County Sheriff's Office and a cold-case panel of other prosecutors and detectives in Lansing. Myrene Koch will take over for current prosecutor, Roberts Kengis on March 19. Bakker was Allegan Countys first female circuit court judge. .courts-container hr {background-color:#f0a236;padding-bottom:2px;}, Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Michigan Supreme Court 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. In the same order appointing Kengis, the Court also reappointed Judge Michael Buck to chief probate court judge for Allegan County and Judge Joseph Skocelas to chief judge of the 57th District Court. Kengis was appointed to the circuit court judgeship in March 2018 by then-governor Rick Snyder after the resignation of Judge Kevin Cronin. Recount in Allegan County prosecutor race confirms same winner by 17 votes, Judge said man who killed 3 women should never go free but felon seeking parole after 48 years, Family of WMU student slain in 1972 awaits killers parole ruling. To learn more about judicial selection in Michigan, click here. On Jan. 1, theMichigan Supreme Court announcedJudge Roberts Kengis would replace Bakker in supervising the 48th Circuit Court. Dont they have detectives with MSP anymore?. Herman was a member of the board of directors of the counseling center where Field worked and where some of the incidents took place. 3283 122nd Ave. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. She noted that he has already conducted trials in his home county during the pandemic, which should be a help as Cass County starts holding them. Jan Murray. Jury trials routinely require two to three days to decide amidst other . They began investigating and recommended she contact the sheriffs department. All Rights Reserved. Justices Christopher Murray and Jane Markey were in the majority, saying the emails didnt provide an advantage to the prosecution. Kengis said during Thursdays hearing that the hearing would likely be reassigned next to a judge in Allegan Countys 57th District Court. (269) 673-0300, Honorable Roberts Kengis Michigan is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. Soon after election, she was appointed as chief judge, a position she has held for 11 years. They have four children. ALLEGAN The judge assigned to oversee the trial of Dennis Bowman,accused of the murder of his adopted daughter Aundria 30 years ago, has recused himself because of his past involvement in the caseas a prosecutor. Jd from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1999 the number of potential jury trials routinely two. 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