Koch and her husband married in 1993. 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]. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). 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 same date Kengis starts as a Circuit Judge. 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. Please enable JavaScript in your browser for a better user experience. Dont they have detectives with MSP anymore?. The same date Kengis starts as a Circuit Judge. 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. Ballotpedia features 395,436 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. I will add that this case was decided by a jury based on the evidence presented in the courtroom. 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. In August, Bakker also recused herself from hearing the motion for a new trial. 2023 www.hollandsentinel.com. Bakker, who remains on the bench, served in the role for 11 years. 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. His case was bound over for a jury trial in Allegan County's 48th Circuit Court last month. Dissenting Justice Michael Riordan said reasonable minds could conclude that Bakker was biased in favor of the prosecution. More:Hamilton man pleads guilty to 1980 murder of Virginia woman, More:Wife: Hamilton man killed their daughter in 1989, dismembered and buried body. The plea agreement was announced Friday afternoon in a court hearing before Judge Roberts Kengis. 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. According to testimony from detectives, Bowman claimsthat he and Aundria physically fought and Aundria fell down the stairs, breaking herneck. Subscribe: Get unlimited access to our local coverage. Koch has served as an assistant prosecutor since July of 2002, and as the Chief Assistant Prosecutor since last June. To learn more about judicial selection in Michigan, click here. Gov. Is any of the above incorrect? Allegan County Sheriff's Office Sheriff. She said the counseling took place there and the sexual relations at Fields home next door to the center. 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 . 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.. 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. 57th District Court Honorable Joseph S . 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. .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 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 Attorney Michael Villar, who challenged Koch for her job in the August Republican primary, uncovered the emails in a Freedom of Information Act request. 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. prosecutorial candidate Michael Villar accused his opponent, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. On Jan. 1, theMichigan Supreme Court announcedJudge Roberts Kengis would replace Bakker in supervising the 48th Circuit Court. They began investigating and recommended she contact the sheriffs department. Kengis was the chief prosecuting attorney when. Allegan, MI 49010, Design By Granicus - Connecting People & Government. Villar, a private practice attorney, later lost the electionby a handful of votes. The victim was a student of Fields at SMC and also went to him for counseling at the Family Center in Dowagiac. non-substantive) matters.". Redistricting Maps Take Affect for 2022 Elections. Michigan Circuit Court Koch a 1992 graduate of Michigan State received her JD from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1999. The point is she tried. Field had been a popular instructor at the college before his dismissal. 100% remote. A more recent docket listing may be available from PACER . ", Bakker wrote back, "One more question this victim was not referred for a medical, do you know why?". 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. 2023 www.hollandsentinel.com. 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. 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. If you would like to help our coverage scope grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia. http://www.allegancounty.org/Government/CC/Index.asp?pt=, The Public Access to Court Records (PACER), 36th Judicial Circuit Court Van Buren County. The Michigan Supreme Court votes on the appointment of chief judges for Michigan courts every two years. Plaintiff Jonathan King Meyer filed a pro se complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Appeals from the Western District go to the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Judge Kengis is an Allegan Circuit judge who was assigned the case when Cass County Circuit Judge Mark Herman recused himself. Subscribe:Get unlimited access to our local coverage. In the nonpartisan primary, the two candidates who receive the greatest number of votes advance to the general election. By using this website, you agree to comply with all of the terms of use . Michigan is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. Michigan District Courts Soon after election, she was appointed as chief judge, a position she has held for 11 years. Kengis and Bakker have worked closely together over the years when making final decisions on a variety of issues. They have four children. Apply today! Presiding Family Court Judge, Allegan County, Michigan Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. She has been recognized for her volunteer work with South Haven Public Schools and the Allegan County Coordinating Council on Domestic and Sexual Violence. 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. 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. Judge Kengis relied on the testimony from the 2018 preliminary hearing in the case for his findings of fact in accepting Fields plea. 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. 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). On Jan. 1, the Michigan Supreme Court announced Judge Roberts Kengis would replace Bakker in supervising the 48th Circuit Court. Example video title will go here for this video. Chief Circuit Court Judge, Honorable Margaret Zuzich Bakker The appeal was heard by Allegan County District Judge William Baillargeon. Betty Kortman . Bowman, 72, is charged with her murder. 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 is being convicted of multiple sex offenses which will impact his getting teaching or counseling positions in the future., Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Pokagon Band celebrates Four Winds South Bend hotel expansion, Chamber of Commerce welcomes real estate firm to downtown Dowagiac, School safety gains, FFA students highlighted at Cassopolis Board of Education meeting, 2nd & Main coffeehouse opens in downtown Niles. Loews attorneys are alleging prosecutorial misconduct occurred based on the emails, which they say they learned of in June. The Michigan Supreme Court is providing the information on this website as a public service. [1], If two or more candidates in a race receive the same number of votes, the election is to be decided by lot. Allegan County will soon have a new Prosecuting Attorney. Friday, Judge Kengis kept Fields bond the same. "We think the court wants to hear and have robust conversations on these issues. Neither side objected in court to Kengis'decision to recuse himself. Briefs in the case are expected to be filed within the coming months, at which point oral arguments will be scheduled. She said the jury reached the decision. Jan Murray. The jury was thereby improperly influenced.. Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below. The emails were unearthed by Allegan-based attorney Michael Villar, who was challenging County Prosecutor Myrene Koch's re-election bid in summer 2020. 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. Myrene Koch will take over for current prosecutor, Roberts Kengis on March 19. 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. And researchers submit to this site Connecting People & Government Public access to local... Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy position she has been recognized for her volunteer work with South Haven Schools... 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