[6], The 221 judges of the Michigan Circuit Courts are selected in an identical manner, each serving six-year terms. My husband was BULLIED into settling. 1. . width: 250px; Tato had attacked a small dog, Piper, while Piper's owners were walking the dog in a residential neighborhood. The two then exchanged several emails about the lack of a medical exam. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Court overturns Allegan County judge's order to euthanize pitbull, Panel: Judge should not have blocked expungement for manslaughter conviction, Court rejects appeal in victim's suit against GVSU, Ottawa County police, Holland Pereddies murderer appealing life sentence again, Subscribe to get unlimited access to our local coverage, Court overturns Allegan County judge's order to euthanize pitbull. display: inline-block; 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. After requesting emails and texts between Koch and Bakker via the Freedom of Information Act, Villar said there were multiple instances of the judge and prosecutor communicating about court cases inappropriately. Family Division An Allegan County jury last year convicted Daniel Loew of criminal sexual conduct. Allegan County Circuit Court judges Margaret Zuzich-Bakker and Kevin Cronin. The Friend of the Court handles domestic relations cases involving minor children. She vetoed the hiring of a law clerk who was fired from another job at the court. .infobox { Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker took absolutely NONE of the evidence we had gathered and applied it to the Factors in the Child Custody Act. But, before you actually form the opinion that perhaps she didnt feel the evidence was relevant to the case PLEASE bear in mind that she never even glanced at the evidence to even deem it admissible or not. I would like to share a story of a corrupt Judge, Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker in Allegan County, Michigan and my personal experience. The Michigan DNR asked Circuit Judge Margaret Bakker to . [1] [2] She ran for re-election in 2016. Joseph S. Skocelas Alpena and Montmorency Counties 26th Circuit Court Hon. During this time, my husband wants to work something out with Aneasha to keep this from going to court out of concern for Cheyanna. [3] Biography The major break in this case came at a chance meeting between a detective from the Michigan State Police and a detective form the Norfolk Police Department who both just happened to be attending a cold case homicide conference in Virginia, Koch said during a press conference following Bowmans sentencing hearing. Terms and Conditions be a qualified elector of his or her district; be licensed to practice law in the state; have at least five years of law practice experience; and. MSP Detective Bryan Fuller said genealogy testing the use of public DNA databases to identify victims, like in West Michigans 196 Jane and Ada bones cases; and develop suspects, like in the Golden State Killer case had given Norfolk Police Department Detective John Smith a lead on the Allegan County connection. Cronin considered Anderson the most qualified, despite any issues Bakker had with him. Its the latest chapter in a dispute that resulted in intervention by the state Supreme Court. Bakker joined the Allegan County Prosecuting Attorney's Office in March 1982. Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker clearly has biased and this prevents her from doing what she was appointed to do. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The bill faced a long journey through the Legislature after the Board of Commissioners passed a resolution early last year urging the creation of the third judge to attack jury trial delays and ease the caseload for the county's two current circuit court judges, Margaret Zurich Bakker and Roberts Kengis. He specifically ask the court to change his Parenting time to give him the same 10 weeks in 2 groups so he could still nurture his relationship with his daughter. The Family Division of Circuit Court handles all domestic relations cases. He sues the following employees of Allegan County: Circuit Court Judge Margaret Bakker, Magistrate Judge Kirby J. Goodwin, Detective Chris Koster, Chief Prosecuting Attorney Frederick Anderson, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Myrene Koch, Court Reporter Anne Lang, Child Protective Services (CPS) Caseworker Amanda Cherian, and Sergeant Christopher Staying current is easy with GRBJ's news delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge. My husband and his daughters mother were never married. Michigan District Courts The statewide primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 2. She instead supported Judge Roberts Kengis' application to the Michigan Supreme Court for the leadership position, which he took over Jan. 1. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. In December, Cronin said he planned to hire Chris Anderson as his law clerk, six months after Bakker fired him as a referee handling child support matters. In February 2021, police told News 8 that Bowmanconfessed to a rape and assaultin 1979. Hearing Info. [7], Qualifications She was someone who stood up for herself even in the face of abuse, Koch said. Every case depends on how wide-ranging the allegations are, but it would be several months for even a very specific complaint.. Villar, a private practice attorney, later lost the electionby a handful of votes. The biweekly print edition of GRBJ, a must-read for the area's top decision-makers, is known as the business newspaper of metro Grand Rapids, Holland, Muskegon and all of West Michigan. Privacy Policy He ultimately did tell police exactly where to find Aundrias remains, buried in a shallow grave in the backyard of his property in Monterey Township, east of Hamilton. Just months earlier, Bakker had fired Anderson as a Friend of Court referee. I can understand if along the way visitation is modified and support continues, but to start support and not even give the other parent at least the bare minimum of the countys Parenting Time is a travesty. [8], The chief judges of the circuit courts are appointed by the state supreme court to two-year terms. John Agar covers crime for MLive/Grand Rapids Press E-mail John Agar: jagar@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ReporterJAgar. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. I am starting a petition to have her removed and am desperately seeking help from any outside sources (Congressmen, lawyers, organizations or all the way up the totem pole. The reason ex parte communications are frowned on, is the judge is supposed to be a neutral decision maker and the whole concept of a court case is that in order to give due process, its important for each person to understand what is being told to the judge regarding the matter so they can respond and address whatever is alleged against them. Time. 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. The unsure fate of Biden's student loan forgiveness plan and more news to start your Thursday. from the Detroit College of Law in 1978. The victim was 13 at the time of the first reported assault. 3/2LOOK. Still he held his head high and we walked forward. What is wrong with our system when the system forces a parent to support a child (which a parents should support their child (ren)) but then the system decides to take the high road and make the parent fight for any visitation? On Jan. 1, theMichigan Supreme Court announcedJudge Roberts Kengis would replace Bakker in supervising the 48th Circuit Court. 2. Bakker was appointed chief judge on December 21, 2010. Lynch told The Sentinel on Friday the most recent decision to hear arguments indicates the high court's interest in issues it deems of "significant public concern.". 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. } font-size: .9em; This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. } An Allegan County jury last year convicted Daniel Loew of criminal sexual conduct. In 2019, a magistrate and local district court judge approved an order of euthanization after concluding the pit bull was a "dangerous animal." ALLEGAN Attorney Mike Villar has filed complaints against current Allegan County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker and current Allegan County Prosecutor Myrene Koch. Aundria lost her life, she lost her potential and was given only a series of nevers: She would never go to prom or graduate high school; she would never go to college or find a career that she loved; she would never get married or have children of her own; and she would never enjoy growing up and growing old surrounded by family and friends who loved her.. My name April, and I am deeply saddened and appalled in the family courts in Allegan County, Michigan specifically Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker 48th Circuit Court. First published on January 17, 2022 / 11:22 AM. An Allegan County jury in 2019 convicted Loew of criminal sexual conduct. Yes, we had proof demonstrating why he wasnt a stable factor due to Aneashas own hidden agendas. margin: auto; To stand up, on my husbands behalf and all the other men (or woman) that are overlooked, and tell this judge, Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker, that everything she is suppose to stand for Judicially is nothing more than hate, bias, and bigotry at its worst. She awarded sole custody to stay with the mother, and my husband was given less than the bare minimum. This email chain is more than just "scheduling and administrative matters". Allegan judge to colleague: 'I'm not your junior associate emotional whipping boy'. The county has not responded to the lawsuit. Michael Vaughan to defend himself on second day of Yorkshire racism hearing. ANSWER: Admitted. width: 43%; Daniel Loew The emails between Koch and. It centers around Cronins hiring of a legal clerk Bakker had previously fired. To be elected to either of these courts, a judge must:[7]. Help Center Reading what he has done is sickening.. clear: both; Allegan County Judge Kevin Cronin has taken the extraordinary step of asking the Michigan Supreme Court to intervene in a turf battle with Chief Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker. In early 2010, my husband re-entered my life, and we had a vivacious, enormous whirlwind romance. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 100% remote. The more people that push to see true justice, the more likely they will do something about it. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met briefly Thursday at a meeting of top diplomats from the Group of 20 nations in the first high-level meeting in months between the two countries. 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