judge kengis allegan county
I did not discuss those communications with the Assistant Prosecutor trying the case. In the emails, Bakker wrote to Koch: "This trooper didnt do a very good investigation. The murder was onlyconnected to Bowman in 2018 when detectives used a genealogy database searchingtechnique toidentify a DNA sample from the decades-old case. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan has jurisdiction in Allegan County. She became a judge on Jan. 1, 2010. 269-226-5014. craig.chindemi@ascension.org. According to testimony from detectives, Bowman claimsthat he and Aundria physically fought and Aundria fell down the stairs, breaking herneck. Although Koch didn't directly prosecute the case for the county, she was the supervisor of the assistant prosecutor who did. 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. Bakker was immediately appointed chief judge and served 11 years as chief judge. Judge Roberts Kengis is the new chief judge of the 48th Circuit Court in Allegan County. Judge Kengis handles all the case types that are dealt with in circuit court: criminal felonies, civil cases with a value over $25,000.00, divorce, custody, and paternity cases, personal protection order cases, child protective proceedings, guardianships, adoptions, and appeals from district court and administrative bodies. 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.. Presiding Family Court Judge, Allegan County, Michigan 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; } They claim that Loew did not receive a fair trial. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Please enable JavaScript in your browser for a better user experience. 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 sentences run concurrently. Download the WZZM 13 app now. If you would like to help our coverage scope grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia. 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. Community Volunteer . 2023 www.hollandsentinel.com. Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below. Bowman strangled and stabbed a 25-year-old woman, Kathleen O'Brien Doyle,in her home. I will add that this case was decided by a jury based on the evidence presented in the courtroom. Neither side objected in court to Kengis'decision to recuse himself. Allegan County Circuit Court Judge Roberts Kengis was asked to disqualify himself from the case and agreed to do so in a hearing Thursday. He was convicted of five counts of criminal sexual misconduct and sentenced to at least 20 years in prison. She said the counseling took place there and the sexual relations at Fields home next door to the center. Interns wanted: Get paid to help ensure that every voter has unbiased election information. In 2020, Kengis was elected to the circuit court. All rights reserved (About Us). Friday, Judge Kengis kept Fields bond the same. 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. 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. Roberts Kengis Circuit Court Judge at Allegan County Government Plainwell, Michigan, United States 781 followers 500+ connections Join to connect Allegan County Government Wayne State. 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.. On Wednesday, Oct. 5, the high court announced it would hear arguments in the case, but limited the scope to the ramifications of discovered communications where the presiding judge overseeing Loew's initial trial was sharing her opinion of the case through emails with the head prosecutor. Copyright 2023, Wilcox Newspapers. 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. 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. Bakker also asked why the victim in the case had not been given a medical exam. Redistricting Maps Take Affect for 2022 Elections. 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 communications provided nothing of any tactical use to the prosecution, even if Defendant had been able to show Ms. Jipp was aware of them. 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. Rob Kengis. Michigan District Courts Honorable Michael L. Buck . The Michigan Supreme Court made their current appointments to the courts across the state. Kengis replaces Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker who had been elected to the circuit court in 2010. Before taking the bench, Kengis served as the elected prosecuting attorney for Allegan County. Allegan County Prosecutor Myrene Koch disagreed with the retrial order and said her office is considering an appeal. Penny Brown . More:Man wins new trial over email exchange between judge, prosecutor, More:Judges recused from hearing mans request for new trial, More:Allegan man says judge, prosecutor denied him a fair trial. JUDGES OF MICHIGAN . 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. Jury trials routinely require two to three days to decide amidst other . ", Koch responded, "They do but not typically for CSCs. [1], If two or more candidates in a race receive the same number of votes, the election is to be decided by lot. "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 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. His case was bound over for a jury trial in Allegan County's 48th Circuit Court last month. Jennifer Garcia. In August, Bakker also recused herself from hearing the motion for a new trial. 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. Michigan Circuit Court Herman was a member of the board of directors of the counseling center where Field worked and where some of the incidents took place. 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 case likely will be heard in 2023. To learn more about judicial selection in Michigan, click here. 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. Bowman, 72, is charged with her murder. 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. 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. Contact Info (269) 673-8471 Questions & Answers Q What is the phone number for Judiciary Courts of the Stt? The case has volleyed around the higher court system after Loew's conviction in August 2019. 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. 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 Example video title will go here for this video. 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. 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. The emails were something between idle chat and administrative communication.. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Jan Murray. Community Volunteer . .courts-header { font-size:150%;background-color:#334aab;color:white;} They have four children. The Michigan Supreme Court is providing the information on this website as a public service. 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. Dont they have detectives with MSP anymore?. 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. The case will be reassigned to Judge Margaret Bakker. Allegan County Circuit Court Judge. The emails were made public by Villar during the 2020 Republican primary for the Allegan prosecutor post. His case was bound over for a jury trial in Allegan County's 48th Circuit Court last month. Judge Kengis noted that Field will be sentenced before him on Friday, Sept. 10 in Cass County Circuit Court at 8:30 a.m. The incidents occurred between September 2015 and early 2018 when he perjured himself during a court hearing. Soon after election, she was appointed as chief judge, a position she has held for 11 years. Beginning January 1, 2022, Judge Roberts Kengis assumed the chief judge leadership of the 48 th Circuit Court. 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. Call, or visit the court's website if listed above. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Myrene Koch will replace Robert Kengis as Allegan County Prosecuting Attorney on March 19. Ascension Borgess Allegan Foundation Director . 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