All Rights Reserved. ", Koch responded, "They do but not typically for CSCs. Plaintiff Jonathan King Meyer filed a pro se complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Dont they have detectives with MSP anymore?. He was sentenced to a minimum 20 years in prison on each charge. 48th Judicial Circuit Court (269) 673-0300, Honorable Roberts Kengis This county is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates. This case has languished in the system for a few years and our victims deserve to have the ability to go on with their life. Contact reporter Carolyn Muyskens at cmuyskens@hollandsentinel.com and follow her on Twitter at @cjmuyskens. Bowman, 72, is charged with her murder. 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. Bowman strangled and stabbed a 25-year-old woman, Kathleen O'Brien Doyle,in her home. In Allegan County, the presiding judge of the Family Court is the Honorable Michael L. Buck. Field has been free on $50,000 cash or surety bond since July 2018 after being held on a higher bond for several months after his arrest in September 2017. Koch previously told The Sentinel she never discussed the emails with Jipp. Judge Kengis relied on the testimony from the 2018 preliminary hearing in the case for his findings of fact in accepting Fields plea. In the nonpartisan primary, the two candidates who receive the greatest number of votes advance to the general election. 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. Villar, a private practice attorney, later lost the electionby a handful of votes. Kengis replaces Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker who had been elected to the circuit court in 2010. The case likely will be heard in 2023. Bowman told detectives thaton the day he reported 14-year-old Aundria missing, March 11, 1989, he came home to find Aundria had broken into her parents' room, normally kept locked, and was getting ready to run away. The case will be reassigned to Judge Margaret Bakker. The jury was thereby improperly influenced.. This trooper has been given additional personal training since this investigation. CASSOPOLIS A former Southwestern Michigan College instructor accused of having improper relations with a student he was counseling has accepted a plea deal just days before his trial was to start. Website: http://www.allegancounty.org/Government/CC/Index.asp?pt=, Staff: George R. Corsiglia (Chief Judge), William A. Baillargeon 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. Bakker also asked why the victim in the case had not been given a medical exam. Gov. 269-226-5014. craig.chindemi@ascension.org. Field had been a popular instructor at the college before his dismissal. *Not location specific. [1], If two or more candidates in a race receive the same number of votes, the election is to be decided by lot. Lynch responded: Thats not the point. Beginning January 1, 2022, Judge Roberts Kengis assumed the chief judge leadership of the 48 th Circuit Court. They began investigating and recommended she contact the sheriffs department. Bakker was Allegan Countys first female circuit court judge. Judiciary Courts of the Stt can be contacted via phone at (269) 673-8471 for pricing, hours and directions. In a hearing Thursday, Judge Roberts Kengis alerted the attorneys tohis history with the case. The emails were something between idle chat and administrative communication.. Get unlimited access to our local coverage, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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.. He was convicted of five counts of criminal sexual misconduct and sentenced to at least 20 years in prison. Honorable Michael L. Buck . The appointment was made by the Michigan Supreme Court after reviewing applications completed by the candidates. Message to the Board of Commissioners, Prosecutor Koch, Judge Kengis, Judge Bakker, Sheriff Baker and the people who witness unconstitutional and corrupt actions in Allegan County and do nothing.. 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. Contact 48th Judicial Circuit Court 113 Chestnut St. Allegan, MI 49010 (269) 673-0300 Judges Honorable Roberts Kengis Chief Circuit Court Judge Honorable Margaret Zuzich Bakker Circuit Court Judge Honorable Michael Buck Presiding Family Court Judge Kengis was the chief prosecuting attorney when. *county-courthouse.com is not affiliated with the Official US Government, or any state, local, or federal office. If any of these apply to you, contact the court to verify they observe the exemption. Download the WZZM 13 app now. 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. "Maybe it wasn't the case, but it creates the appearance of coaching, or at least flagging, 'This is something you're going to need to address,' and that's my worry," Baillargeon said. 100 largest cities in America by population, United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, Michigan Fifty-seventh Judicial District Court, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2023, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2022, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2021, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2020, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2019, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2018, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2017, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2016, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Allegan_County,_Michigan_(Judicial)&oldid=7667650, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections. The rest of the charges against Field will be dismissed including charges of criminal sexual conduct and no additional charges will be brought against him from the investigation. Allegan County Circuit Judge Margaret Zuzich-Bakker (MLive File Photo)Emil Lippe | MLive.com. COURTS _____ Pursuant to MCR 7.201, IT IS ORDERED that the Honorable Elizabeth L. Gleicher is appointed as chief judge of the Court of Appealsfor the two year period - commencing . "The recommendation was timely as Chief Judge Kengis advises the number of potential jury trials awaiting scheduling is over one hundred. The emails between Koch and Judge Margaret Bakker showed the two discussing the case while Loew's trial was occurring in Bakker's courtroom. 2023 www.hollandsentinel.com. In August, Bakker also recused herself from hearing the motion for a new trial. 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. Honorable Roberts A. Kengis . However, the Michigan Court of Appeals reversed that decision in a split 2-1 opinion in January this year. The murder was onlyconnected to Bowman in 2018 when detectives used a genealogy database searchingtechnique toidentify a DNA sample from the decades-old case. Community Volunteer . The sentences run concurrently. Allegan County Circuit Court Judge Roberts Kengis was asked to disqualify himself from the case and agreed to do so in a hearing Thursday. 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. Allegan County will soon have a new Prosecuting Attorney. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. On Jan. 1, the Michigan Supreme Court announced Judge Roberts Kengis would replace Bakker in supervising the 48th Circuit Court. ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI -- Allegan County Prosecutor Rob Kengis has been appointed to a recently vacated judgeship with the Allegan County Circuit Court. Bakker, who remains on the 48th Circuit Court bench, became Allegan County's first female circuit court judge when she won election to the position in 2010. Redistricting Maps Take Affect for 2022 Elections. In the majority opinion, Murray wrote that while the appeals court recognized the communications were ex parte, such communications "between a sitting judge and a prosecutor do not warrant a new trial so long as the communications focus on administrative or procedural (i.e. 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. Loew's attorney, Heath Lynch, argued it's impossible to know whether Koch shared the communications with Jipp and whether trial strategy was altered due to what Bakker wrote in the emails. Ascension Borgess Allegan Foundation Director . Call, or visit the court's website if listed above. They have four children. All rights reserved. 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 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. http://www.allegancounty.org/Government/CC/Index.asp?pt=, The Public Access to Court Records (PACER), 36th Judicial Circuit Court Van Buren County. ALLEGAN Should a criminal defendant in Allegan County get a new trial after claiming he didn't get a fair shake? Betty Kortman . Michigan Probate Courts, Courts in Michigan Michigan judicial elections Judicial selection in Michigan. More:Hamilton man pleads guilty to 1980 murder of Virginia woman, More:Wife: Hamilton man killed their daughter in 1989, dismembered and buried body. Contact her at sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com or follow her on Twitter @SentinelLeach. Ms. Kochs response acknowledged the criticism and acknowledged the breakdown in procedure. Montenegro said the agreement calls for Field to be sentenced to a term of probation, a county jail sentence not to exceed one year and no requirement to register as a sex offender. Jury trials routinely require two to three days to decide amidst other . The same date Kengis starts as a Circuit Judge. Apply today! Allegan County Circuit Court Judge Roberts Kengis was asked to disqualify himself from the case and agreed to do so in a hearing Thursday. Contact reporter Carolyn Muyskens at cmuyskens@hollandsentinel.com and follow her on Twitter at @cjmuyskens. Presiding Family Court Judge, Allegan County, Michigan Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. County Clerk, Judge, or Other Info: Staff: George R. Corsiglia (Chief Judge), William A. Baillargeon Hours: Open Weekdays 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM 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 Kengis said during Thursdays hearing that the hearing would likely be reassigned next to a judge in Allegan Countys 57th District Court. Example video title will go here for this video. non-substantive) matters.". 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.. Before that, she worked 28 years as an assistant prosecutor, the last eight as chief prosecutor. He buried Aundria's body on their property, later moving her body when the Bowmans moved from Holland to the Hamilton area shortly afterward. Judge Kengis noted that Field will be sentenced before him on Friday, Sept. 10 in Cass County Circuit Court at 8:30 a.m. Penny Brown . 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. This collaboration will continue as Bakker supported Kengis decision to apply for the leadership position. Contact reporter Carolyn Muyskens at cmuyskens@hollandsentinel.com and follow her on Twitter at @cjmuyskens. 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. Kengis was appointed to the circuit court judgeship in March 2018 by then-governor Rick Snyder after the resignation of Judge Kevin Cronin. Michigan Circuit Court The victim was a student of Fields at SMC and also went to him for counseling at the Family Center in Dowagiac. The Michigan Supreme Court will ultimately decide after agreeing to hear oral arguments in the case of Daniel Loew. He was sentenced last November to at least 20 years in prison. Subscribe: Get unlimited access to our local coverage. She said the jury reached the decision. Interns wanted: Get paid to help ensure that every voter has unbiased election information. Dobrich said Allegan Circuit Judge Roberts Kengis will preside over the trial, which will take place in Cassopolis. Sarah Leach is editor of The Holland Sentinel. "We think the court wants to hear and have robust conversations on these issues. "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.". On Jan. 1, theMichigan Supreme Court announcedJudge Roberts Kengis would replace Bakker in supervising the 48th Circuit Court. 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 you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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. .courts-header { font-size:150%;background-color:#334aab;color:white;} 100% remote. Services The Circuit Court Family Division provides the following services: Delinquency Proceedings Casework services -- Community Probation and Juvenile Diversion Protective Proceedings Guardianship of minors who are already under Family Court jurisdiction Contact Info (269) 673-8471 Questions & Answers Q What is the phone number for Judiciary Courts of the Stt? Briefs in the case are expected to be filed within the coming months, at which point oral arguments will be scheduled. Please enable JavaScript in your browser for a better user experience. Allegan, MI 49010 Michigan is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. 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