*county-courthouse.com is not affiliated with the Official US Government, or any state, local, or federal office. Get unlimited access to our local coverage, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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. 113 Chestnut Street, Allegan, MI49010 The prosecutor said the emails and information were not shared with the assistant prosecutor trying the case. The two then exchanged several emails about the lack of a medical exam. Community Volunteer . The emails were something between idle chat and administrative communication.. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Dont they have detectives anymore?, The next morning, Koch replied: They do but not typically for CSCs. 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; } Dobrich said Allegan Circuit Judge Roberts Kengis will preside over the trial, which will take place in Cassopolis. Before that, she worked 28 years as an assistant prosecutor, the last eight as chief prosecutor. The emails between Koch and Judge Margaret Bakker showed the two discussing the case while Loew's trial was occurring in Bakker's courtroom. 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. The Michigan Supreme Court will ultimately decide after agreeing to hear oral arguments in the case of Daniel Loew. This county is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates. Ballotpedia features 395,436 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. He was convicted of five counts of criminal sexual misconduct and sentenced to at least 20 years in prison. Field was arrested in the fall of 2017. Kengis was appointed to the circuit court judgeship in March 2018 by then-governor Rick Snyder after the resignation of Judge Kevin Cronin. Myrene Koch will replace Robert Kengis as Allegan County Prosecuting Attorney on March 19. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. The United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan has jurisdiction in Allegan County. "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 point is she tried. 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. Judge Kengis relied on the testimony from the 2018 preliminary hearing in the case for his findings of fact in accepting Fields plea. 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. In a hearing Thursday, Judge Roberts Kengis alerted the. 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? Circuit Judge Roberts Kengis recused himself because he was the county prosecutor when charges were filed against Loew. Contact her at sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com or follow her on Twitter @SentinelLeach. Plaintiff Jonathan King Meyer filed a pro se complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Judge Roberts Kengis is the new chief judge of the 48th Circuit Court in Allegan County. I will add that this case was decided by a jury based on the evidence presented in the courtroom. The status of those grievances is unknown, as the merits of Loew's appeal are still pending. Koch previously told The Sentinel she never discussed the emails with Jipp. 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. 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.. Judges Jon Van Allsburg, Mark Feyen and Bradley Knoll were reappointed to two-year terms as chief judges of Ottawa County's 20th Circuit Court, Probate Court and 58th District Court, respectively. Allegan County, All civil cases at law over $300., Civil cases in equity., Proceedings in habeas corpus., Felonies and misdemeanors, Proceedings in quo warranto., Prohibition and certiorari cases., Appeals from magistrate court, municipal court, and administrative agenc, Phone Number: 269-673-0300 In this case, she was comfortable with the agreement. All rights reserved. Dont they have detectives with MSP anymore? non-substantive) matters.". This trooper has been given additional personal training since this investigation. George Field, 60, of Dowagiac, had been scheduled to face trial starting Monday in Cass County Circuit Court on 17 criminal sexual conduct, insurance fraud and perjury charges. 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. ALLEGAN - Allegan County Commission chairman James Storey points out the Allegan circuit should have a third judge position. The Michigan Supreme Court made their current appointments to the courts across the state. Interns wanted: Get paid to help ensure that every voter has unbiased election information. 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. They claim that Loew did not receive a fair trial. *Please call to verify. All rights reserved (About Us). Bakker, who remains on the bench, served in the role for 11 years. Subscribe:Get unlimited access to our local coverage. The incidents occurred between September 2015 and early 2018 when he perjured himself during a court hearing. Kengis replaces Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker who had been elected to the circuit court in 2010. Michigan is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. He was sentenced to a minimum 20 years in prison on each charge. The case has volleyed around the higher court system after Loew's conviction in August 2019. Bowman says he hid Aundria's body in a barn on the property and called police to report that she had run away. Lynch responded: Thats not the point. 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. I did not discuss those communications with the Assistant Prosecutor trying the case. 1983 against the County of Allegan, the State of Michigan, Kevin Cronin, a former judge of the 48th Circuit Court in Allegan County, and Robert Kengis, a current judge of the 48th Circuit Court, alleging claims for denial of due process, cruel and unusual punishment Penny Brown . 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. Koch a 1992 graduate of Michigan State received her JD from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1999. prosecutorial candidate Michael Villar accused his opponent, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Justices Christopher Murray and Jane Markey were in the majority, saying the emails didnt provide an advantage to the prosecution. Villar, a private practice attorney, later lost the electionby a handful of votes. 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. The emails were unearthed by Allegan-based attorney Michael Villar, who was challenging County Prosecutor Myrene Koch's re-election bid in summer 2020. The people of Allegan County are served by the Michigan Third District Court of Appeals, a circuit court, district court, and probate court. Judiciary Courts of the Stt is located at 113 Chestnut St in Allegan, Michigan 49010. 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. She said the counseling took place there and the sexual relations at Fields home next door to the center. Michigan District Courts His case was bound over for a jury trial in Allegan County's 48th Circuit Court last month. The plea agreement was announced Friday afternoon in a court hearing before Judge Roberts Kengis. Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. 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. In the nonpartisan primary, the two candidates who receive the greatest number of votes advance to the general election. 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. Allegan County Circuit Court Judge Roberts Kengis was asked to disqualify himself from the case and agreed to do so in a hearing Thursday. *Not location specific. Honorable Michael L. Buck . 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 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 The jury found the Defendant guilty based on that evidence. They began investigating and recommended she contact the sheriffs department. He obtained the emails through a Freedom of Information Act request. In August, Bakker also recused herself from hearing the motion for a new trial. 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. Rob Kengis. Bowman, 72, is charged with her murder. She said the jury reached the decision. 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 Subscribe: Get unlimited access to our local coverage. 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. 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