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 13 READS: Muskegon book store asking for help to stay open, continue to promote literacy, 13 On Your Side Forecast: Fog Thursday; Snowstorm Friday. 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. Lynch responded: Thats not the point. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. This collaboration will continue as Bakker supported Kengis decision to apply for the leadership position. She became a judge on Jan. 1, 2010. non-substantive) matters.". 2023 www.hollandsentinel.com. Koch was named to the position by Chief Circuit Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker, on Tuesday. 113 Chestnut Street, Allegan, MI49010 Allegan County Circuit Judge Margaret Zuzich-Bakker (MLive File Photo)Emil Lippe | MLive.com. In November 2020, Allegan District Court JudgeWilliam Baillargeon's granted Loew'smotion for a new trial, saying such one-sided communications, called ex parte communications, between the judge and the prosecutor gave the appearance of impropriety. Subscribe:Receive 3 months of all-access to The Sentinel's award-winning digital coverage for $1. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; .courts-container { background-color:#fcfcfc; width:100%; border:1px solid black;padding:5px;text-align:center;clear:both; } He replaces Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker, who served 11 years as chief judge. Kengis and Bakker have worked closely together over the years when making final decisions on a variety of issues. Allegan County Circuit Court Judge Roberts Kengis was asked to disqualify himself from the case and agreed to do so in a hearing Thursday. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. Michigan is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. 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. 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. The people of Allegan County are served by the Michigan Third District Court of Appeals, a circuit court, district court, and probate court. They began investigating and recommended she contact the sheriffs department. Interns wanted: Get paid to help ensure that every voter has unbiased election information. Allegan County Sheriff's Office Sheriff. (269) 673-0300, Honorable Roberts Kengis
Share & Bookmark, Press Enter to show all options, press Tab go to next option, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests, Annual Reports and State of the County Report. Bowman, 72, is charged with her murder. Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. .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 Jury trials routinely require two to three days to decide amidst other . 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. His case was bound over for a jury trial in Allegan County's 48th Circuit Court last month. Gov. All Rights Reserved. Dont they have detectives with MSP anymore?. Hours: Open Weekdays 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM 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 Zuzich Bakker in the role. Contact Info (269) 673-8471 Questions & Answers Q What is the phone number for Judiciary Courts of the Stt? 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.. The same date Kengis starts as a Circuit Judge. The jury found the Defendant guilty based on that evidence. 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. She said the jury reached the decision. His case was bound over for a jury trial in Allegan County's 48th Circuit Court last month. Have a news tip? Copyright 2023, Wilcox Newspapers. 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. Bakker did not apply for reappointment in this appointment cycle, circuit court administrator Jennifer Brink said, and supported Kengis's application for chief judge in a letter to the Michigan Supreme Court. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Allegan County Circuit Court Judge. Daniel Albert Loew, 26, was convicted by an Allegan County Circuit Court jury of two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct (CSC), two counts of third-degree CSC and a single count of second-degree CSC. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Myrene Koch will replace Robert Kengis as Allegan County Prosecuting Attorney on March 19. Michigan Probate Courts, Courts in Michigan Michigan judicial elections Judicial selection in Michigan. While Koch said she did not talk to her assistant prosecutor about the judges remarks, Lynch said in court filings that APA Jipp had ample time to adjust her trial strategy and presentation of evidence to address concerns the judge voiced with remarkable candor., He said the trial transcript indicates that APA Jipp indeed addressed the issues raised by Judge Bakker.. Rick Snyder on Wednesday, Feb. 28 . Subscribe:Get unlimited access to our local coverage. Redistricting Maps Take Affect for 2022 Elections. After the trooper left the witness stand, Bakker emailed Koch: This trooper didnt do a very good investigation. Loews attorneys are alleging prosecutorial misconduct occurred based on the emails, which they say they learned of in June. 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. More:Appeals court walks back new trial for man after prosecutor, judge emailed during trial. Villar, a private practice attorney, later lost the electionby a handful of votes. 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). 57th District Court Honorable Joseph S . The defense has not pointed to any ruling showing the judge to be compromised or biased, she said. prosecutorial candidate Michael Villar accused his opponent, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. He was sentenced last November to at least 20 years in prison. Allegan County will soon have a new Prosecuting Attorney. Community Volunteer . Apply today! She has been recognized for her volunteer work with South Haven Public Schools and the Allegan County Coordinating Council on Domestic and Sexual Violence. Plaintiff Jonathan King Meyer filed a pro se complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. The fact that the presiding judge was commenting on the quality of the investigation while the trial was underway it's inconceivable to me that that could happen," Lynch said. The same date Kengis starts as a Circuit Judge. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. In a hearing Thursday, Judge Roberts Kengis alerted the. "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. Appeals from the Western District go to the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. The half hour hearing Friday afternoon featured Field being sworn in and agreeing to the no contest pleas on the seven charges. The Michigan Supreme Court made their current appointments to the courts across the state. The murder was onlyconnected to Bowman in 2018 when detectives used a genealogy database searchingtechnique toidentify a DNA sample from the decades-old case. Chief Circuit Court Judge, Honorable Margaret Zuzich Bakker
On Jan. 1, the Michigan Supreme Court announced Judge Roberts Kengis would replace Bakker in supervising the 48th Circuit Court. Judiciary Courts of the Stt is located at 113 Chestnut St in Allegan, Michigan 49010. Koch has served as an assistant prosecutor since July of 2002, and as the Chief Assistant Prosecutor since last June. In the emails, Bakker wrote to Koch: "This trooper didnt do a very good investigation. The point is she tried. 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. My office is contemplating an appeal. 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. 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.. Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. 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. 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. Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. 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. Michigan Court of Appeals The plea agreement was announced Friday afternoon in a court hearing before Judge Roberts Kengis. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Before taking the bench, Kengis served as the elected prosecuting attorney for Allegan County. Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Is any of the above incorrect? The case likely will be heard in 2023. ", Koch responded, "They do but not typically for CSCs. If any of these apply to you, contact the court to verify they observe the exemption. 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